The legendary Russian mixed martial arts fighter Fedor Emelianenko told why he did not sign with the UFC in 2009.
"Dana White behaved inappropriately, he was rude. We met with him on the island when I had already signed with Strikeforce. They wanted to meet, flew in on a private plane, talked. But I already had a contract.
If I had signed a contract with the UFC, Strikeforce would have sued me. I would have ended up not fighting here or there while the lawsuit was going on. It could have lasted years. When asked if they would be willing to pay liquidated damages if such a lawsuit went through, no one gave any guarantees. I did not understand the point of this meeting at all, because I had a valid contract. Vadim Finkelstein wanted to hear something, some figures, so he made the meeting.
When I was free, Dana White did not offer anything. I got a contract, I was offered big amounts, but what was the point? I would have just been 'put out' without any fights and that's it," Emelianenko said.
Emelianenko will fight American Timothy Johnson on October 23 at Bellator tournament in Moscow.
