Did UFC need Fedor or did Fedor need UFC?

[markg171]

I think following Fedor beating six of their ufc champions they needed him more but once he got older and started losing they no longer needed him and could switch the narrative to him just being a bum and the new mma fans swallowed their bile wholeheartedly.

They were former champions. Not current. And they're former for a reason.

Fedors fans constantly try and pretend like Fedor beat the best guys the UFC had to offer when he did the exact opposite. People are former champions for a reason, and it's not because they were still the best.

That's, you know, the actual reigning champion. Who was still in the UFC. Obliterating guys like Sylvia WAS indeed impressive enough in its own right, but don't sit here and try and pretend it was the equivalent of beating Randy who had already spanked Sylvia to take his title and turn him into a former champion in the first place.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

Another Frodo thread!

Frodo proved how he would have revolutionized the UFC in the following 3 colossal achievements.
1.) Frodo beat career MW Chael Sonnen at HW. Amazing! How did he do it? This proves Frodo could easily defeat the UFC's best!
2.) Frodo defeated Timothy Johnson. My goodness what a pivotal matchup! Johnson used to have an amazing mustache! Frodo took out the perennial Goat and title contender, proving to the world he was a UFC caliber fighter.
3.) Frodo defeated career LHW rampage Jackson. Wow, he beat a career LHW? How did he do it? A grossly out of shape and barely training and showing up for the paycheck Jackson was finished by Frodo! Isn't Frodo amazing?

Forget his shellacking by Mitreone, Bader, Bigfoot Silva, MW Dan, and Fabricio. Being finished FIVE times means nothing! His fans would have ignored each beating he would have taken in the UFC. Brock, Randy, and Cormier would have brutalized Little Chubby.
Every beating Frodo would have taken in the UFC would have further proven that the UFC was/is the premier fighting organization. Pride's best fighter fell flat on his face in America. The mythical, can padded record from Japan is still revered by his cultish, easily triggered, emotionally unstable fans.
Yes, they say you are a beta male if you don't worship Frodo.
Yes, they say you live in your mom's basement.
And oh yes, Frodo Psychotic Obsessed You Tube Pride Clip Lovers will tell you that EVERY high level fighter says Frodo is Goat.
I say, Thank you Strikeforce for exposing Frodo.
1.) UFC
2.) Strikeforce
3.) Pride

 

[VonSupervillain]

Obviously Fedor needed the UFC more and even saying otherwise is delusional. The UFC gets bigger and more profitable year after year. Meanwhile Fedor only has niche appeal now. Even on this very sub, a concentration of the most dedicated MMA fans, I guarantee more than half the people couldn't tell you Fedor's last three opponents. Like it or not, people care less and less about Fedor everyday while other legends like GSP and Silva maintain their legacy because there's a company behind them making sure it doesn't diminish.

 

[Dr. Rose]

Here is a slightly different take. MMA was better and healthier, as a whole, with Fedor not being in the UFC.

Although Affliction collapsed largely because of the failed fight between Barnett and Fedor (which would have been one of the biggest fights of all time), Fedor being outside the UFC kept more eyes on other promotions.

Competition helps the sport as a product. I also think it helps get athletes better pay.

I definitely think Dana is a better promoter when he thinks he has to compete (right now, I think he feels he has no real competition, and therefore is coasting on some of these cards).

Some could view the fans as the true losers with them not working out some sort of a deal, but we may have ended up with a better product overall.

 

[eric n]

Clearly the UFC didn't NEED Fedor as without him it is the biggest most profitable mma organization in the world. It is the Walt Disney World of beating the hell out of people! If the UFC had signed Fedor, that would have been nice, but how much do you suppose that would have increased the UFC's market cap or name recognition???? None!

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

Here is a slightly different take. MMA was better and healthier, as a whole, with Fedor not being in the UFC.

Although Affliction collapsed largely because of the failed fight between Barnett and Fedor (which would have been one of the biggest fights of all time), Fedor being outside the UFC kept more eyes on other promotions.

Yeah this is true. The crazy hype when Strikeforce signed him. It felt like a watershed moment for the promotion at the time.

 

[StonedLemur]

Maybe they're both fine on their own. Fedor didn't want to kiss some bloated Masshole's ring and UFC managed without Fedor

As a masshole I'd like to say kiss my masshole, but I can't because you're right ya bastad lol.

 

[The Last King]

UFC, of course, didn't need Fedor, as they didn't really need Askren or Cole Conrad.

Thinking you could build an org around one person is a huge mistake which was proved not only by futile attempts to build it around Emelianenko, but also around Kimbo Slice.

Emelianenko at the time seriously thought he was unbeatable and, therefore, bigger than any small-time American org where fighters can't just bring circus freaks instead of real contenders, have to take doping tests, etc. But it soon became clear that Emelianenko was a grossly overrated can crusher, while UFC continues to be #1 org in the world. Deep inside Emelianenko himself knew he had no legit excuse not to go UFC, that's why Sambo tournament bullshit was introduced. When White allowed him to compete in Sambo (which is ridiculous for a professional athlete, but beating up amateurs is his wheelhouse), yet another bullshit excuse immediately cropped up.

Fedor went on to fail as a politician, promoter, official and businessman. Because you gotta love what you do and do it in earnest instead of trying to pool wool over everybody's eyes and fuck people over.

Cope

 

[The Last King]

The same beta male brokies in this thread hating on Fedor as always. Yawn.

Never seen an alpha male hate on Fedor. Always the brokie basement lifers of sherdog lol

 

[Thepaintbucket]

Neither of them needed each other. But I'm sure Dana White salivated at the idea of Randy vs Fedor and Lesnar vs Fedor at one point or another.

Fedor had issues with the contract and to this day fighters are echoing what he said

 

[markg171]

Back in the day UFC needed him but little by little they successfully created the narrative that the best fighters are always in the UFC. If Ngannou, Jones, Usman, etc leaves the UFC they're washed up the next day. If they stay they are the best on the planet.

Casual fans think that UFC = elite and everywhere else is for lower level talent material. Only the real fans understand that it's way more nuanced than that but they are the minority.

Do you just not know how titles change hands or something?

Newsflash: most of the time it's due to a loss. AKA that champion is indeed no longer the best as someone else just proved themselves better than them by beating them.

That's kinda the exact reason why the champion's clause exists. The UFC gets to keep the fighters while they keep winning and proving themselves to be the best, and then can get rid of them/let them go once they've lost that status as a new guy is bound to it.

Former champions literally are no longer the best.

 

[markg171]

Obviously Fedor needed the UFC more and even saying otherwise is delusional. The UFC gets bigger and more profitable year after year. Meanwhile Fedor only has niche appeal now. Even on this very sub, a concentration of the most dedicated MMA fans, I guarantee more than half the people couldn't tell you Fedor's last three opponents. Like it or not, people care less and less about Fedor everyday while other legends like GSP and Silva maintain their legacy because there's a company behind them making sure it doesn't diminish.

Fedor fans don't actually exist. They're just Pride fans in general. It's why the pretend everything from 2007 onwards didn't happen or everybody was suddenly out of their prime as that's when Pride ended.

Fedor's literally still an active fighter today, who fought not even a year ago. Yet they don't talk about that great KO over Bellator's #3 HW, they reminisce about Fedor/Cro Cop 17 years ago in 2005. It's Pride that matters to them, not Fedor.

 

[Youtried]

Obviously Fedor needed the UFC more and even saying otherwise is delusional. The UFC gets bigger and more profitable year after year. Meanwhile Fedor only has niche appeal now. Even on this very sub, a concentration of the most dedicated MMA fans, I guarantee more than half the people couldn't tell you Fedor's last three opponents. Like it or not, people care less and less about Fedor everyday while other legends like GSP and Silva maintain their legacy because there's a company behind them making sure it doesn't diminish.

If that were true you wouldn't be coping and seething about him in 2022. Fedor and all the Pride legends have gone down as some of the greatest the sport has ever seen with or without UFC marketing.

 

[Fox by the Sea]

i never thought fedor would fit in the ufc. ufc is for guys like conor, constantly self promoting assholes. fedor wasn't trying to be that interesting. even if the ufc went with the stoic russian shtick, i don't think the ufc audiences, mostly americans, really care about stuff like that.

 

[Deceasedxo]

Neither needed either. Fedor is the goat of the indies and the UFC is the biggest game in town.

 

[TitoSchaubHighIQ]

Do you just not know how titles change hands or something?

Newsflash: most of the time it's due to a loss. AKA that champion is indeed no longer the best as someone else just proved themselves better than them by beating them.

That's kinda the exact reason why the champion's clause exists. The UFC gets to keep the fighters while they keep winning and proving themselves to be the best, and then can get rid of them/let them go once they've lost that status as a new guy is bound to it.

Former champions literally are no longer the best.

The UFC is perceived as the best as a group you moron. Not just the guy holding the title currently. Bader, Davis, Mousasi, MacDonald were all seen as some of the best in the world when they're were in the UFC but once they left the company casual fans forgotten about them even though their skills didn't decline and the fact that they encouter some tough opposition in Bellator shows that some of those guys there are capable of holding their own against many in the UFC.

Too difficult to follow?

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

If that were true you wouldn't be coping and seething about him in 2022. Fedor and all the Pride legends have gone down as some of the greatest the sport has ever seen with or without UFC marketing.

It's been a LONG time since Frodo beat a juggernaut like Hong Man Choi.
It's so sad he never fought Jose Conseco!

 

[BFoe]

Fedor fans don't actually exist. They're just Pride fans in general. It's why the pretend everything from 2007 onwards didn't happen or everybody was suddenly out of their prime as that's when Pride ended.

Fedor's literally still an active fighter today, who fought not even a year ago. Yet they don't talk about that great KO over Bellator's #3 HW, they reminisce about Fedor/Cro Cop 17 years ago in 2005. It's Pride that matters to them, not Fedor.

I don’t think that’s true at all. Plenty of us talk about Fedor’s recent fights. Hell, I wrote a goddamn novel breaking down and predicting the Fedor-Johnson fight. There are lots of Fedor fans (not just PRIDE fans) here.

 

[TheBulge]

Fedor was only huge on circle jerking online cults like this one. Those nostalgic creepo's don't even pay for the product, so it would have been a completely useless investment.

It was just Dana's ego not wanting to give up on the deal.

 

[jooohnmatrix]

They were former champions. Not current. And they're former for a reason.

Fedors fans constantly try and pretend like Fedor beat the best guys the UFC had to offer when he did the exact opposite. People are former champions for a reason, and it's not because they were still the best.

That's, you know, the actual reigning champion. Who was still in the UFC. Obliterating guys like Sylvia WAS indeed impressive enough in its own right, but don't sit here and try and pretend it was the equivalent of beating Randy who had already spanked Sylvia to take his title and turn him into a former champion in the first place.

Your comment while mildly amusing is difficult to understand. You jump from one thought to another without any cohesive thread linking them together.