Dana White names the biggest UFC fight he could never make: A heavyweight contest between Brock Lesnar and MMA’s greatest heavyweight talent at the time.
Back in 2011-2013, when the UFC began to peak, with talents like Lesnar, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Ronda Rousey under their belt, there was an air of ‘what next’ for the promotion. Super fights were around every corner, whether it be boxing champions or fighters from other promotions.
One of the most hotly discussed fights was Fedor Emelianenko vs Brock Lesnar. Emelianenko was in Strikeforce for four fights from 2009 to 2011, and with the collapse of Affliction, very nearly fought Lesnar in the UFC, according to UFC CEO Dana White.
‘Thank God They Said No’: Dana White on Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko
“We’ve gotten everything done that we’ve ever wanted to do,” White said on The Pivot. “We never got a deal done with Fedor. Me and Lorenzo got on the plane and left wherever we were; we looked at each other and said, ‘thank god they said no.’ Because we offered them so much money.
“You get in that room, and you’re trying to get the deal done. And we didn’t fly all the way out here for nothing; let’s get this deal done. We wanted to do him versus Brock Lesnar at the time, but, nah. I don’t regret it. That’s really the only fight atop my head that we didn’t make that we wanted to and we tried to.”
White has previously revealed Emelianenko vs. Lesnar was almost a thing, breaking the news way back in 2013 after UFC on Fox 6.
“We were in deep talks with him,” White remarked. “We were that close to signing him recently. Right before his dad died. We were right there. When I was talking about doing the big Dallas, Texas Stadium show? It was going to be Brock Lesnar vs. [Fedor]. Remember when I met with him and said it didn’t go well? It actually went well. It went well, and Brock wanted to fight Fedor. Then [Fedor’s] dad died, and he was done.” [h/t MixedMartialArts]
Emilianenko Explains Why He Didn’t Sign With Dana White & UFC
Speaking on WHOA! TV, Emilianenko explained that he believed White personally hated him, which led to not signing with the UFC.
“In my opinion, everything was in Dana White’s hands,’ Emilianenko said. “Because at that moment, I just felt like ‘this guy, he just hates us.’ Like, personally… There were insults coming from Dana White all the time. There were many very loud things said, but for real nothing happened. It was [all talk].” [h/t MMA Fighting]
Fedor Emilianenko’s Many MMA Accomplishments
Emilianenko’s stock remained high until the end of his 47-fight career. He is arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter in MMA history, with UFC accolades being the only unexplored element in his career. Despite this, Emilanenko owns wins over seven former UFC champions.
‘The Last Emperor finished his career with championships in Pride FC, Strikeforce, Affliction, and a finalist spot in the Bellator heavyweight grand prix to top it off. His most notable wins include Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (x3), Mark Coleman (x2), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Frank Mir, Chael Sonnen, and Quinton Jackson.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Dana White Reveals Biggest UFC Fight That Never Happened appeared first on HEAVY.