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120 Comments
- anderzole, on 11/20/2008, -0/+89Horrible move by Dana White. He's getting too greedy.
- damack, on 11/20/2008, -4/+61The UFC is a ***** joke trying to sign their fighters up to lifetime contracts.I mean damn how can you ask him to sign a lifetime contract that stipulates only the UFC can use his "likeness" to promote products? What if in about 10 years hes fighting for another organisation?
Dana White is a moron this is why Fedor the real number one fighter in the world refused to sign with the UFC. With Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Jon Fitch and Tito Ortiz all leaving the UFC and a bunch of clowns on a reality show called The Ultimate Fighter becoming UFC fighters the UFC is the new WWE.
Fact of the matter is even though the UFC try to paint a rosey picture about how well their doing with the Lesnar vs Couture event apparently their biggest ever they couldn't even sell out the arena! To top it off Anderson Silva has talked about retiring next year and is taking up boxing classes with Freddie Roach and talking about boxing Roy Jones Jr.
With the hammering the UFC is going to take over the next few years with the recession since they rely on PPV numbers in North America their probably going to end up going under which will be a fitting conclusion to what was once the home of champions and then was bought my money hungry morons and turned into the new WWE. - Trunkhouse, on 11/20/2008, -0/+37 Only Dana White would release an entire gym of incredible fighters because they won't sign his
"you only eat my cocktail fruit" contract - Supernova36, on 11/20/2008, -0/+27Wow, what a mafia style organisation. Firing a guy for wanting to keep rights to his own likeness..
- logicalnoise, on 11/20/2008, -0/+24Dana is ***** where he sleeps. Dana you felt bad about how you treated arlovski and yet this seems perfectly normal to you? eh what a douche moron. Anyways just makes me spend more on other promotions PPVs and DVDs.
- inactive, on 11/20/2008, -10/+33Because it's not a real sport. MMA is, but the UFC is a corporation and your bosses are some of the cheapest ***** on the planet. What a joke.
- SexyFarts, on 11/20/2008, -2/+18http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news;_ylt=AlDMhScX_TSH ...
A bitterly angry Dana White said Wednesday the Ultimate Fighting Championship has cut highly regarded welterweight contender Jon Fitch and is not going to do business with any fighters who are part of the American Kickboxing Academy team in San Jose, Calif.
The outspoken UFC president said shortly after landing in Hawaii on Wednesday that he no longer wants to work with AKA fighters or those represented by DeWayne Zinkin and Bob Cook.
White said he excepted AKA welterweight Mike Swick from that group because he said Swick called him and told him he wants to fight for the UFC. But Fitch and heavyweight Christian Wellisch were cut on Wednesday, and heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez and welterweight Josh Koscheck could be next.
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“We’re looking for guys who want to work with us and not against us, and frankly I’m just so [expletive] sick of this [expletive] it’s not even funny,” White said from Honolulu, where he flew Wednesday from Toronto to hold a news conference to announce the B.J. Penn-Georges St. Pierre fight for UFC 94 on Jan. 31 in Las Vegas.
“Affliction is still out there trying to build its company. Let [Fitch] go work with them. Let him see what he thinks of those [expletives]. [Expletive] him. These guys aren’t partners with us. [Expletive] them. All of them, every last [expletive] one of them.”
Fitch said Wednesday the dispute was over his reluctance to sign a lifetime contract to allow his name and likeness to be used in a video game the UFC is planning with THQ. He said the dispute has nothing to do with money and that he never caused a problem during his time in the UFC.
He said he simply didn’t understand the need to sign a lifetime contract, particularly since it would not pay his family in the event of his death.
“Working for free and selling our rights away for lifetime, that’s a little different,” said Fitch, who said he hasn’t spoken with White but plans to call him. “We tried to negotiate five- or 10-year deals with them, but it wasn’t good enough. It was all or nothing. He wanted our lifetime. He wanted our souls forever.”
White said the AKA fighters “aren’t partners with us” and said they don’t understand what the UFC is trying to do for the sport. White said the UFC’s current success was because of long hours he and partner Lorenzo Fertitta have put in trying to build the company and the sport of mixed martial arts.
White complained that he has to make frequent sacrifices in his personal life and is away from his family for long stretches because of his commitment to growing the UFC. He said the AKA fighters don’t understand the things UFC management is trying to do and said they’ll learn how tough things are in the poor economy.
“There are a lot of guys who help us and work with us and are great partners with us, and they’re the ones we’re going to remember and take care of,” White said. “Do these guys understand what is going on in this world? I’ll tell you, this economy is [expletive] up. It’s totally [expletive] up. It’s bad, real, real bad. The [television] networks are in trouble and don’t have money. The sponsors are in trouble, and they have no money. If they don’t have money, they go out of business.
“It’s a whole other world out there, believe me, and let these guys go out there and see what they find.”
White said he took great care of Fitch and said with bonuses and purse, Fitch made $169,000 for his welterweight title fight loss to St. Pierre at UFC 87 in Minneapolis in August. Fitch (17-3 with 1 no-contest) did not dispute that salary figure. He said the UFC “has taken care of me and you’ve never heard me complain about money. This is a respect thing.”
Fitch said he thought there should room to negotiate on these contracts but said the UFC would not budge.
He said he understood it was highly unlikely that another company would want to put him in a video game but said it was only reasonable that he not tie his rights up for life.
White said he flew to San Jose in the summer to talk with the AKA fighters, but Fitch said the discussion was about a merchandising agreement.
“He wanted us to sign that merchandising agreement, and it was not a very good agreement,” Fitch said. “There was not really a reason for us to sign it. The first thing they brought to us was for us to sign all of our rights away for everything forever. It was for very small compensation, and there was no compensation for family members if we were to die.
“We could die and they could make memorial figurines and stuff and make thousands, millions of dollars, and our families wouldn’t see a penny of it. The way they bring the contracts and stuff to us, I don’t know, it’s just not how business is done.”
Zinkin also represents UFC light heavyweight Chuck Liddell, though Liddell does not fight for AKA. White said he has been “beefing with Zinkin for years” and said he had to call Liddell, one of his closest friends, and tell him to get Zinkin to back off.
According to White, Liddell said Zinkin represented him on sponsorships and he would negotiate his own deals with the UFC.
Fitch said he has been a loyal UFC employee and said, “I’d only like a little bit of respect for the blood I shed for this company.”
White said he has sacrificed more than anyone to build the UFC into the powerhouse it has become and that he’s tired of athletes who don’t want to “get with the program.”
Velasquez, one of the sport’s rising stars, clearly is on the outs with White. White said Zinkin wanted standard language that is part of every UFC fighter’s contract removed from Velasquez’s deal.
“Can you believe that?” White said. “Chuck Liddell has that language in his contract. Randy Couture has it. Anderson Silva has it. And Cain [expletive] Velasquez, with two [expletive] fights, wants us to change it for him? That’s [expletive] nuts. He can get the [expletive] out.
“I’m not a douche bag and I do a lot for these guys, a lot more than any of you will ever know. We’re in a horrible time in the economy now, and every guy with two nickels to rub together is making a run at us. We’ve worked too hard, given too much, to let certain guys come in and [expletive] with that.”
Fitch said he’s not trying to mess with anything and that he simply wants to fight. He said he always has been respectful in all his dealings with the UFC and said he can’t understand the position he finds himself in without ever having spoken to White.
He plans to call White to discuss the situation but wasn’t sure what move to make.
“I’m more than willing to work with them, but I don’t see why we have to give up our whole lives for this,” Fitch said. “Why not a time limit? If we did a 10-year deal with them, is that that unreasonable? I don’t understand how this happened, honestly. It’s tough.” - Bhatch514, on 11/20/2008, -2/+15read the article, it was because i was a lift time agreement to rights.
- roomforpanic, on 11/20/2008, -0/+12I'm really sick of intelligence being associated with geographical location.
- ohcoaster, on 11/20/2008, -0/+12wow. dana white: power tripping greedy douchebag.
- SexyFarts, on 11/20/2008, -0/+12Quite possibly because you'd have to be dumbest ***** on the planet to sign any kind of "lifetime" contract with anyone...
- suburbanWMD, on 11/20/2008, -1/+12Also, this is why Fedor isn't in the UFC.
- inactive, on 11/20/2008, -0/+11The UFC needs to focus on getting MMA bigger and more popular then pulling this kind of crap - it's not good for them in the long run anyway.
- marcduke, on 11/20/2008, -0/+10Isn't a lifetime contract with little compensation a form of Slavery?
Wow, you're quite the guy Dana - I can't believe these guys are turning your wonderful offer down.
/sarcasm - browe07, on 11/20/2008, -0/+9Some of us enjoy freedom.
- scribby, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8How in the heck is wanting to maintain his sambo standings considered "***** insane addons"?!
- inactive, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8dana white is going to run ufc into the ground by pissing off his talent. this reminds me of marvel comics and image comics. ufc should have given the guys something for the game. and the ***** perpetuity(perpetuity=forever) merchandising was just slavery. never sign anything in perpetuity. an adult swim animation submission contest gave them rights over submitted media in perpetuity, and gave them ownership over it for all existing media and anything that could be invented in the future. these contract people and dana white are assdogs. ***** dana white. good job fitch.
- inevitablity, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8WEC is owned by Zuffa, the same parent company.
- JigoroKano, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8I don't know about that. Fitch could be a champion in any other organization, but he will never be a UFC champion as long as GSP is there.
- benjhaisch, on 11/20/2008, -1/+9Poor move by Dana White, but really? This guy just basically gave up his entire career.
But hey, maybe what goes around really does come around and the UFC will go down due to the selfishness and greed of Dana White... - blah247, on 11/20/2008, -3/+10I played the first UFC game on the Xbox in 2002. That game was absolutely horrid.
- rexuslexus, on 11/20/2008, -3/+10Good thing I watch all the UFC matches on FTA satelite. :P
Take that Dana... - thelocarb, on 11/20/2008, -0/+7We all have an equal shot fighting for Elite XC... considering them and their parent company have folded.
- hbaddict, on 11/20/2008, -1/+8UFC and DANA WHITE suck for doing this. How in the hell would you expect anyone to sign away their rights like that? That is totally BS on Dana's part. This give Affliction an excellent opportunity to pick some top quality fighters. Dana White has become a very greedy C.S.! I guess I will stop paying the PPV fees and start watching their PPV's on the net for FREE!!!
- Barriofrog, on 11/20/2008, -0/+7The dude has big balls to step in the octagon and bigger balls to stand up for his rights.
- naslai, on 11/20/2008, -0/+7big mistake, would've loved to see Fitch fight again.
- NaziHatinChimp, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6That's the thing about the UFC, they make who they want popular in a position to be champion. You gotta be marketable.
- SexyFarts, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6wtf? i was looking forward to Fitch vs. Gono...
i just read that Koscheck, Swick, and Cain Velasquez may not be signing either... - JigoroKano, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6There appears to be a boycott of the video game stirring up among the online MMA communities.
For instance,
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f2/i-will-not-buy-uf ... - lateralex, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6ill be stealing this game online instead of buying it dana, you bastard. fitch is the best new fighter in the league.
- holmzz, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6Dana White is the UDB.
Ultimate Douche Bag - inactive, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5I didn't know that about Silva. I think he could do it. You see though? That's what you get when you pay your athletes like 1/100th of what they'd get in a different sport. You're right. The model is the WWE exactly. These guys are tough people, so how can they be such meek sheep when it comes to being taken advantage of? They're fools for not organizing.
- tsopranos, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5Count me in
- Androly, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5Terrible move by Dana. A lifetime contract is absurd.
I guess Fitch and the rest deserve kudos on not kneeling, but it's a huge blow to their careers, UFC is still the biggest MMA organization - blah247, on 11/20/2008, -4/+9Those cheapest ***** are the only ones able to keep an MMA promotion company up and running.
- suburbanWMD, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5Meh. The UFC contracts are pretty regressive, but thats what happens when there isn't a fighters union or viable competition. It's a shame, but it's the reality of the situation and it won't change any time soon.
- justice7, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5Tell me then, which "FREE TO AIR" satellite carries UFC Pay Per View events?
If you were half way on the ball; you'd realize these FTA satellite receivers are being re-coded to work with North American satellite subscribed/encrypted feeds. - delooka, on 11/20/2008, -5/+10Agreed, but who the hell wouldn't want themself in a video game?
- browe07, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5What company controls affliction? I'm want some of their stock.
- inactive, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4Dana White seriously needs to learn how to present himself professionally. Swearing and personal attacks are so childish it makes him, and the rest of the UFC, look like a joke.
Of all the times he has peeped talked people on The Ultimate Fighter about making a good image for MMA and this is how he acts... incredible. - rsbryswrrl, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4If you want to see unfair, look at guys like Keith Jardine and see what they get paid per fight and they don't have any union or any kind of health insurance. It reminds me of when small time bands get courted by major labels and basically sign away their souls for a record deal. Seems like these MMA guys are starting to wise up a la Fedor.
- thewah, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4sure, but not only one videogame for the rest of your life and no ability to change that.
It was a crazy contract. It sucks to make a stand, but sometimes that's the only option.
UFC is in trouble. With the economic downturn, their consistent horrid treatment of fighters, and the best they put up in a guy in his mid-40's against a steroided out freak? That's a sign things aren't going well. - cudealer, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4Once again, Dana White proves what a complete and total ***** he is simply by opening his mouth.
- mushroomsrmagic, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4That might be being too generous toward Dana.
- browe07, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5Its basically due to brand name though. Because they were the first (as far as I know). It would take a lot to squander UFC's momentum, but if anyone can do it it's Dana White.
- HyphySoul, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4I think everyone should just go back to Pride, it was more entertaining anyways...
- thedogfatherx, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4I'm really starting to not like Dana White and the UFC entirely. ***** thing sucks!
- Charlotte_Web, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4That's why Fitch was fired; to make an example of him.
"Don't challenge us on this, or you'll get fired too!" - shauncorleone, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4Exclusive contracts are one thing, but lifetime no-compete on your likeness is ridiculous. Yes, Dana, we see what you're trying to do to the sport: Monopolize it. The same thing will happen to UFC that happened to WWE once they had no mainstream competition: The quality of the product goes down, and people will use alternate outlets (in wrestling, ROH DVDs and the Web) to get their fix. If a promotion like Affliction can manage to sign the likes of Ortiz, Fitch, Koscheck and get a good network deal, it could spell trouble in a down economy for UFC.
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