Randy and UFC Press conference

[tntma12]

Has anyone seen these 2 press conferences? Who do you think is in the right on this issue and who is wrong. I am a huge fan of Randy, but think he may be in the wrong on this one.

 

[14 Kempo]

Has anyone seen these 2 press conferences? Who do you think is in the right on this issue and who is wrong. I am a huge fan of Randy, but think he may be in the wrong on this one.

I think it might help if you link the press conferences referenced in this thread ... for those of us more challenged persons.

 

[tntma12]

http://mmamania.com/2007/10/26/randy-couture-press-conference-video/

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=MultiMedia.home

LOL, sorry, here is the links to the press conferences. the first is Randy Couture, the second is the UFC.

 

[AceHBK]

Wow this has gotten ugly.
UFC has cashed checks and all....

Why does it seem like the people in UFC press conference were staged??? Chick is hot but can barely speak english!!!!

Not cool that Dana bashes other fighters in his rant...totally unnecessary.

 

[Marginal]

It's amazing how every single fighter that says anything bad about the UFC is an unreliable and ungreatful flake. Doesn't seem to matter who or what they'd done up to that point. Serendipity!

 

[Andy Moynihan]

Dana White is always wrong. It's the law.

 

[Jai]

I think they are both wrong on several points, but to say who the bigger bad guy is I just can't honestly say at this point. I know I use to be a major MMA nut, but now a days it seems to be as staged as pro wrestling at points.

 

[FearlessFreep]

Being too lazy to sit through press conferences... can anyone summarize the dispute?

 

[Marginal]

Randy: I don't get paid anything close to what the Pride imports are getting.
Dana: I'm publicly releasing all of Randy's pay stubs.

 

[cohenp]

I remember reading an interview with Dana on another news site and he said that part of the problem was that Randy had this new hollywood agent. Dana explained that Randy had this agent who was telling Randy he was getting used and all this garbage. Apparantly a week before this press conference Dana and Randy had breakfast and everything was ok. Then there is all this trouble when Randy's agent is around and next thing you know he's on The Unit. I think Randy will figure something out with the UFC and things will be fine again in the future.

 

[TheArtofDave]

I have to agree here. In the article I read it said that Randy negotiated his contract. Now I'm wondering how are you going to be unhappy to negotiate your own contract.

If you're having breakfast with the President of the UFC and you're feeling under appreciated wouldn't you say something like "oh by the way I feel under appreciated before I specifically renegotiate my contract."

That just seems like an issue you'd handle before you handled business of that nature. If negotiations were done through a rep of Coutoure I'd question this but with Randy specifically handling it himself, but failing to mention something as important as being under utilized well that takes prescendent over movie deals.

I think when Randy gets back and he speaks with the UFC again things will smooth over. The times I've seen Randy fight I never once felt like he was under appreciated the guy is one of the most honored fighters of all time and has accomplishments we may never see surpassed.

 

[punisher73]

I think the UFC has bent over backwards to make Randy the household name that he is. 1) he is "over the hill" so to speak in terms of his age as a fighter. 2) Look at his record, he has beat some big names but his overall record isn't that impressive (16-8 overall).

I am a HUGE Randy fan but I don't agree with this at all that he was being taken advantage of. I think the UFC has given him lots of opportunities and gave him the exposure to be where he is at today. Let's do a rundown of his UFC career Randy beat Pedro Rizzo twice as a heavyweight and then lost his next two fights against Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez. The UFC allow him to drop down in weight to Lightheavy and sets him immediately up for a shot at the interim title against Chuck Liddell. He then beats Tito Ortiz for the title and then loses the next fight to Vitor Belfort, but then wins it back in the rubbermatch. He loses the title in the next fight to Chuck Liddell, and then loses again in the rubber match and then "retires". He does some commentary for them and then announces he would like to fight Sylvia and UFC signs him to go back up to heavyweight with an immediate title fight against Tim Sylvia.

I think that it was a very symbiotic relationship.

 

[Odin]

I'll have to agree with punisher here, the UFC and Dana have given Randy alot of opportunities in the UFC some of which would not be available to other fighters.

I think people are being slightly biased in their views on this, Dana White is viewed as a sort of evil corporate boss that is just in it for the money when to be fair to him he's not that bad of a guy and he does infact treat his fighters well, ( a lot better then many of the other org's ) .

Also...have a watch of Randy's video again, he keeps saying its not about the money....but then listen to how many times he mentions money.

 

[TheArtofDave]

That seems to be a double standard you would have thought he would have caught.

Oh well, should he get a chance to view himself on tape perhaps he'll understand how he came off in the conference he called.

 

[Doc_Jude]

While Dana White is acting like the typical American Businessman, that is, getting away with anything he can, it would seem that Couture may be getting a little of that Free Agent Prima Donna syndrome. What a Diva...

 

[SensibleManiac]

Sorry guys but I can't find Dana's interview, was it taken down?
Thanks