MMA News Forums » MMA Forums » General MMA Forum

[maxp84z]

Ok, now that Randy is back in the UFC it seems that Affliction hosting Randy vs Fedor isnt going to happen under their banner. This is a huge blow to the upcoming promotion, or is it? I honestly believe that one strategic move Affliction should do is LET FEDOR fight RANDY in the UFC. (sounds crazy but hear me out) I'm under the impression that Fedor is under contract with Affliction with 2 more fights remaining. I think that Affliction should let the UFC use Fedor without having to copromote. It would give Fedor much needed exposure.

I also believe that IF Affliction were to host Randy vs Fedor, they could probably pull somewhere between 350-400k buys.... (Thats even being generous) THE UFC on the other hand would definately get 1 million buys or near it. It's just more worth it for the UFC to host it. It's a good pay day, even if they only get Fedor for one fight. They've done it before with Royce vs Hughes.

So in the future people will know who Fedor is.... THE MAN that wrecked the almighty Randy Couture. (God willing that is) So when Affliction headlines an event in the future with Fedor vs AA for example, the casual fans will tune in because they know who this russian cyborg is.

I also believe that Affliction needs to work with other promotions such as EXC and DREAM in order to survive. They should share talent with each other. Coordinate shows to not conflict with one another. Etc... If they dont do this, Affliction, EXC, and DREAM are sunk. You know that one saying, The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Well its sorta like that. UFC is the juggernaut to dethrown. (or atleast compete with) Once they unionize and start turning a profit then they could go their seperate ways or someone can buy someone out etc. So far those orgs mentioned have not turned a profit. (or atleast a substantial profit)

[LefthookStcrook]

Sounds good for Affliction...But bad for the UFC. For the UFC its really a win/lose situation thats heavily leaning towards lose.

If Fedor wins, everyone watching that UFC event knows who Fedor is, and knows that hes better then the UFC Hw champ. So they'll wonder, who else might be better then the UFC fighters out there? and Voila, lost revenue for the UFC, much needed exposure for Affliction.

But if Randy wins, Casual fans will just think he beat up another guy who couldnt speak english, of course to 'hardcore' fans it'd be a changing moment in MMA history, but to the casual fans, it wont hold much weight

The chances of Fedor winning, somehow, someway are pretty damn good, And the chances of Randy beating Fedor are not that good IMO

My point is the UFC wont sign Fedor for a one fight deal, let him beat up their champ and then peel. I dont think they will atleast

[jhell]

Well Affliction better start doing something to turn a profit. By the way there's no way Randy beats Fedor.

[ddoggma]

Good post, I agree with everything, but I don't see Randy being able to beat Brock unless he brings in Fedor to teach him the leg stuff...lol Which I don't think Fedor will do. I do not see anybody that can stop Brock from taking them down and getting controlled just like Heath did in his fight. Its a lame way to win, but it looks pretty clear to me that he can do that to fighters that don't know how to roll,and don't have the strength to do anything from there. Big guys at the top of the food chain, that are bjj blackbelts or sambo fighters are the guys Brock cant beat yet. Its just a bad matchup for Randy. I hope he wins with another of his classic game plan beatdowns. But, he's old and I just don't know. I think Brock has NO chance at beating Nog,Mir,Werdum,Barrnett, Fedor or GG for that matter.

[pantomime horse]

As they say in boxing, styles make fights. Sure, Brock seems to be new at the sub-D game and so fighters adept at jiu-jitsu are likely to be favored.

Randy has used his wrestling to control his matches and now faces a bigger, stronger, and quite capable wrestler who isn't likely to be controlled so easily.

Brock has some unknowns. His cardio and his chin. Until they are truly put to the test he'll remain somewhat a mystery. If he's found to have great cardio and a solid chin his opponents are going to be in for a rough ride.

As for Affliction it's up to the fans. Do they want a competing MMA organization in the states? Are they willing to buy the PPVs to support it? Affliction did its part by going after fighters the fans want to see compete, but the fans need to do their part as well.

From where I'm sitting I'm happy watching the UFC and DREAM. Do I want Affliction to survive? Not sure if I'm that passionate about the situation. They have some talented fighters, but they have a long way to go before they get everything else running smoothly.

[pa99ortiz]

Could be a good move, but could also be a horrible move. One thing is for sure though, they have to do something quick. It seems that the going is only getting tougher for Affliction which is pretty unfortunate.

[GEEZER]

If I was running the UFC I'd do everything possible to sign Fedor and keep him . Forget about who my pet HW champ is for now (or make room for the new one from Russia) and let the man do his thing. Get the Couture and Lesnar fights out of the way sooner rather than later , so everybody knows what's what. Then in a couple or a few years when Lesnar is better and Fedor is older , let em fight again . I do want to see Lesnar earn his way up , so Randy really needs to come through . Like someone already said , if Lesnar beats Randy and becomes the HW champ now I will puke violently .

[los_pantalones]

There's only two problems with your theory. 1 - No way in hell does Dana sign Fedor for 1 fight. It'll never happen. 2 - No way in hell does Dana even try to sign Fedor to anything until his contract with Affliction is over and done with.

[maxp84z]

The thing is, Randy going back to the UFC is all about him fighting Fedor!!!! OR DID RANDY FORGET ABOUT FEDOR when Dana showed him the dollar signs in his proposed fight against BROCK?

I'm tired of this crap. Randy vs Fedor needs to happen. I JUST DONT SEE THE UFC MAKING THIS FIGHT HAPPEN IF RANDY DOES BEAT BROCK. If Randy beats Brock, that means Randy would still be champ. If Fedor were to fight Randy for the belt, Fedor would HAVE to be an exclusive fighter. (Or not, like the non title fight with Hughes and Royce)

Fedor vs Randy would be a short term huge payday PPV numbers wise. The long term damages are that the UFC builds a star that they dont have. The difference between a Royce Gracie/Hughes fight, is that Royce was already well known amongst long time MMA fans. Like Royce said it. It was the house he built. SO the UFC doing a 1 fight gig for him wasnt a big deal because he was alraedy a big star.

What I see the UFC doing is waiting till Fedor finishes his 2 fights with Affliction... Then try to renegotiate a suitable contract. I do see the UFC bending a bit and allow him to compete in his combat sambo tournaments. I also see them offering a shorter contract as well... (I believe the first contract they gave Fedor was a 10 fight contract) It would probably be a 4 fight contract.

It's the UFCs JOB.... to sign the best fighters in MMA. PERIOD. They've been doing a pretty decent job in doing so. Like with Anderson Silva. Sure the UFC would rather have an english speaking American as champion, BUT ANDERSON SILVA is the best!!! Brings credibility to the division and sport. The UFC needs to go after guys like Fedor. They also need to keep guys like AA.

The way the UFC runs its business I feel that they dont care about having the top fighters in the world. They can go on without them and be very successful.

[Badluck33]

Affliction has Fedor. If they ever lose Fedor they will lose the business. AA and Barnett are both in Affliction for the opportunity at Fedor. Not Ben Rothwell. UFC already owns LHW, MW and WW divisions. They need HW division. Randy coming back helps big and if they can get Fedor that makes it even bigger.