We expected to hear a lot of answers today. An announced press conference for Couture had the MMA world on bated breath. Then, UFC President Dana White announced his own conference and we were sure a tongue lashing of Randy would ensue. Instead, Dana showcased Brock Lesnar, a new TV deal with Spike, and also the Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva fight. Randy, at his conference, said in more detail what he said two weeks ago: he wants Fedor and if he can’t have him, it isn’t worth staying with the UFC. A lot of people are disappointed that they didn’t get direct answers on the abrupt departure of the UFC’s Crown Jewel. Dana seemed irritated at someone, and it didn’t seem like Randy. But should we care that we didn’t get answers? My answer is no. We should all move on. There are more things to worry about in MMA today.
Dana and the Ferttitas run a business- a private one. They have no need or obligation to inform us of their dealings with fighters. If you step into the octagon, you have signed a piece of paper agreeing to terms… period. Randy made no mention of a breach of contract; he merely stated that he was under appreciated and insulted by the offer given to Fedor Emelianenko. He also mentioned he received no bonus after his fight with Gabriel Gonzaga- not that one is owed to him, just one that shows the UFC is grateful for his services. So without a breach of contract, hurt feelings are not a reason to boycott the UFC for their “terrible” treatment of fighters. This is a contract dispute, a very public one, but nothing more than that.
It happened with Tito Ortiz a few times. BJ Penn took issue with his contract when he was the biggest rising star in MMA. With that in mind, look where they are now, right back in the UFC’s loving arms. The biggest tragedy of all is that with this particular dispute, Randy has a small window of time left where he can fight with some form of dignity. If things are not resolved soon (and both parties are leaving the door open a smidge) Randy may never fight again. For nostalgia’s sake, that is sad. Randy is a legend of our time and for him to leave his UFC home so unceremoniously is unfortunate, but it is between Randy and the UFC.
Contract disputes will continue to happen, but unless they are in the IFL (a publicly traded company) it is simply none of our business after today. Both parties said all they need to say publicly. Dana is a big boy, he can tell Randy he is sorry in private and give Randy one last shot to say goodbye to his adoring fans without mentioning money. It’s on them folks; Randy didn’t have to make this public, especially after making it clear today that he never intended to affect other fighter’s salaries. Dana also should be a little less abrasive (claiming Fedor wasn’t top five Dana? You shouldn’t show how hurt you are) though he never spoke ill of Randy today.
It is time to stop being caught up in a media-generated feud and worry about getting unified rules out there, so that some day Mixed Martial Arts can be an Olympic sport. Start getting concerned at the local level about legitimizing MMA in your state. We are in desperate need of a new scoring system, so spend some time writing your athletic commission (I have). If you really care about this sport there are many more important things to worry about than contract disputes and media posturing. We can only hope that Randy and the UFC work this out. But, in the grander scheme of it all, contract disputes are not the most important thing in MMA right now.
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October 27th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Good angle and take on the story. As a writer, I’m always of six minds on any subject, but usually even if I’m seeing all the sides, at least one is dominant. Here’s a take that I “knew” of, in the sense of a private company and so on, but yet as people who write about and read about things situations like this is sports many times, it’s not always easy to say “it’s not our business.
The most important thing about this column is the last paragraph, and everyone should read that blurb over the weekend. Great moment of perspective. There’s alot to do. Welcome to MMAOpinion, Pat. It’s nice to have you.