Josh Barnett is not the only person who could spoil a match up between the UFC and WAMMA heavyweight champions. Randy Couture may, contractually, get first dibs on “The Last Emperor:”
“Not only do I think I deserve a shot at him, kind of part of the agreement in settling our differences in coming back to the UFC, is they were going to be dilligent about trying to find a way to make that fight happen.”
Remember that Couture resigned from the promotion not too long ago, rescinded his belt and sat on the sidelines for about nine months, getting embroiled in an ugly legal battle in the process, because he wanted to fight Emelianenko and the UFC couldn’t sign him (Couture also cited money as another reason for his sudden departure). UFC President Dana White has attempted to ink the Russian — widely considered the best heavyweight MMA figher alive today — to an exclusive contract several times; however, the parties have always been far apart on agreeable terms. White poured more fuel on the fire in the wake of UFC 100, saying he would make another run at Emelianenko when his contract is up with Affliction (supposedly Aug. 1 after his fight against Barnett) and get him inside the Octagon to finally end the years-long debate about who is the best big man in the sport. Emelianenko would have to first defeat Barnett, and then possibly Couture, before getting a UFC title shot against Lesnar, who will have to successfully defend his unified title for the first time against the winner of Shane Carwin-Cain Velasquez later this year. That’s one complicated jigsaw puzzle, which all hinges on whether or not the promotion can sign Emelianenko in the first place … if he beats Barnett, of course. Phew …
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id still like to see it, although id bet on couture getting handled
Ditto.
I think that’s great! Get Fedor to fight Couture and winner gets a shot at the title! Now we get Fedor for 2 fights! However, Couture better not squawk about how much Fedor is getting paid, because he’s going to negotiate for more $$ than any UFC fighter ever has.
exactly!! couture would be the warm up fight..i cant see Randy beating Fedor..but first fight in the UFC anything can happen! see Shogun vs Forrest..
What could Couture do if DW decided to screw him? NOTHING. He would be a good warm up for Fedor, but what would be the point? If Barnett wins does UFC try to get him back too? Would that make signing Fedor with all the troubles he brings pointless?
Couture is getting let go, after his fight with Nog.
Lol wow do you have any other great predictions? Were you the guy who told everyone to invest in sterns? haha get real they would never drop Randy, then all he’d have to do is go to Affliction and fight.
I agree! Couture 1st..I wouldnt call it a warm up though! Couture has a very good chance at beating fedor. Then the winner fights Brock! Make it happen Dana!
Randy of 3-5 years ago would make a heck of a fight… everyone’s kinda overlooking Barnett.. hopefully Fedor isn’t..
Fine fight Randy first. it would be better for fedor if he lost to lesnar later. I’d like to see him face Couture, Machida, Anderson Silva more than I’d like to see him outwrestled by a much bigger Lesnar.
good point, id hate to see fedor get muslced around and lose a dry hump session… fuuuuck lesnar
dry hump session?? did he dry hump frank mir the other night? beating someones head through the canvas is not dry humping
Brendan, Brock has knocked out Randy and Mir and beat the hell out of a very tough Herring…how is that dry humping?
At this point Randy and Fedor has lost it’s thunder, I get the feeling Randy is going to start crying again becuase his feelings are being hurt with all this Brock talk….Anderson, Cain, Carwin, and Brock are all challenges I want to see Fedor take on in the UFC, Randy or Nog are not in the picture…. they’re hall of famers but looked really worn out in their last fights.
Robert(1) – Fedor would need a fairly high-profile warm-up fight. That would be either Couture or Big Nog. Either would be good. Here’s hoping Couture wins against Big Nog, because the money fight would be Fedor vs. Couture. That winner would easily get a crack at the HW gold. I really hope Big Nog doesn’t win against Couture, because that lessens the allure of coming to the UFC. Fedor has already beat Big Nog more than once. There’s no score to settle. C’mon Couture!
what if Barnett wins? Answer that would suck
Other answer: Fedor’s price to come to the UFC goes waaaayyyy down.
I like it
fedor will never fight in the ufc. we will never see him vs couture or lesnar. Its my Dream but it wont happen. Some things are to good to be true.
i’m happy with just the ufc signing Fedor, period!
Fine, I will pay to watch him fight Couture and then I will pay to watch him getting smashed by Lesnar.
i think they shud sign him even if he losses to big chin, cause ppl still wanna see those dream fights he cud do with ufc fighters..
Don’t hold your breath on any of this happening. The problem with the UFC pulling out all the stops to sign Fedor, is that the concessions required will cause a ripple effect of hard feelings among the UFC’s established stable of fighters. The UFC has had “the hammer” so to speak in negotiating fighter contacts, and won’t rush to enter into a contract with any one guy that jeopardizes their position of strength.
Something else to consider. The UFC now has in Lesnar, a highly marketable HW champ. There is a significant % of fans who already believe Lesnar would win vs Fedor. Right or wrong, I’m certain the UFC brass fully realizes Lesnar is highly bankable long term as the champ. While a Lesnar/Fedor fight would be huge money, ANY Lesnar fight will now attract a massive audience. I hope it does happen, but I’m not convinced either Fedor or the UFC feel the sense of urgency most of us would hope for.
they will only sign Fedor to a longggg contract over 4 yrs or 12 fights…they would never take a chance of F
Fedor coming in the UFC for 3-4 fights beat the top 4 and then leaving
If Barnett beats Fedor they will deem Fedor irrelevant and the UFC will sign Barnett, despite their past track record.
it doesnt matter whether fedor wins or loses, having him in the ufc is huge regardless….cause then the ufc will sign barnett as well…cause if barnett were to beat fedor then who the fuck else will he fight? u get 2 big names in the hw division that sets up matches for years…plus lashley in there too…it becomes the most interesting division in mma history
Randy is done. He needs to fight Nog and call it quits. I am a big Randy fan but I really hate to see him go like this. Fedor is out of the question and may have been when he was at his peak. Whatever happens I just hope the UFC signs Fedor and we get to see Fedor and Brock. I could care less about seeing Randy and Fedor now. I think Dana finally realizes that 2 of his former HW champs have been destroyed by Fedor and I trust they will get the deal done.
I’d like to see what all the haters would have to say if* Fedor beat all three.
*A BIG if, because, well, Fedor’s probably never going to make it to the UFC and in spite of being the incredibly gifted and super talented fighter he is, the odds of him winning all three of those fights are probably not fantastic, even if decent.
clayton, fedor WILL win all three of those bouts if he makes it into the octagon. Barnett doesnt really have any advantage in their upcoming fight so I don’t see that happening. Fedor will bully Randy and prob score a tko victory. IMO Brock really has the best chance at beating him with his wrestling but I either see Fedor catxhing him with something standing or when it does hit the mat fedor will submit him.
Fedor does have most of the advantages over Barnett although, I do not believe his ground game is that much better, but Barnett one of the most skilled fighters that Fedor has faced and if he makes one mistake on the ground or on his feet, Barnett is the one that will end his winning streak. I do not see Barnett having any problems with any of the other heavyweights out there, he is definately the number 2 heavyweight and has been for a while. This fight for me is much bigger than Fedor fightng Brock or Couture, although the money generated and thousands of MMA fans will tell you otherwise. Can’t wait for this one.
Hey Ade, didn’t your boy Bizzzzy do well???
hahaha! outwrestled and smashed by brock….jesus christ! so many 8 year olds here…brock couldn’t even outwrestle a 60 yr old midget in couture.. ;(
I think you mean an experienced MMA veteran and olympic caliber wrestler in Couture…
So many 8 year olds here??? Says the man who describes UFC legend Randy Couture as a “60 year old midget”.
Count yourself among the 8 year olds there fella!
Well despite that terrible grammar gaara does have a point. A lot of people are making it sound as though the bell will ring, Brock and Fedor will meet in the middle of the ring and Brock will simply put him on his back and pound him out. Randy is an awesome wrestler, but he was just as outsized as Fedor would be, and he IS old, and was coming off a year and a half layoff. He was still able to keep from getting taken down, and I would argue that Fedor’s grappling game is just as good as Coutures. Wayyyyy too much “Brock is unbeatable” type talk going around after he beat Mir. Before the Nog fight who would’ve thought Mir would beat many fighters in the top 10, if any?
If Kevin Randleman took Fedor down with such ease, I dont think Brock’s gonna have a problem do you??? Add Coleman to that list too. Fedor doesn’t have great td defence.
People keep bringing up the Randleman takedown like it wasn’t a one in a million fluke occurrence. there was a scramble and he ended up with Fedor’s back, he’s a strong wrestler so he slammed him. It’s the same thing as GSP getting KTFO by Serra, it was a fluke KO, it doesn’t mean that everyone that is a better striker than Serra will KO GSP, that’s ridiculous. Besides Fedor doesn’t fight the TD like most guys, he is perfectly comfortable fighting from his back. consider what happened after the TD by Coleman or Randleman. tap tap tap.
mma veteran with the age of 60? I think its pretty too much to be called a veteran..maybe a hasbeen if you’ll ask me and by the way this granny is about the size of LHW today..
HEhe, if he couldn’t outwrestle a greco-roman wrassler, then how the hell is he supposed to manhandle a multiple global sambo champ?!? Fedor’s too smart for mental midget Brock. Fedor via KO! He will answer the question as to whether Brock has a granite chin or not.
That Pic makes Fedor look like a flesh eating Zombie
Like a zombie on the Michael Jackson “Thriller” set. Or Dawn Of The Dead or somethin’…
I’d really enjoy watching Fedor make Lesner eat his own shit. I don’t really go for watching these guys embrace and praise each other after fights when they’ve talked trash for months previous, but Lesners’ act is bush. I still don’t beleive he’s fought an ‘A’ guy yet.
Captain America may have been the man once but he was too old and much too small to present a challenge. The only fight out there I want to see is Fedor/Lesser
Well, all the talk about Fedor being such a great draw in the UFC, and they (affliction) are sill having a hard time selling out “Trilogy”. This fight is in two weeks, and you can still get the cheap $50 seats.
I do think the UFC will market Fedor better, I just hope he’s still relevant by the time he’s ready to move over.
Barnett has the best chance of any of them. Other than him I really don’t see Fedor losing.
Lesnar will wake up like Bisping.
He’s too fast. Period.
>i think lesnar hasn’t experience yet, being hit in the face what more of fedor’s punches
>i think it would be a short night for lesnar if they were to fight right away the barrage of punches that will pour on lesnar would be too much for him..
>technically couture has the best chance of beating the last emperor and that chance sadly past away…
They had Royce Gracie fighting Matt Hughes as a one off. Why cant they bring in Fedor to fight Randy as a one off? If he wins they can negotiate a title shot against Brock.
Right because that makes sense… do people think before they comment on here?
I’m just stating the obvious here. Speed and technique would always beat size and power. Though Lesnar is also like a caged animal on speed, his power would be nullified by Fedor’s sambo and submissions. I’m just hoping Fedor would be stronger that Mir. And enough explosiveness to get back up on his feet if Lesnar decides to take him down.
I’m really hoping for someone to beat the crap out of Lesnar now. I respect his skills, but I don’t respect him as a fighter. I want Lesnar to bathe in his own blood. Make it happen UFC, let Fedor kill Brock!
Exactly right. Mir just proved that last weekend. Wait, he got thrashed.
In the ring , Fedor would win , But , I dont know how well Fedor would do in a CAGE because its a diffrent thing
Agree! Fedor is the greatest ever in the ring but probably not in a cage. Same thing for Crocop..
couture looking for big pay brfore he retire and he know fight he cant win period
I think Fedor is hiding…why not come to the UFC…Its about money, and he can make more money fighting side show matches. Come on Barnett??? Anyone thing that guy has a chance? Or Hong-Man Choi? Whats the point? The point IS money. If Fedor was to fight in the UFC and fight a real opponent that he may loose too, much like what happened to CroCop, it might damage his rep, why would he even risk that? Sad, cause one would think a guy like him wouldn’t be scared to fight….
Keep working at Tacobell taco dave, if you think Barnett is not a real opponent then you are a UFC devotee who doesn’t know anything about MMA as a whole.
when it comes to fedor, he is not in it for the money, the rep or any of that stuff., he said many a time he would love a fight against brock, but he wont jump thro hoops for the ufc no matter how much money they throw at him…
beside im pretty sure if he is doin it for the money, thats why he in Affliction, as they get paid alot more, and dont have exclusive contracts like in UFC where u have to live eat breath UFC and give your first born child to them aswell
No matter who brock beats he wont be No1 untill he fights Fedor.
so if he wants to be No.1 then he will have to ditch UFC and goto Affliction. and for those who gonna jump in an say Affliction is dead as they losing so much money, get a brain they run by Trump who can afford to piss away a few million 2-3 times a yr, and this is what they hoping, keep fedor at affliction and then steal big name fighters who wanna try there hand at beating him
Is that true about the first born child?
You don’t serioulsy believe that Trump is paying a dime to Affliction do you? Trump pays nothing.
I think he is just content with not being tied down to such a demanding contract and organization. He can kind of stroll around and beat up stiffs every once in awhile and then go do the whole sambo thing. The UFC for him looks more like getting married with the only way out being a messy divorce so why bother. He is definately a fighter of great talent but to me he is starting to look more like a Jose Canseco hitting home runs while playing for a co-ed softball league. It doesn’t do his past accomplishments justice when he is wandering around playing bully on a bunch has-been opponents. UFC break the rules please, one contract randy vs fedor. After we see that fight then try to reel him back in for the wedding and honey-moon. P.S. Barnett is a great opponent but he really is not relevant in the overall story of the argument UFC vs. Fedor. That would be a different story of the UFC vs. the one time Fedor defeater Barnett. Really not as appealling.
Fedor Lesnar could happen first, then Randy fights Fedor regardless of the outcome. After that, you have big money rematches.
BTW, I’m sure Randy will be able to retire whenever he wants. I’m also positive that the UFC made him sign a non-compete clause. When Randy’s done with the UFC, he’s done with professional fighting.
No clause exists once a contract is up. No one would sign something saying that once your contract is up you can’t fight anywhere else.
I agree with Randy getting him 1st if it happens. He’s been screwed before and he wanted this fight real bad 1 year n some ago. Let it happen. If he gets destroyed whatever. He’s been beat up before and he has earned the fight. Lesnar is young enough he can wait. Randy isn’t. Make it happen n see what test Randy can pose before lesnar. Every1 counted Randy out before he even returned. Its hard not to, but the guy has heart of a lion. I applaud his non stop courage and ability to surprise.
As long as he gets paid more than anyone else, and gets to fight whomever he wants, sure than he is a great employee. However break one of his rules and he takes his ball and goes home, how quickly we forget that a year ago he was a major douche for holding out. Short memory spans seems to be a prerequisite for MMA fans.
i could care less if fedor comes to the ufc
Fedor is a legend and hopefully Dana can put his ego in the trunk and concede whatever it takes to sign Fedor. Just make it happen Dana. There would be so many matchups it would be crazy not to do.
I’d like to see it but I don’t think Randy can beat Fedor. I just want to see Fedor in the UFC playing king of the hill with the belt.
Oh jay I forget? Ha ha how little u remember he was the guy who started this gangster SHIT. And this the mother fucking thanks he gets? Ha ha. Man some of thara guys were fighting when they were making 10,000 a fight. Why can’t he demand more? He’s not asking 2 million a fight? He was insulted that they were offering a new ufc fighter ludacris pay cheques to fight him when he was there 1st and is amazing. I have no problem at all with what he did. Good job Randy and any one who stands up for the under payin zuffa. Thanks jay tho. The insult let me kno that u @ least read my post ha ha.