Rumor of the Day: Fedor vs. Couture in early 2009 a UFC coup?
By Pramit Mohapatra
MMAJunkie.com is reporting that the UFC is in early stages of negotiations to bring UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko together for a bout in early 2009. From the report:
The fight is far from a done deal. Many of the same issues that prevented Emelianenko from signing with the UFC during previous negotiations must still be ironed out. But it appears that the UFC and representatives for both Couture and Emelianenko are working towards bringing the two legends together for a long-awaited bout.
Additionally, the same sources are reporting that Couture is currently "actively training for a fight."
The fight that Couture is apparently training for is a hotly rumored bout against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 in November.
What makes these developments so interesting are its potential ramifications. For one thing, Fedor has reportedly been signed by Affliction to a longer-term contract. So, it would stand to reason that the UFC could only put on a Couture-Fedor fight through some sort of co-promotion. That would be a major change in philosophy for the UFC and a tacit acknowledgement of the fledgling Affliction promotional banner.
In addition, the rumors indicate that both Couture and the UFC are essentially going to put their last year of squabbling and court cases behind them and get back in bed together. Couture has written and said that he was fighting the UFC for the benefit of future generations of fighters. Now, it appears that he's decided to take the more expedient route and fight while he still can. So, was this simply just about money for Couture?
If Couture comes back to the UFC and if the UFC can put on Couture-Fedor (even in a co-promoted event), both events would have to be considered victories for the world's number one MMA promotion. After all, the UFC will have essentially taken away the only fight from Affliction that could have put that promotion over the top. If casual fans see Couture and Fedor in an Octagon, even with some Affliction banners on the canvas or on the cage, they'll only think one thing -- that this is a UFC fight.
The only way Affliction benefits from such a co-promoted event is if it can negotiate a 50/50 split in revenues while not having to shoulder a similar burden in costs.
Assist: FightTicker.com member MMABrat
Comments
What if Lesnar mows through
What if Lesnar mows through Couture? I would think that would sort of tarnish the "dream match" between Fedor and "The Natural."
Hitman for the MMAfia
its a no lose situation for
its a no lose situation for the ufc
if couture wins, you can have your fedor-couture super-hype fight that randy has been lobbying for for over a year
if lesnar wins, the ufc just legitimized one of the biggest draws they have on their roster without setting up freak-show/squash matches
and it gets people excited about the shallowest division the ufc has to offer.
besides, it monkey wrenches other promotions ability to put on a fedor-couture fight ... and given all the randy-fedor hanging out pictures circulating, it seems like both are doing what they can to make it happen
And if Lesnar loses, he only
And if Lesnar loses, he only lost to Randy.
Hitman for the MMAfia
This would be GREAT news for
This would be GREAT news for us!! And this is happening BECAUSE the competition is out there pushing the UFC to continue to step up thier game.
I hope it does happen... I hope Randy still has that magic that got everyone excited when he dropped Sylvia...
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