SCATHING
Former MMA heavyweight world champion Fedor Ememlianenko has delivered a scathing assessment of UFC chief Dana White.
The Russian, who competed in PRIDE, Strikeforce and Bellator during his MMA career, infamously never plied his trade inside of an Octagon.
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However, he is renowned as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, and even managed to defeat seven former UFC champions during his runs with other promotions.
As well as high-level sambo, ‘The Last Emperor’ was also deadly with his hands and White reportedly tried to sign him to the UFC on a contract worth just under $2million per fight.
The contract included an immediate shot against reigning champion Brock Lesnar and White described it as an ‘obsession’ to sign the legend, only for talks to collapse.
Having tried and failed to lure Emelianenko out of retirement in 2012, the UFC boss then finally conceded defeat.
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Yet it appears the Russian was not happy with how negotiations went, and he has expressed this during a scathing interview given to a Russian news outlet.
"A very unfavourable impression,” Emelianenko told TASS. “Money means everything to him, he has no respect towards fighters, no respect for any human being. Only money and that’s all.”
"There is nothing humane about him and I found that quite revolting," he continued. "Money, of course, is important for living and for the family.
“But trading human relations for money is unacceptable."
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Speaking in 2020, Dana White admitted the only fight he ever regretted not making was a fantasy match-up between the Russian and Lesnar.
“The only fight that I wanted to make that was never made was Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko,” he told UFC.com.
“We were going to do it at Texas Stadium," he added. "But I couldn’t get a deal done with Fedor, so it never happened.”