“It Happened Every Time”: Fedor Emelianenko Claims Dana White Approached Him Only After He Signed Elsewhere
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The legendary heavyweight MMA star says the timing was the main reason a deal with the UFC didn’t materialize.
Fedor Emelianenko is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters never to compete in the UFC. He spent his career fighting outside the world’s biggest MMA promotion.
UFC President Dana White and the former PRIDE champion entered negotiations several times, but they never reached a deal, leaving fans with one of MMA’s biggest “what ifs.” Now 50, the Russian legend has offered his clearest explanation yet for why a deal with the UFC never materialised.
Fedor Emelianenko Reveals Why UFC Deal With Dana White Never Came Through
“He came over saying he wanted me to fight for him, but one fight earlier, I’d been a free agent. I was free, and they didn’t sign me. It happened every time. When I’m free, they aren’t interested. When I’m under contract, the offers start coming. But if you’re under contract, you can’t sign another one. There would be legal proceedings,” Fedor Emelianenko said in an interview with Ushatayka.
Dana White wanted to put together what could have been one of the biggest heavyweight fights in MMA history between former UFC champion Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko.
However, Emelianenko’s management wanted a co-promotion with M-1 Global, a condition the UFC was unwilling to accept. White later said he was glad the deal never materialised.
Emelianenko on Dana White
UFC president Dana White has always had a polarizing opinion of Fedor Emelianenko. He only acknowledged the Russian star’s accomplishments after his retirement in 2023.
White previously pointed to Emelianenko’s losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva, and Dan Henderson in Strikeforce as reasons to question his pound-for-pound status.
In the same interview, Emelianenko shared his blunt opinion of White. The former PRIDE champion said that White often goes back on his word and that his way of doing business never sat well with him.
“The man talks and changes his story. He simply doesn’t stand by his words. His way of doing business doesn’t sit well with me. A legend? If someone thinks he’s a legend, let them,” Emelianenko said.
Check out the video below:
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