Fitch amongst others cut by the UFC

[CPT]

And again it's Lorenzo Fertitta to the rescue.

I'm starting to think Lorenzo and Dana are playing a little bit of good cop, bad cop.

Dana comes in, guns blazin, **** this, **** that, with the agreement, fires Fitch for not signing it. Fitch talks to Lorenzo and ends up back in the UFC having signed the same agreement 24 hours later.

Then again, Dana`s always been like this, so maybe it`s not an act at all.

[cowboyronnie]

Would Dana sign a lifetime agreement like this? Let's say he does, he has a falling out with the UFC, gets fired, and starts up his own promotion. The UFC would still own the rights to his likeness, and therefore he would not be able to be on any marketing material of his own promotion.

It is an absurd agreement. I side with Fitch and the others who refuse to sign this. As Fitch said, it's not about the money. It's about respect, and really being able to own the "rights" to yourself. If it's UFC footage and promotional material that's one thing, but if they can't be in any marketing and promotional materials AFTER you are no longer in the UFC, that is bull. WWE doesn't even pull that crap.

Also, this 6 appearances thing. They don't get paid for those appearances, and it sounds like the UFC doesn't even foot the bill for airfare, hotel, etc.

Fitch has every right to stand up for himself. And Dana has every right to tell Fitch to take a hike and go fight in Hackensack, Wisconsin in front of 25 people if he doesn't like the UFC's rules. At face value the deal seems unreasonable, but in actuality it really doesn't matter because John Fitch isn't going to be in any other video games anyways.

A "right" = morally correct?

don't forget that Dana is forever talking about how he's bettering the sport and bettering the lives of his fighters.

[El Hardee]

The fighters will always get the short end of the deal till they form a Union, or SEVERAL big MMA promotions enter the game. Right now Dana has all the leverage so the fighters have to deal with it. If a promotion came out with some money behind it, and could offer some big name fighters a stake in the company that might be a way to stop the UFC juggernaut.

[CPT]

The only real problem I have with the agreement is that it is for life. If a fighter gets cut by the UFC, the UFC still owns their marketing and likeness rights. This hurts their future earning potential in a huge way, both from the obvious marketing aspect, and the fact that they can't offer their marketing rights to their prospective employer.

As far as I'm concerned, the UFC can put whatever conditions they want in a marketing agreement for fighters under contract with the UFC, but their fight contract and their marketing contract should be tied together. When one is done, they should both be done.

The right to audit is a pretty big deal too actually.

But on the other hand, what Dana White is saying is somewhat true. These guys are going to have a chance to make money while they aren't working, just because they are a part of the UFC. And 10% of UFC royalties is probabaly a lot more than 100% of Affliction, Dream, or Strikeforce royalties.

[funkatron101]

And again it's Lorenzo Fertitta to the rescue.

I'm starting to think Lorenzo and Dana are playing a little bit of good cop, bad cop.

Dana comes in, guns blazin, **** this, **** that, with the agreement, fires Fitch for not signing it. Fitch talks to Lorenzo and ends up back in the UFC having signed the same agreement 24 hours later.

Then again, Dana`s always been like this, so maybe it`s not an act at all.

It's not an act. It just becomes more and more apparent that Dana White is not qualified to handle these type of decisions. You don't see David Stern running to the media saying "**** them, I'm sick of their ****, they can go play ball in Europe. We're in a recession." Every time there is a dispute. You need a level headed negotiator who is willing to find what is best for all parties.

If Fertitta had handled the discussions with Fedor alone, we would likely have seen him with the belt, facing Nog/Mir next. Instead of Lesnar. But instead we got White saying Fedor is a **** joke, and that "those Russian's are crazy."

[CPT]

And again it's Lorenzo Fertitta to the rescue.

I'm starting to think Lorenzo and Dana are playing a little bit of good cop, bad cop.

Dana comes in, guns blazin, **** this, **** that, with the agreement, fires Fitch for not signing it. Fitch talks to Lorenzo and ends up back in the UFC having signed the same agreement 24 hours later.

Then again, Dana`s always been like this, so maybe it`s not an act at all.

It's not an act. It just becomes more and more apparent that Dana White is not qualified to handle these type of decisions. You don't see David Stern running to the media saying "**** them, I'm sick of their ****, they can go play ball in Europe. We're in a recession." Every time there is a dispute. You need a level headed negotiator who is willing to find what is best for all parties.

If Fertitta had handled the discussions with Fedor alone, we would likely have seen him with the belt, facing Nog/Mir next. Instead of Lesnar. But instead we got White saying Fedor is a **** joke, and that "those Russian's are crazy."

The thing is, Fertitta and Dana are on the same page as far as the final result goes. It's not like they changed the agreement to make it more acceptable for Fitch (at least not from what I've heard). He got Fitch to sign the same agreement he was willing to lose his job over a day ago. And maybe Fitch needed to go through Dana's hard line approach first to be willing to accept it when he talked to Fertitta.

I don't even really know what my point is. I guess just that Dana White obviously isn't screwing up too badly, and that there may be more than meets the eye to the UFC's negotiation strategy.

[Cammo101]

Anyone who thinks Dana White is not qualified is nuts. This guy built MMA, to even compare him to other commisioners like Davis Stern is nuts. Without Dana White the UFC would be fighting in Alabama in front oe a thousand people allowing nut punches and hair pulling still. Not even getting into the fact that the UFC is growing much more rapidly than Stern's NBA.

Dana Whiteis the UFC, and anyone who doesn't want him at the UFC president does not see the big picture...or would just rather see Kimbo vs. Mike Tyson.

[funkatron101]

Anyone who thinks Dana White is not qualified is nuts. This guy built MMA, to even compare him to other commisioners like Davis Stern is nuts. Without Dana White the UFC would be fighting in Alabama in front oe a thousand people allowing nut punches and hair pulling still. Not even getting into the fact that the UFC is growing much more rapidly than Stern's NBA.

Dana Whiteis the UFC, and anyone who doesn't want him at the UFC president does not see the big picture...or would just rather see Kimbo vs. Mike Tyson.

How in the world do you equate me wanting Dana White to act more professionally in order to further legitimize a growing sport as me wanting to see Kimbo vs Mike Tyson? I mean really....what?!

Dana did some good things for sure, but he was more of an opportunist than a genius. He had friends (the fertittas) with deep pockets and snagged the UFC as it was failing financially. The UFC was already in the process of sanctioning when Zuffa took over. A lot of the rules banning groin shots, hair pulling, etc., established weight and time limits were created and enforced before Dana was in charge. So your Alabama scenario is inaccurate.

From what I have read, Dana was against the concept of the Ultimate Fighter. That show saved the UFC. Many people seem to think that this was Dana's brain-child, which isn't true. Had the show failed the Fertittas would have sold the UFC. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Lorenzo said so himself.

The Gracies built the UFC. They moved on as the sport evolved. Dana helped it gain in popularity, but soon he is going reach his plateau and the industry will need someone to take it to the next level. Dana has the passion and drive for this sport. He does not have the tact, professionalism or maturity to turn the UFC into a true legitimate sport. Any president who decides to run to the media every time there is a contract dispute with an employee and says "Who the **** does he think he is? He can go to **** for all I ****** care!" Will never be taken seriously in the public's eye.

We may not agree, but don't make assumptions about what I know of this sport, or me not seeing the "big picture."

[Cammo101]

I want Dana to be more professional at times too, my point was that people calling Dana White unqualified to run a company he brought from the ground to the big time is just foolish. The UFC gets bigger every time out thanks in large part to Dana White.

The Gracies founded the UFC. Dana built it. Dana did not just help the UFC get more popular. He added weight classes, he got unified rules, he brought in judges, he got it legal in most states, he made it a sport. You are not giving Dana White enough credit for what he has done for the sport as a whole and the UFC specifically.

MMA is a different animal than other sports leagues and needs a different kind of president. Dana needs to mellow at times, but his agression is a necessity. Look at what has happened to other MMA orgs that were less cut throat in negoations. The end up paying guys like Nick Diaz 150 grand and going out of business.

[funkatron101]

I want Dana to be more professional at times too, my point was that people calling Dana White unqualified to run a company he brought from the ground to the big time is just foolish. The UFC gets bigger every time out thanks in large part to Dana White.

The Gracies founded the UFC. Dana built it. Dana did not just help the UFC get more popular. He added weight classes, he got unified rules, he brought in judges, he got it legal in most states, he made it a sport. You are not giving Dana White enough credit for what he has done for the sport as a whole and the UFC specifically.

http://www.whaledog.com/2006/07/zuffa-m ... culous.php
I'm not meaning to discredit Dana's accomplishments, just bringing to light the misconceptions about what he has or has not done. If you read various reports about how Zuffa acquired the UFC, there could have been some really shady things going on. Especially considering Lorenzo was on the athletic commission when SEG owned the UFC.

MMA is a different animal than other sports leagues and needs a different kind of president. Dana needs to mellow at times, but his agression is a necessity. Look at what has happened to other MMA orgs that were less cut throat in negoations. The end up paying guys like Nick Diaz 150 grand and going out of business.

They paid out big bucks to these guys because they needed stars. They tried to build an instant promotion. I think it has less to do with weak negotiating and more to do with giving these fighters enough incentive to leave the UFC for a start-up. That is where I will give Dana and the Fetittas a lot of credit. They knew it would be a long process, and they were patient. However, like I said before, the Ultimate Fighter was their last ditch effort, and luckily for them, and for us, it worked.

There is a difference between aggressive business tactics and what Dana does. A smart, aggressive CEO doesn't run to the media and act like his best friend had an affair with his wife. Dana takes everything personally, as if any dispute with the UFC is a dispute against him. He is all buddy buddy with his fighters until they disagree. Then all of a sudden these guys are "dicks" to him. Lorenzo all of a sudden takes a bigger role, and these disputes get resolved with no crying to the media.

[Cammo101]

I think Lorenzo and Dana are the good cop bad cop here. Lorenzo lets Dana be cut throat and get what they need, then Lorenzo comes in and fixes everything...but that paper still gets signed.

I think it is less Lorenzo cleaning up after Dana and more of a preplanned way to get things done.