EA confirms first three fighters on EA Sports MMA roster
by Randy Nelson 
{ Jul 29th 2009 at 9:35PM } 
UFC president Dana White may be concerned about EA trying to poach his talent for EA Sports MMA, but the first three mixed martial artists announced for the game aren't on his payroll -- although one of them was, before being unceremoniously ejected from the promotion.
The just-announced lineup is led by World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian-born fighter has fought around the world for promotions including Pride and, most recently, Affliction. EA hasn't said if Emelianenko will be on the game's cover, but it could do far worse than the man universally recognized as the world's top MMA athlete.
Former K-1 fighter Gegard Mousasi joins Emelianenko, as does the man he's scheduled to fight August 15 for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, Renato Sobral. Sobral, a former UFC fighter, was let go by Dana White after he ignored the referee's orders and choked his opponent out during UFC 74. The unsporting conduct drew boos from the crowd, cost him half of his $50,000 fight purse and lead to White calling his actions "completely unacceptable" -- just as they're likely to be in EA's MMA title.
The just-announced lineup is led by World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko. The Russian-born fighter has fought around the world for promotions including Pride and, most recently, Affliction. EA hasn't said if Emelianenko will be on the game's cover, but it could do far worse than the man universally recognized as the world's top MMA athlete.
Former K-1 fighter Gegard Mousasi joins Emelianenko, as does the man he's scheduled to fight August 15 for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, Renato Sobral. Sobral, a former UFC fighter, was let go by Dana White after he ignored the referee's orders and choked his opponent out during UFC 74. The unsporting conduct drew boos from the crowd, cost him half of his $50,000 fight purse and lead to White calling his actions "completely unacceptable" -- just as they're likely to be in EA's MMA title.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shimrra @ Jul 29th 2009 9:41PM
Oh snap !!!!!!!
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 9:47PM
There is also evidence to support the fact that in addition to those three fighters Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture are also lending their likeness to EA's MMA game.
http://www.cagepotato.com/randy-fedor-sylvia-babalu-tapped-ea-mma-roster-list
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 9:57PM
Getting Couture would be a major coup for EA as he along with Chuck Liddell are by far the most recognizable and popular athletes in the history of the UFC. Not to mention Couture is still fighting in the UFC but apparently is the only fighter that was not required to sign his likeness away to continue fighting in the organization.
I think we will see some other big time MMA stars not currently in the UFC like Nick Diaz, Jake Shields ... basically the entire Strikeforce has been rumored to have been tapped for this game including Gina Carano. It also wouldn't surprise me to see standouts like Shinya Aoki, Jay Hieron, Jacare Souza, Jason Miller, Kid Yamamoto, Bobby Lashley etc and former superstars no longer in the UFC or retired like Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Mark Kerr, Jeff Monson, Dan Severn, Marco Ruas, Carlos Newton and on and on and on.
This game could be really big but I still want a current stable of relevant fighters and not 3/4 of the roster retired legends like the Fight Night Round 4 roster of fighters.
SBrooks1 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:13PM
Getting all those fighters would be cool for hardcore MMA guys like me. But to the casual fan, which is probably a UFC fan because of it's popularity, they won't care. Even putting Gina Carano wouldn't be a big deal. Who is she going to fight? Maybe 2-3 other women fighters? Meh...
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:34PM
Yeah it's a hardcore fans dream and thats all I care about. Don't underestimate some of these fighters appeal in other countries. Fedor is pretty much an immortal God on Japan and any game with him on the cover would sell very well in the land of the rising sun as well as Europe and North America. I just want to see Gina in the game for the lulz ... You have Gina, Cyborg, Toughill and Coenen as the legitimate female featherweights.
Tonicboy @ Jul 30th 2009 6:57AM
Even though some of these names are very good, they still won't have the cachet of the active UFC brand names. My only hope is that EA realizes that it is way behind in the roster department and needs the game itself to kick ass. Otherwise, we may end up with a decently fun game with the loneliest multiplayer you've ever seen.
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 30th 2009 7:17PM
johnny
Man right now i hate Vadim and Co soooooo fucking bad! They cut my internet off at work because of compliance issues so I hardly ever get on here anymore, btw. Anyway yeah my buddy still sends me all the news to my work email along with comments lol. I dunno man as long as Fedor signs with UFC or Strikeforce I'll be happy. Prefferably UFC of course. I have tickets to UFC 103 and thats where Fedor was supposed to be fighting Brock. WTF is up with Finkie? I hate them!!! SIGN THE DAMN CONTRACT!!!!!!
Anyway, I'm SOOOOOO fucking happy Strikeforce picked up the Babalu/Gegard fight. And now its for the title! Also Jay Hieron vs Diaz now! Even better than Joe Riggs IMO. Bad news about Punk though. Ishida will step in and fight Melendez for the interim. Oh well.
Vitor should be going to UFC and Tito should be announced tomorrow as well. Good stuff. I wanna se Vitor beat the shizz outta Silva.
UFC 101
WAR BJ, FORREST, SODALLAH (finally), Pellegrino (Neer is a dick)
Tony Montana @ Jul 29th 2009 9:52PM
LOL wow thats pretty embarassing for Dana.
To people who actually know something about MMA he is the best fighter on the planet by far so this is a big coup.
Even worse when EA put their world class marketing machine at work with this game it will be promoting fighters that are not in the UFC which will be funny to watch.
handlas @ Jul 29th 2009 10:01PM
that's right. To anyone that "knows something about MMA". To the average casual fan...they probably don't know who the hell Fedor is. So him being put as the main guy to head the game seems a bit odd. Randy Couture (if he is in the game) would seem more marketable. Even if Fedor is considered the best in the world.
Still doesn't matter. The past week there has been tons of news about Fedor signing for the UFC and stuff. All bullshit. Everyone that "knows something about MMA" (ya I'll use it again) knows that Fedor won't be in the UFC and thus Dana threatening to ban people from the UFC who are part of EA's game really doesn't matter in this case. But regardless, I think Dana's threat was kinda empty to being with. If Fedor really was gonna sign with the UFC, Dana wouldn't give a shit if he is in EA's game.
SBrooks1 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:04PM
How is it embarrassing for Dana? This was expected. All EA can do is sign fighters who aren't in the UFC. And if they aren't in the UFC that says something right there. Fedor and his management is too ignorant to sign because they want to leech off the UFC's success and co-promote Fedor in the UFC which will never happen. Therefor, if Fedor isn't fighting in the UFC who is he fighting? How will EA market that?
Tony Montana @ Jul 29th 2009 10:12PM
Fedor is much more marketable to an international audience than say Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell. Even Bob Sapp is more marketable intentionally than any UFC star. Outside of the US the UFC has never sold a single PPV.
EA are a pretty big company and they trade worldwide they can use this to their advantage over here in European markets. Considering the higher amount they charge for games out here it is to their advantage.
Dana White has been trying to get Fedor to sign with UFC since Pride got disassembled. The trick to marketing a game is to get an athlete with just credentials and then promoting him.
This is how they promited Mike Tysons Punch Out back in the 80's and this is how they promote Tiger Woods PGA Tour.
The idea is if you take an athlete and brag about his credentials you can promote him and base an entire game around him.
Thats how marketers keep costs down where they can. If they can they promote an individual rather than many others.
Just like there is Mike Tysons Punch out and Tiger Woods PGA Tour the best MMA fighter will have his own game.
Dropeti @ Jul 29th 2009 10:23PM
@Tony Montana
I'm sorry. I stopped reading the second I read you say UFC dind't sold a single PPV outsite the USA.
SBrooks1 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:27PM
"Outside of the US the UFC has never sold a single PPV."
Wow......do you really think that? Seriously?
Tony Montana @ Jul 29th 2009 10:56PM
sbrook1 I am from Europe and I doubt you've ever been here or out of the United States.
Here in Europe people have no idea what UFC is there has never been a PPV event here.
The channel that used to display UFC fights here did so for free and that channel ended up going into administration and bankruptcy too.
I know you think the UFC is big in the US and if its big in the US that means its big in the world but your being an ignoramus. There is a world outside of the US you know.
If you look at the biggest sports game in the world right now Its FIFA. FIFA is a football game or what you would call soccer and it doesnt sell in the US but it sells everywhere else.
A UFC game would sell in the USA but that doesnt mean a lot for the international market. Compare the UFC games non-US sales to the sales of FIFA 09 and you'll see the point I'm making.
EA will want to market a game on the scale of FIFA. A game that will sell worldwide not just in North America. Now they have an opportunity to use a fighter that is actually known worldwide.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:56PM
I think most of the shows that air across Great Britian, Ireland, Luxemborg, Canada and Australia were done on premium subscription services by Sentana whom the UFC partnered with to build brand awareness outside of the continental United States. In fact, nearly all of the PPV buys for the UFC happen within the United States. However, the UFC also streams their events live PPV over Yahoo for countries without a broadcast outlet. So, I'm sure that PPV's have been sold outside of North America but it's true that the league (not the sport) isn't as popular in other countries.
http://mmamania.com/2009/06/23/ufc-severs-ties-with-troubled-boradcaster-setanta-sports/
Tony Montana @ Jul 29th 2009 11:04PM
Ah thank you.. somebody that knows what they are talking about.
Yeah Setanta used to host fights and replays of UFC events but they ended up going bankrupt.
The Yahoo PPV player doesn't work johnnynumber5 I get this message:
We apologize, but UFC® PPV on Yahoo! Sports is not available to users in "United Kingdom".
There is a list of countries there but you get the point. Yahoo Sports PPV player is not available here. It's a shame actually Hulu is only available in the US.. slightly unrelated I know lol
Papa Midnight @ Jul 29th 2009 11:16PM
@Tony Montana:
"Fedor is much more marketable to an international audience than say Randy Couture or Chuck Liddell. Even Bob Sapp is more marketable intentionally than any UFC star. Outside of the US the UFC has never sold a single PPV."
You ALMOST had me. It's true. Setana aired UFC freely to viewers.
"Here in Europe people have no idea what UFC is there has never been a PPV event here."
And likewise, you just contradicted yourself. Concurrently, I knew to stop reading right about there...
Never been a UFC PPV event in Europe?
I guess this means we're going to pretend UFC 99 never happened.
Considering the near-13,000 in attendence, I doubt that "no one" in Europe knows about the UFC. Considering I know people in the Netherlands, The UK, Bulgaria, etc., who watch UFC and other MMA promotions on a regular basis (and who are all hoping for a Lesnar v. Lashley match in the future).
How about doing research before making baseless or unknown statements?
handlas @ Jul 29th 2009 11:24PM
@Tony
well by your own statements, the UFC (the biggest company in MMA) is the most popular in the US. The casual MMA fan pretty much only knows UFC. Fedor is not part of the UFC. Hence, putting him as the face of the game still doesn't seem like a better decision than putting Randy Couture on there.
Pride was popular...sure. Who owns most of their big name fighters? UFC. Affliction is obviously gone now and according to reports the UFC absorbed 20 contracts.
Everyone should just agree EA made a huge mistake (whether they knew it at the time or not) by passing on making a UFC game. Making an MMA game without the UFC....silly.
But whatever. This is my opinion. I'll admit I know little about the other organizations outside the UFC and WEC.
Tony Montana @ Jul 29th 2009 11:29PM
Papa Midnight way to make yourself look stupid.
OK I'll let wikipedia explain to you what PPV means:
"Pay-per-view (often abbreviated PPV) offers a system by which a television audience can purchase events to view on TV-monitors via private telecast of that event to their homes."
PPV is purchasing a private telecast. You don't go to a PPV genius.
And don't tell me that bullshit about you know people lol are you fucking serious?
I live here and I know for a fact now(and tell me if I'm wrong) but you've never been here in your entire life. How many people do you know that you can make a valid claim that the UFC is popular here? Even if you know one thousand people in Europe thats still a minority.
UFC events are held in small arenas. One way to look at it is at Old Trafford(football aka soccer) there is a seating capacity of 75 thousand and that arena is jam packed when Manchester United play.
UFC events take place in arenas that are about 20 thousand seats and they struggle to fill even half that. UFC went to the o2 and I think the MEN arena in Manchester and had to give away half of the tickets in competitions and for cheap on ticketmaster.co.uk to get people to buy them.
I'm not entirely sure what your argument here is but if you don't beleive me I'll tell you what.
Go research what I've been telling and if you can honestly tell me you think MMA is popular here in Europe I will shut up. Just for the record I am comparing football(soccer) to MMA here in Europe.
We don't have to be animals about this we can have a civil debate and if you feel like you have a case I'll be more than happy to reply to anything you bring up.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:25PM
Oh wow. Rumor is that Sky (not sure if thats some kind of a network or what) is in negotiations to get the rights to air the UFC PPV events in some of the territories I mentioned. It's a shame you want to pay for the PPV's yet there isn't a way to do so.
If you want to post your e-mail (or make some random one so I can contact you then use your regular one to follow up) I can guide you to plenty of resources to watch the fights for free online. I won't post the links here, though. I wouldn't post up an e-mail you use either because the spider crawlers will suck it up and you will get spammed to death. Even posting like ME AT AOL DAWT COM doesn't work anymore to get around the spiders.
I can hook you up ... as Professor_Lario as he is a huge boxing nut (like me as well) and we have frequent e-mail exchanges as well as when I sent him detailed instructions on how and where to watch the fights online.
The ball is in your court ... Tony Montana.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:28PM
@handlas
Strikeforce has actually absorbed the majority of the contracts from the now defunct Affliction. We are getting Mousasi vs Babalu on the Carano/Cyborg card in mid-August and Jay Hieron is now fighting Nick Diaz for that title as well on the same card.
I've heard rumblings that the UFC is going to sign Vitor Belfort, though.
handlas @ Jul 29th 2009 11:41PM
ya. After UFC 101, WEC is on the next day I believe. After that I was gonna try to watch the Strikeforce event. Broaden my knowledge a little outside the UFC :p. As long as there are exciting fighters, I'll watch it. I've watched Babalu in the UFC and Nick Diaz. Never seen Gina fight tho.
Tony Montana @ Jul 29th 2009 11:54PM
@handlas
In America you guys have UFC and WEC but in Europe we have Cage Rage and Ultimate Challenge.
It's like you guys have your own football in the NFL and we have our own football in the Premier League. I doubt you know who Wayne Rooney is and I don't know any NFL players. It's the same with MMA not many people in Europe would know who Chuck Liddell is hes not a celebrity here.
But you wouldn't know who Cristiano Ronaldo is here but hes one of the most famous names in Europe.
There are plenty of organisations around the planet that you guys havent heard of in the US that are pretty big worldwide and thats the point.
Lets assume the UFC gets skipped by EA and they sign a European promotion instead. Whoose to say that MMA game wont sell more than the UFC game?
FIFA Soccer outsells Madden NFL every year by a massive amount and very few people in North America by FIFA soccer. I just think EA are being smart here by going for a promotion that has more worldwide appeal than one that has appeal only in the US.
johnny Sky has already signed a contract with a UK MMA firm:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/ufc/2530681/Sky-Sports-snub-UFC-TV-deal.html
Thanks for the offer mate but I get my UFC off bit torrent sites.
I know I know but like I said we don't get PPV events here in any form or way and the channel that displayed the UFC fights did so at 4am(I can't always stay up though the replay isn't at a bad time). It's the only way to get UFC PPV's to your TV outside the US which is a shame but oh well.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 30th 2009 1:45AM
Bit torrent works as long as you can avoid spoiling the results for yourself. I hear on the time difference being a bitch. Every time the UFC has an event in the UK or Germany it's on here at like 2 in the afternoon and I always forget and some noob ruins it for me through PSN.
The method I use works great for watching the events live in high quality. But, if replays are good then you have a bevy of options. I wouldn't even waste time with seeding a bit torrent when you can go to one of the many link compiling sites and watch the fight in decent quality. I guess if you want a high definition experience it's worth it to just download the whole damn thing.
Funny thing is I still pay for the good UFC events (which are becoming fewer and fewer) but stream the ones with no compelling fights. For example, I'll buy this next one with BJ Penn, Florian, Silva & Griffin because thats two compelling fights and Penn is one of my personal favorites. UFC 102 is also looking good with Couture, Nogueira, T. Silva & Jardine. But, at this point UFC 103 is a terrible card thats not worth $1 and especially not $50. I've already seen Henderson beat up Franklin not that long ago and neither Swick nor Kampman are a challenge to GSP.
Anyway ... talking out loud here.
It's kind of crazy that Fedor rejected that huge deal from the UFC. I'm shocked.
Papa Midnight @ Jul 30th 2009 3:20PM
"PPV is purchasing a private telecast. You don't go to a PPV genius."
I wonder who all the people there are. Though since we're twisting logic, how about this for some logic? you Pay to go View. BAM.
"And don't tell me that bullshit about you know people lol are you fucking serious?"
Actually, yeah I do.
"I live here and I know for a fact now(and tell me if I'm wrong) but you've never been here in your entire life. How many people do you know that you can make a valid claim that the UFC is popular here? Even if you know one thousand people in Europe thats still a minority."
I wouldn't say a thousand. A Hundred, sure. A thousand is a bit over the top.
As for if I've never been there or not, this goes back to what I was saying about making dumb assumptions without knowing the facts...
Damn, you're almost as bad as Sprinkles.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2009 9:53PM
Hahaha slight problem though. Fedor just signed with UFC (or was very close to, saw it on Sportscenter this morning), and you know White was salivating at the thought of a Fedor vs Lesnar match. Now, if White is actually a man and such the tough guy he acts like, he'll do good on his word and not sign Fedor.
Ball's in your court bitch!
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:04PM
Actually that was an erroneous report by the LA Times as Fedor and his business partners at M-1 Global held a conference call today announcing that there was not a deal in sight and that the report was without merit. There has been a cat and mouse game with the UFC and the sports biggest star (Fedor) whom has never fought in the UFC and probably never will.
http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/07/29/fedor-emelianenko-gives-no-reason-to-think-hell-sign-with-ufc/
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:06PM
goddammit I was so close to seeing White screw himself over. Oh well, it's only a matter of time before that asshole does himself in somehow.
SBrooks1 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:07PM
Fedor is no where close to signing with the UFC. Like johnnynumber5 just posted, he held a conference call today and pretty much said "M-1 stresses that to do a deal with UFC, they want co-promotion. They think it's important for MMA to have competition, not UFC dominance"
So that means no Fedor in the UFC and Fedor will go off and fight nobodies for the rest of his career. Bye bye...
SBrooks1 @ Jul 29th 2009 9:59PM
The thing with signing Fedor to this game is he doesn't have mainstream popularity. Only hardcore MMA fans know about him. Because his management (M-1 Global) is so ignorant with their contract provisions regarding co-promotion, the UFC will never sign him. And they shouldn't. M-1 isn't shit and the UFC shouldn't cave. What's funny is that by the time this EA MMA game comes out Fedor still won't be in the UFC, won't have a real championship title and won't be fighting the top fighters in the world. The UFC will continue to grow and it's fighters will be more popular than Fedor. Fedor's #1 Heavyweight in the world title he has now will drop because he won't be fighting quality opponents. Fedor will finish his career fighting guys who are either past their prime or cannot fight in the UFC.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:26PM
Fedor has been fighting the best fighters in the world and has never truly lost a fight. Not only that but he has beaten most of the guys who are seen as some of the best guys in the UFC - and he beat them when they were in their primes. Let's say he signs with Strikeforce (possible) and fights & beats Werdum, Rogers and Overeem over the next year and a half. Then maybe he fights someone like Jeff Monson or Antonio Silva at the Fields Max event on new years in Japan. There are plenty of heavyweights not in the UFC that are some of the best in the world. I was really hoping for the Barnett fight because that would have been 3 former UFC champions that he beat easily. Let's not forget Couture only has one fight left on his UFC deal as well and that fight could happen after the Nogueira fight.
I agree that M-1 should get rid of the sticking point that the UFC must co-promote for Fedor to sign with the organization. Thats completely asinine to suggest that any fighter (possibly even the best in the history of the sport) is bigger than the sport itself.
I don't blame all of this on M-1 and Fedor, either. The UFC is partly to blame here as well for not backing down on some of their draconian contractual demands. This is the first fighter we have seen that is the best in the sport and doesn't need the UFC anymore than they need him. It makes for an interesting game of human chicken. Something tells me neither side is going to back down and at the end of the days the fans of the sport are the ones who lose.
I would love to see Lesnar get taken down a few notches with a quick arm bar loss to give him some perspective on humility. But, it's less and less likely with each passing today.
SBrooks1 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:34PM
"Not only that but he has beaten most of the guys who are seen as some of the best guys in the UFC - and he beat them when they were in their primes."
I hope you're not talking about Arlovski and Sylvia because Arlovski is getting KO'd on a weekly basis now and Sylvia just flat out sucks. Those 2 wins were good for name recognition but didn't really prove much. Don't get me wrong, I think Fedor is absolutely deserving of his #1 HW in the world title right now but unless he defends it against the #2 HW in the world, Brock, and as long as Brock successfully defends his title, Fedor's ranking will go down eventually. Brock successfully defending his title against top opponents does more for him than Fedor beating all the other names you mentioned.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:14PM
Who in the UFC is more top flight than Overeem, Rogers & Silva? The UFC has some good heavyweight prospects (Carwin & Velasquez) and some craft veterans (Couture, Mir & Noguiera) but for the most part it's by far the weakest division in the UFC. Not to mention Brock has a very small body of work so it's a little premature to assume he will go through unscathed and that he is facing better competition.
As far as Arlovski and Sylvia - It's easy to look back with hindsight and say those guys are now all of a sudden bums but the fact remains they are both former UFC champions and at the time Fedor fought them were widely recognized as the number two contenders in the P2P HW rankings. It's also interesting to note that when Fedor beats someone they lost their next fight decisively over 75% of the time. It's as if after getting beat by Fedor they lose their confidence and aura of invincibility.
When I say Fedor has beaten some of the best in the world while they were in the prime of their careers I'm talking about Arona, Schilt, Herring, Noguiera (twice), Sobral, Goodridge, Coleman (twice), Randleman, Cro-Cop, Hunt, Lindland, Sylvia and Arlovski. When a guy has 30 professional fights and has never had a legitimate loss or a blip (other than when Fujita rocked him - then got choked out) it's impressive to say the least. Most of the top fighters in the UFC came from Pride and it's no big secret that the Pride guys came over and starting winning the belts. Anderson Silva was 2-2 in Pride yet has cruised through the UFC unscathed.
In my opinion (and most UFC fighters and pundits) Fedor is the best fighter on the planet (not just the best heavyweight but best P2P) and is on the verge of being the best and most dominant fighter in the short history of MMA. It's my opinion that with or without the UFC he won't have any problems cementing his legacy as the best the sports ever seen.
If you didn't see it I would recommend watching this documentary about Fedor. The guy is like the Terminator: all he does is eat, sleep and train all day everyday.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2320831241594429038&ei=xA9xSv3lLKXeqAKp9sDDDg&q=Fedor+the+baddest+man+in+the+planet&hl=en
zero2dash @ Jul 29th 2009 11:54PM
I think you mean P4P.
Fedor, GSP, Silva...any one of the three could be argued to be the best P4P.
zero2dash @ Jul 30th 2009 12:00AM
One more comment, johnny - (cursed no edit button)
"It's my opinion that with or without the UFC he won't have any problems cementing his legacy as the best the sports ever seen."
Hardcore MMA fans know Fedor. Casual fans think the UFC equals MMA and have no clue who Fedor is.
If Fedor wants to solidify his legacy, he has to compete in the UFC. Strikeforce won't waste the money on him (because they don't have it and they're not as stupid as Affliction was). That leaves the UFC or Dream. The UFC will not bend over and let M1 Global and Fedor's management team call the shots, because the UFC does not need Fedor. Most likely, Dana's press conference Friday, he announces Tito's back, maybe announces an ABC deal, and that's it...I don't expect (nor do many other people) a Fedor/UFC announcement Friday (especially when Dave Meltzer reports tonight that talks have fallen through again, as always).
The UFC will do another 100 ppv's and Fedor will end his career in Dream, and most casual MMA fans will go about their business wondering "who's Fedor?".
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 30th 2009 1:31AM
@zero2dash
yeah P4P ... anyway
I'm reading some of the reports about the deal the UFC offered Fedor and let me say it's quite handsome. Actually, thats an understatement.
__________
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/7/29/968573/report-what-the-ufc-offered-fedor
The UFC offered Fedor a 6 fight, 30 million dollar contract. That's 5 mil a fight
- The UFC offered Fedor an immediate title shot
- Lesnar/Fedor would be the biggest PPV in MMA history (we assume), and the UFC offered M-1 Global a cut of the PPV on top of Fedor's purse.
- Fedor was free to wear as many M-1 logoed items as he wished.
- The UFC also relented on allowing Fedor to compete in combat sambo.
Apparently, for good or bad, M-1 refuses to sign a deal unless the UFC agrees to co-promote.
_________________
I've been backing Fedor in this whole deal but if he doesn't make it happen with that type of generous offer then he is either stupid, being taken advantage of by his management, greedy, headstrong or afraid to fight in the UFC (not likely IMO).
Crazy stuff. It's also true these reports haven't been confirmed and this could be posturing from Dana and/or M-1 Global. Fedor is going to go from hero to villan very quickly if this deal falls apart and it turns out to be true.
3dpenguin @ Jul 29th 2009 10:12PM
THQ's MMA UFC game vs EA's knock off MMA game who do you think will win in a fight; also don't forget White has threatened to sue EA because he had approached them previously with the same game idea, which they shot down.
Papa Midnight @ Jul 29th 2009 11:21PM
And it would have absolutely no standing in court.
EA has the right to develop and publish a title as it sees fit, just as THQ has a right to enter into partnership, develop and publish a title as they see fit.
The mere thought of saying otherwise effectively defeats the principle of anti-monopoly laws.
What it does show though is a classic case of "Oh, hey, yeah. What? Oh no, we do like MMA. We were just kidding.".
3dpenguin @ Jul 31st 2009 4:46PM
Actually Papa Midnight that would be the case if Mr. White hadn't gone to EA with the game proposal, which often includes rules and regulations for the sport along with game play ideas. Mr. White has threatened a suit of EA continues with their game and has stated any MMA athlete submitting their name and/or likeness to EA's will not be allowed into the UFC or be terminated if they are already a member. If EA uses any devices similar to the UFC standards Mr. White will have the rights to sue EA under intellectual property rights, which since the UFC is an established corporation and event provider would not be hard to prove was violated. EA does have the rights to produce an MMA game, but what has to be considered is how different is it actually, EA licenses from NFL, NHL, NBA, and MBL for their sporting games just so they can use the team/player likenesses and the NCAA for the team likeness', the player likeness' and names are illegal to be licensed in this or any other method because it requires payment to the players. Why should MMA be any different? What it comes down to is EA wasn't interested in licensing another franchise and then claimed that UFC, which has been around since 1993, was just a fad but when THQ's game actually sold they went "we screwed up" and decided to develop their own, which with the actual limited interest in MMA meant they had to go and make up their own game because UFC was unlikely to allow EA to release a licensed game against THQ who was willing to take a chance on the sport format.
Loki_d20 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:17PM
Personally, I'm still disappointed that EA is able to get their hands onto yet another sport, especially after having turned down UFC's offer two years ago.
jasonerin1981 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:22PM
Fedor is scared and just likes to fight washed up UFC fighters now. He won't sign with the UFC and won't fight Lesnar which is a damn shame. It's also a shame cause I do think he is the best in the world atm.
Bravo6 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:26PM
Still hoping Fedor will beat the snot out of Brock.
Murray @ Jul 29th 2009 11:39PM
I hope Brock beats the crap out of Fedor. The only reason people don't like Brock is the WWE background. If you take that out of the picture his college wrestling experience would make fans salivate.
Bravo6 @ Jul 30th 2009 12:57AM
I don't mind the WWE background at all.
skonius1 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:26PM
It's funny how all of this would be resolved if EA never badmouthed the sport of MMA.
If EA could have just shutted the fuck up, maybe we would have one incredible and complete game on our hands.
Raffikki5491 @ Jul 30th 2009 12:20AM
Definitely true. Maybe Dana will stop trying to be such a tough guy and open up negotiations in the future, but probably not.
johnnynumber5 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:34PM
I still want a next gen K-1 game (not that shitty DS one) more than another MMA game even if it features Fedor. The UFC game was great at first but then people started exploiting weaknesses in the ground game and made it unplayable. I still bought it (again after trading it in) but I only play online against friends of mine who play to have fun. Besides, I have a pretty accurate re-creation of Fedor in the UFC game so I'm good. However, if EA makes a game that isn't broken (unlikely as EA sports is abysmal IMO) with a good roster I'll still buy it. Who am I kidding I'll buy it whether it's broken or not. lol.
Oleg @ Jul 29th 2009 11:59PM
Dana White is gonna be maaaaaaaad...
Raffikki5491 @ Jul 30th 2009 12:18AM
I'm definitely looking forward to this game as well as any future UFC games.
Maybe if Dana would stop being such a tough guy negotiations could open up as far as developing a game with EA, he has to understand that if EA didn't want to make a UFC game it's because they saw no profit in it, and now that they see it they are taking advantage, it's just business, Dana should at least know that, no need to get mad at competition. Crying isn't gonna stop EA, making good business decisions as far as the future of UFC's games and which fighters they have will put them on top though.
justizzer @ Jul 30th 2009 12:40AM
According to the Carmichael Dave Show (as posted by Carmichael Dave on Sherdog) the UFC offered Fedor Emelianenko some extremely generous terms:
- The UFC offered Fedor a 6 fight, 30 million dollar contract. That's 5 mil a fight
- The UFC offered Fedor an immediate title shot
- Lesnar/Fedor would be the biggest PPV in MMA history (we assume), and the UFC offered M-1 Global a cut of the PPV on top of Fedor's purse.
- Fedor was free to wear as many M-1 logoed items as he wished.
- The UFC also relented on allowing Fedor to compete in combat sambo.
Apparently, for good or bad, M-1 refuses to sign a deal unless the UFC agrees to co-promote.
If this is indeed the offer that Zuffa made to Fedor, it is an unprecedentedly generous offer. But if the co-promotion is the sticking point, the deal is DOA.
Commentary from Luke Thomas: Let's be unequivocally clear: this is easily one of if not the most lucrative UFC contract ever extended. The terms are so fantastic that you are not likely to see anything of its kind in terms of its flexibility and willingness to accommodate. When Fedor is gone and the UFC no longer has an albatross around their neck, it will be difficult (albeit not impossible) to envision another scenario where a fighter even can be in a position to make the UFC genuflect like this. Once polarity is entrenched in the UFC's favor, only a crossover star will be able to ask for unreasonable demands. Even then, however, this is beyond that. We've arrived at a special circumstance given the gymnastics the UFC is playing on M-1's behalf.
If anyone from M-1 is reading this, allow me to give you a heads up. The more news of these terms spread, the more the MMA fanbase (hardcore and casual) are going to turn on you in what I can guarantee will be pure viciousness in its backlash. Perhaps that is of little concern to you and your motives, but it is an inevitability.
One can scarcely understand this scenario. Here the UFC is agreeing to not only waive virtually every restriction that would even prevent A-list fighters from joining the roster, but to handsomely pay a relatively minor competitor. Can we imagine a moment where an athlete has their sports organization directly pay an agent or manager or lawyer who helps negotiate any deal? Certainly those handlers charge considerable amounts for their services, but unless I'm mistaken they never actually generate different streams of revenue from the athlete and the organization. This is madness.
The reality is this. We cannot fault M-1 for seeking to aggrandize its riches and use this opportunity to work with the UFC to benefit its efforts. But we also must recognize the stubbornness of M-1's co-promotion stipulation indicates they are attempting to make a statement. The UFC is offering unreal payment and exposure - exposure that literally no one else can provide save perhaps CBS - for the M-1 organization, to say nothing of how much they'll pocket from the PPV buys. Fedor will be allowed to wear as much M-1 signage as he likes. That means this deal accomplishes in meaningful ways the goal of promoting M-1. This deal is helpful to the M-1 brand and company. It's not as helpful as co-promotion, but the inexorable position that it's co-promotion or its nothing is the epitome of cutting off one's nose to spite their face.
The only thing we can say on the subject is that two different sources have told us negotiations between UFC and Fedor have fallen through again.
I'M DONE WITH FEDOR