Did UFC need Fedor or did Fedor need UFC?

[Reffson]

He made more money in other org's so he didn't need the UFC. In his prime there wasn't a UFC fighter who had a chance against him.

 

[Cpt Migraine]

It worked out great for both parties..

 

[TheBulge]

Hell, I wrote a goddamn novel breaking down and predicting the Fedor-Johnson fight.

It is very sad that you would even brag about that.

 

[BFoe]

It is very sad that you would even brag about that.

And even sadder that you felt the need to reply. <45>

 

[VonSupervillain]

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.

Bro, what are you talking about. I can't even think of the last time I thought about Fedor until this thread popped up. Just give it up, man, no one gives a shit about the dude.
Fedor will go down like Royce. Pioneer and legend during the natal stages of MMA yet not someone who could thrive in a period of MMA where everyone is far more skilled. He's a sloppy body midget who racked up a bunch of wins over other sloppy body fatties during an experimental time period where no one with serious athletic skills or endeavors or science based training methods was really trying MMA.
Like seriously, if I posted a collage of some of the "opponents" Fedor fought, people would think it was a joke.
I love and grew up on Pride. Most of my favorite all-time fighters come from Pride. It's crazy to think because of the way Fedor handled his career, he will have less notoriety, credibility, fame, and financial success than so many others that crossed over to the UFC. Like it or not, niche fans on Sherdog don't determine success and legacy. The general media and masses do.

 

[Youtried]

Bro, what are you talking about. I can't even think of the last time I thought about Fedor until this thread popped up. Just give it up, man, no one gives a shit about the dude.

And yet he constantly has threads. I'm sorry you don't like the greatest heavyweight of all time.

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

God I wish Bellator had the balls to do something fun like that. I might actually watch their cards if it wasn't just dollar store UFC.

 

[TeenageMutantLesnarTurtle]

He's a sloppy body midget who racked up a bunch of wins over other sloppy body fatties during an experimental time period where no one with serious athletic skills or endeavors or science based training methods was really trying MMA.

You dont think Cro Cop and AA were athletic? I think Cro Cop at least was one of the best athletes we've seen in HW MMA so far. Randleman too although granted he was undersized.

 

[NoSmilez]

Fedor probably needed the UFC more. His management played the wrong move with the co-promotion stuff with the organization they owned. That organization ended up being the UFC's feeder league ten years down the line.

Fedor couldn't really carry a PPV on his own. You can check the affliction numbers. He did get a boost from being in Strikeforce. They promoted him well. UFC would probably have done better because they had bigger reach but their matchups are going to be brutal. The way I see it is that Fedor was going to lose regardless where he went but he at least got to keep some of his pride with Strikeforce.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

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.

R u serious?
I guess you'd write an encyclopedia predicting his brutal beating if he took on Parker Porter.

 

[VonSupervillain]

You dont think Cro Cop and AA were athletic? I think Cro Cop at least was one of the best athletes we've seen in HW MMA so far. Randleman too although granted he was undersized.

Alright, honestly, Fedor has some great and legit wins. I'm just speaking in generalizations. However, he's had 50 fights and I count about 9 legit wins. I think Fedor would have more legitimacy if his fans weren't such delusional nuisances.
Cro Cop, Nog, Coleman, and Arlovski are all legit wins. Shit, I'll even say Randleman and Sylvia. The rest is all fluff. So do I think Fedor was the best heavyweight in the world at one time?? Yes. But that time is very shallow in terms of talent and is long gone.

 

[Ozze]

No one needed no one.

They are both the top at their categories.

Fedor being in the UFC and becaming a defending champion there would've made him the undisputed GOAT no doubt. Even if he fought like 4 times tops.

And the UFC having Fedor would be nice but I don't think that it would change much of their status of having the best fighters. Everyone thinks that despite they never signing Fedor because they still have 95% of rest.

So I would say it's not that they needed each other, but Fedor would've more to gain if he went there.
And won, of course. Otherwise he was never my friend, only beat cans and elbows too pointy.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

Bro, what are you talking about. I can't even think of the last time I thought about Fedor until this thread popped up. Just give it up, man, no one gives a shit about the dude.
Fedor will go down like Royce. Pioneer and legend during the natal stages of MMA yet not someone who could thrive in a period of MMA where everyone is far more skilled. He's a sloppy body midget who racked up a bunch of wins over other sloppy body fatties during an experimental time period where no one with serious athletic skills or endeavors or science based training methods was really trying MMA.
Like seriously, if I posted a collage of some of the "opponents" Fedor fought, people would think it was a joke.
I love and grew up on Pride. Most of my favorite all-time fighters come from Pride. It's crazy to think because of the way Fedor handled his career, he will have less notoriety, credibility, fame, and financial success than so many others that crossed over to the UFC. Like it or not, niche fans on Sherdog don't determine success and legacy. The general media and masses do.

Sloppy body fatties!
Frodo was the original Parker Porter!

 

[Shaddows]

Is UFC's heavyweight class forever tarnish because they not sign Fedor?
Or is Fedor legacy tarnish because he not sign UFC?

I think the UFC heavyweight is never have the legitimacy it need cause it never had Fedor. People like Volkov and Olenik cannot replace what Fedor would achieve UFC.

Neither.
UFC continues to be the premier MMA promotion while Fedor is MMA's GOAT.

Fedor chose to go to SF because they had a better HW division and were making a tourney.
The UFC in turn bought SF and go DC who won said tourney.

Don't know why this is so difficult to understand.

 

[JKS]

Neither really needed the other. But if I had to say....the UFC needed Fedor more considering the timing. Fedor chose StrikeForce over the UFC and they had the stronger HW division at the time. Fedor proved himself vs the best HWs for many years and he proved himself by beating two top UFC HWs and former champs in Arlovski and Sylvia. I think the UFC needed the best HW of that decade.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

And yet he constantly has threads. I'm sorry you don't like the greatest heavyweight of all time.

God I wish Bellator had the balls to do something fun like that. I might actually watch their cards if it wasn't just dollar store UFC.

We agree on Bellator.
They do have a few intriguing guys I wish would go the UFC.
Mostly Patrike and McKee.

 

[TheBulge]

And even sadder that you felt the need to reply. <45>

I just saw a boy who needs a father figure and felt compelled to tell him that a cage fighter might not be the best choice.

Fedor doesn't care that you exist.

 

[Paul E Gensinger]

I just saw a boy who needs a father figure and felt compelled to tell him that a cage fighter might not be the best choice.

Fedor doesn't care that you exist.

Nah.
He seems like a very very nice man.
Putin support aside.

 

[Reffson]

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.

Stupid post. Pride was the best THEN because 7 of 10 best fighters (on average) in the world fought for Pride and not UFC. Pride had better rules for the fighters, and it paid more. That's why they had better fighters.

 

[Reffson]

The fact we're still talking about this is proof that the UFC lost out on failing to sign Fedor. He would have signed, but they wanted an exclusive contract because they wanted to own him.

 

[Black0ut]

Neither actually. It’s a rare case of neither actually needing one another, hence why a deal was never done.

UFC had and still is creating “superstars”

Fedor has so much respect in the MMA community he didn’t even need to “become a superstar”


Could them working together have been great? Yes but as we know now, it certainly wouldn’t have changed either the UFC as a brand or Fedor as a fighter.