I’m starting to think I’m the only person on the planet that doesn’t get hard at the thought of Fedor vs Randy.
[quote]Mick28 wrote:
dalejohnson wrote:
Fedor vs. Randy must happen somehow.
Take matters into your own hands put up the money and make it happen![/quote]
Better yet, pick a fight with each and see who beats you harder.
Damici makes some really good points.
Analog Kid, is that name a Rush reference?
[quote]Chewie wrote:
Damici makes some really good points.
Analog Kid, is that name a Rush reference? [/quote]
Yep, Digital Man was taken.
In other news, Dana White gets stoned out of his mind before talking.
“Hell no, I wasn�??t gonna pay Fedor more money than Randy Couture. I don�??t think Fedor is a top five heavyweight in the world, and I�??m not saying that because I didn�??t get Fedor.”
In related news, after listening to the press conference that Dana, Lorenzo and their CFO held yesterday, I am now confused about what exactly set Randy off. Granted he might have gotten his facts a little confused with regard to the exact numbers he was paid and which payments were for what and when, etc., but some of his complaints seem to make sense (no post-fight bonus after the Gonzaga fight?!) and some don’t. The way he handled it all definitely seems a little questionable.
Randy claims that he sat down with them several weeks ago and aired his complaints (I’m not sure specifically which complaints he aired) and that nothing was done by the UFC in response. Dana said a few days ago, when Randy first announced his resignation, that he wasn’t at all surprised that Randy resigned/retired, which indicates that he knew Randy was unhappy, yet at the press conference yesterday Dana and Lorenzo acted like they were completely blindsided by all of this and had no idea he was unhappy, and said he’d never been one to complain about anything.
???
I think the bottom line is that there’s something more here underneath the surface, something intangible that is not visible solely by looking at the dollars and cents, which caused Randy to get fed up over time until he just wanted out. I don’t buy that some “slimeball agent” was able to just get in the ear of an intelligent, articulate, 44-year-old man who’s been around the block more than a few times.
There’s something more to Randy’s unhappiness, and I suspect it has to do with a general feeling of the UFC (most likely Dana, specifically) generally treating him with a lack of respect, or not always addressing his issues (non-monetary ones), maybe talking behind his back, or just generally making him feel brushed off at times.
SOMETHING caused him to snap, and unhappy employees sometimes come to a slow boil, as the causes of their unhappiness, though very real, are not always things that can be explained easily to outsiders, such as “I wish they would pay me X but they only paid me Y.” Human interactions and general level of respect play a big part, and there must be a lot of issues with regard to that under the surface here.
Just my hunch.
[quote]Damici wrote:
A bunch of good stuff [/quote]
This type of thing has happened before in other promotions (see: professional wrestling). The reasons for the fallout are never made clear, as both sides present strong arguments for their side, thus murking the waters of the claims of the opposing party. Couture will always be viewed by the MMA audience with the utmost respect, so it’s really in the UFC’s best interest NOT to get into a war of words with Couture. You never want to burn the bridge and you never want to take cheap shots at one of your biggest stars, as it hurts his drawing power going forward.
You might ask, why should the UFC keep its mouth shut? Well, history has shown that most times when there is a falling out between a star and a promoter, the two do reconcile and re-enter a working relationship somewhere down the line. It makes good business sense to keep Couture strong in the fans’ mind when he’s away, rather than bashing him and degrading his accomplishments; or not mentioning him at all and pretending like he never existed.
To use professional wrestling as an example: back in 2002 WWE and Stone Cold had a falling out, the reasons unclear. Vince McMahon and WWE went out of their way to bash Stone Cold the months he was gone and when he returned, things just weren’t the same. Yes, Austin was still a big star, but there was immediate tension with his fellow wrestlers when he returned, and the fans were very cautious, wondering if this was a short- or long-term investment by WWE.
Likewise, it was preposterously stupid of Dana White to insult, degrade and disrespect Fedor the way he did with his comments in that press conference. Despite what he says, he’s obviously pissed that he wasn’t able to sign Fedor, but you NEVER want to burn bridges, in any business. ESPECIALLY when you’re talking about the guy who (whether he likes it or not) everyone views as being THE number one heavyweight in the world.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
Damici wrote:
A bunch of good stuff
This type of thing has happened before in other promotions (see: professional wrestling). The reasons for the fallout are never made clear, as both sides present strong arguments for their side, thus murking the waters of the claims of the opposing party. Couture will always be viewed by the MMA audience with the utmost respect, so it’s really in the UFC’s best interest NOT to get into a war of words with Couture. You never want to burn the bridge and you never want to take cheap shots at one of your biggest stars, as it hurts his drawing power going forward.
You might ask, why should the UFC keep its mouth shut? Well, history has shown that most times when there is a falling out between a star and a promoter, the two do reconcile and re-enter a working relationship somewhere down the line. It makes good business sense to keep Couture strong in the fans’ mind when he’s away, rather than bashing him and degrading his accomplishments; or not mentioning him at all and pretending like he never existed.
To use professional wrestling as an example: back in 2002 WWE and Stone Cold had a falling out, the reasons unclear. Vince McMahon and WWE went out of their way to bash Stone Cold the months he was gone and when he returned, things just weren’t the same. Yes, Austin was still a big star, but there was immediate tension with his fellow wrestlers when he returned, and the fans were very cautious, wondering if this was a short- or long-term investment by WWE.
[/quote]
Couture had a guest spot on the CBS show, The Unit last night btw.
[quote]tom63 wrote:
Couture had a guest spot on the CBS show, The Unit last night btw.[/quote]
Did he make any comments about him leaving the UFC?
[quote]analog_kid wrote:
tom63 wrote:
Couture had a guest spot on the CBS show, The Unit last night btw.
Did he make any comments about him leaving the UFC?
[/quote]
Just a character part. He played a MP who ended up getting screwed by the Delta boys without even knowing it, hahaha. they were supposed to transport a prisoner, but you found out that they really wanted to kill him before extradition, where he would be killed anyway.
They made it look as if his daughter did it on a last visit.