Jon Fitch sounds off on getting fired, rehired and the infamous dotted line (video)
by Jesse Holland on Nov 21, 2008 11:10 AM EST
63 comments
Props to MMARated for the video. Even bigger props to Jon Fitch for sporting his MMAmania.com T-shirt!
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Wow. Dana seams to be trying to strong-arm the fighters which is messed up. I know he and the UFC have done a ton for these guys, but you cannot control their lives.
by VNDK8 on Nov 21, 2008 11:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Dana thinks he is a mobster that owns Vegas.
Truth is that as far as Vegas in concerned, he is basically a nobody.
by ViolentMike on Nov 21, 2008 12:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Right now Dana does own MMA.
In the politics of this all, Jon needs to realize that he needs to to have Dana and the UFC on his side.
Hinting at Dana being an idiot, EVEN IF HE IS AN IDIOT, hurts Jon and Jon’s career.
Whether or not Dana is a buffoon is besides the point.
by Ben on Nov 21, 2008 12:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
come on Jon, im so dissapointed… stick to your guns! he just totally ran back to the UFC with his tail between his legs. he could have negotiated with them for sure, the UFC would have taken a huge downfall if they cut him for that B.S… he could have played his cards right and got a deal or something! oh well…
by brendan on Nov 21, 2008 8:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
dana has a large case of IMABIHSHOTLOOKATME, if and when he screws up , what a fall that will be, check your EGO my man, generally large ego’s equate to low self esteem, oh yea, and he likes to call people bitch’s, whats up with that?
by daz on Nov 21, 2008 11:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
yeah, I’d say you’re right on! Look at his body language in the video blogs, he slouches and his loud, all self esteem traits! I think you’re right on here, but in his defense, a lot of rich, people in power positions, that have no real reason to be insecure, ARE! it’s a fact!
by kevin on Nov 21, 2008 11:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You see guys “it was never about the video game.” He wasn’t signing his life away! All you guys going nuts on me, you were wrong! “lifetime exclusive, is not a big deal.”
the best parallel to this is “the Rock.” WWE owned the name, but Dwayne Johnson went to Vince Mcmahon personally, and asked if he could use the name. Vince and Dana are essentially alike, and what did he do? He allowed The Rock to use his name!
.
Now that I heard both sides, Dana has to look in the mirror! He’s not a dictator, he’s a businessman. Thee is a way to approach people, and he’s losing that battle! I’m first and foremost an mma fan, not a UFC/Dana nuthugger, and I think a lot of you guys will be surprised to hear me say:
DANA WHITE DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS ONE. Ask someone to sign, don’t threaten them! Now you guys have to admit, I was right, it wasn’t the video game, because as I stated before:
NO ONE IS MAKING A JOHN FITCH VIDEO GAME (or any other fighter) without the UFC.
They do have to work together, they may not be direct partners, but without the fighters, there is no UFC, but without the UFC, there is no mainstream mma!
by kevin on Nov 21, 2008 11:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
It’s pretty sad that Dana’s ego and attitude seem to get in the way and the fighters have to bother Lorenzo with this stuff.
by VNDK8 on Nov 21, 2008 11:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
But Fitch just said they were trying to renigotiate. I like he said Lorenzo told him that if later they wanted to leave and do something different there wouldn’t be a problem, yeah right, dumbarse better get that in writing.
by Rubberman on Nov 21, 2008 11:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Why? Months ago it was announced Lorenzo would be getting more involved with the management of the UFC to help Dana out, so it sounds like he’s just doing what they already said he was going to.
by Jase on Nov 21, 2008 12:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ya…I’m sure a lot of the things Dana does is because of the Ferittas telling him too….its good cop, bad cop but Dana can’t seem to ever be a ggod cop
by McArthur on Nov 21, 2008 1:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Once again, when it comes to the business of MMA, you’re right on the money.
by Pat on Nov 21, 2008 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
are you being sarcastic? sarcasm doesn’t translate well on the screen, but I sense it pat? if you’re being serious, thank you! I don’t claim to know more or be better than anyone, but think that I have a background and bit of knowledge on the business end of this!
by kevin on Nov 21, 2008 11:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
really you seemed to have no business sense, you would just sign away your rights to something with out looking into the contract or get paid for it.
by roy on Nov 21, 2008 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m making a Jon Fitch game. It’s impossible to complete, the final boss is a French Canadian dude called Georges.
Joking aside, yes Dana is an egomaniac. He’s good with the fans at the events because basically they’re all like Dana, Dana, great show, come to my town, you’re the man etc etc. He comes across as overly rash, hasty and very unprofessional at times. It’s as if he’s trying to appeal to the type of knucklehead that usually makes up half the cast of every season of TUF. Idiots basically. In doing so, he looks like a moron. Then when he does the press junket, media stuff he’s different, refraining from dropping the F-bomb in every second sentence…well, most of the time anyway.
He tries to do a good job, but the power is going to his head and like everyone he makes mistakes. No doubt about it he fu%ked up this time. Dana White dropped the ball. Couldn’t agree with that more. I don’t think he really thought this one through. It’s as if sometimes he forgets that he’s not just dealing with a commodity, he thinks purely business, and $$$$, it’s as if he forgets he’s dealing with human beings here.
Lorenzo smoothing things over makes Dana look really silly.
Jon Fitch Dana White
1 – 0
by RobH86 on Nov 21, 2008 12:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If it’s all a joke then I bought it. But why mess around like that? It’s not as if Dana has not been rash before. He sent Arlovski off to pasture over supposedly money, the Randy fiasco went on forever and then he bad mouths Tim when he left. Werdum was well and truly snubbed and Lesnar got a title shot. Sounds like he couldn’t give a toss about the fighters as long as he and the UFC are making money.
As far as I’m aware the UFC don’t take care of all the fighters medical bills. I don’t understand this good cop bad cop thing. Is it so we all tune in to hate on Dana. Dana is part of the reason I don’t watch TUF anymore. I can’t stand his do you want to be a fu%king fighter rants and bit$h fests.
by RobH86 on Nov 21, 2008 12:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
honestly, TUF has become a disgusting display…I really like the fights but please…I’m 34 years old and fit right in to the UFC’s target demographic but I don’t want to see guys my age pissing on someones food or jerking off onto someones sushi…I realize these things are going to happen but does the UFC honestly think that we the viewer are entertained…its rediculous to think so
by McArthur on Nov 21, 2008 1:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree. I train BJJ and Muay Thai, me and my teammates don’t act like those dickheads.
Which is why it’s time for something different…
by Ground-Game on Nov 21, 2008 2:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’ve hardly watched any TUF this season. As you guys said, the juvenile carry on grates. Not interested in that rubbish. Maybe if I was 15 again. I’ll watch the finale but not the episodes.
by RobH86 on Nov 21, 2008 7:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i never said sign your life away and i said it it not matter what he was signing and yes you where kinda of wrong my whole point was that you don’t just sign something with out looking into it and dana didn’t seem to want to give him the oppertunity, and of course when ever you sign something away to someone you want to be paid for it.
by roy on Nov 21, 2008 12:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Honestly, whether it was about the video game or not, to sign one’s image away for life is bad business. You had said earlier it was just for the game. If that’s true, so be it. But what I’ve read didn’t specify game only. Lastly, someone doesn’t tell you that it might be possible to renegotiate at a later time. If you don’t get that in writing, you are a complete fool. We agreed on one thing on this though, Dana SERIOUSLY dropped the ball on this.
by chefdaddy on Nov 21, 2008 1:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
life is a relative term here….how many video games do you think Fitch will be in when he is 35…..none
by McArthur on Nov 21, 2008 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Image is used for more than just video games. And that’s a gamble, odds on or not, that most people won’t do.
by chefdaddy on Nov 21, 2008 4:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Chefdaddy, from what I read, it’s much more than video games n’ CDS, what is Fitch to do? Explain all the contract clauses to us regarding likeness and how unfair it is? What he did in that interview was the safe & rational thing to try to appease the powers that be and move on with his career as a MMA artist and avoiding another termination.
If u really want to get a better idea of what is in that contract regarding video games, CD’s & likeness read this link (sounds like u have), and internet surf Randy Couture’s issues with the likeness contract… it seems to be an account of what’s really up. I understand this is a site about opinions and very few on here spend this kind of time researching, I do once in awhile, Sean Sherk’s CSAC appeal, Couture’s legal issues, and now Fitch.
http://www.tapoutlive.com/images/mags/ufc_legal.pdf
I think you’re dead on Chefdaddy, I haven’t read 1 thing that would make me think otherwise, and I’m pretty open to listening.
by THORAZINE on Nov 21, 2008 9:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Thorazine, yeah, I read that link when you put it earlier. Thanks for the info. This whole situation is ……..isn’t right. There has to be a great deal that we simply aren’t privy to. If what that link says is correct, noone, not even short bus riders, would sign that. But then again, why aren’t we hearing about it from other fighters? I know most are terrified of dana, but there are some (Penn, GSP, Couture, Lesnar, the Silvas and more) who could tell dana to shove it where the sun don’t shine and dana couldn’t do squat w/o looking the fool. What’s your take on this?
by chefdaddy on Nov 22, 2008 11:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Just got in, I don’t know if you’re going to get back to this thread. These fighters sign their contracts staggered 1 or more yrs apart. How do you get them all together at once? Many have already signed. Fighter’s career that are going up at the peak of making big $$$ they’ve waited to make for yrs, how do they say no and miss that window of opportunity? They don’t have multi-millions like other athletes to sit on the sidelines and protest it out. Not many can do what Couture did. They need their signing bonuses & fight $$$. Now that Pride is gone, where else is there to go?
Couture did tell dana where the sun could shine on the likeness contract long time ago, and I think it’s a safe bet Lesnar has something with the WWE or negotiated with Dana about his likeness.
It really comes down to options, there aren’t any, the UFC is the place to fight and make your name and $$$. They’ll make more $$$ for fights in the UFC than anywhere, get more name recognition to start their own gyms or anything they may want to do with their likness by asking the UFC’s permission. Unfortunetly they’re getting robbed on the back end… DVD’s, Video games, they should make some $$$ here it is a huge, huge, industry. Who makes $$$ off of somebody elses likness for zero compenstation and tie it up for a lifetime? I’m not really sure if this will hold up under litigation, but who’s going to try to fight the UFC in later yrs?
You’re right, these guys are terrified of Dana, not to many of them can afford to miss a ‘fight’ or more. The guys that can are making enough fight $$$ are doing just that, trying not to rock the boat and keep winning, remember Josh Koscheck’s post?… fighters are almost forced to have that attitude, because of White’s willingness to cut them off.
Sad but true, Dana White really robbed me of enthusiasm for MMA this week, he’s the perfect guy to run the UFC, but I hate to this and the way he handled it… as much as he doesn’t want to be a douchebag boxing promoter…. his boxing background is seeping through.. I read about the stuff Don King did back in the day, and I bet White took a few lessons away from him.
by THORAZINE on Nov 22, 2008 9:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Anyone recognize the t-shirt Mr. Fitch is wearing in that interview? :)
by MMAmania on Nov 21, 2008 11:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
what is it mania?
you had the exclusive, why did this douche (who by the way does great interviews) get this interview??
by kevin on Nov 21, 2008 11:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
damnit! i was going to mention that! right on Fitch, a true Maniac at heart.
by wagnerav on Nov 21, 2008 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
it was hidden by that grey hoodie….do you allow this Mania??? Is Fitch allowed to wear another sweater/shirt at the same time as your t-shirt? He probably wouldn’t sign anything would he?
by McArthur on Nov 21, 2008 1:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
This is so obviously a joke I don’t get why nobody has seen it. No change to the contract but fertita [not checking how it’s spelt] makes fitch feel good with words so they sign off and a life time sign off can be walked away from any time they want to [LMFAO].
hahaha
To me it’s obvious that Dana is going to need to Camp Canada to get us to allow mma outside quebec. within 2 years fertita will be the nice guy that takes over from bad guy dana who is shipped to Canada cause he’s such a big bad guy bully [lmfao like soap operas for children]. All the fighers have a love fest with wonderful nice man billionaire fertitae while big ol mean employee dana has to be leashed to Canada.
It’s a joke people. Why don’t people get this. Dana is an employee of fertita. No employer with a brain would turn down his trusted employees decision and have his trusted employee lose face with the people he has to control and manipulate each day unless it’s good cop bad cop. They didn’t even have to change the aggreenment. This is akin to the burger cooker refusing to cook burgers until the regional manager comes in to tell the big bad burger store manager to not be mean to the burger cook boy. The regional manager is there counting his money any way so they amuse the little burger cook boy and make his 2 inch ego feel better so they don’t lost 20k in lunch money.
I’ve seen board room meetings that make the dana fertita crap look like playtime for charlie brown. It’s a soap opera designed to keep people intereted in mma and the ufc when fights aren’t happening. You can’t have a ufc 92 then zero stuff going on then ufc 93 then zero stuff going on. They need the drama.
by Freddy101 on Nov 21, 2008 11:33 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
great post Freddy101!!! I would say you are right on! Dana and Lorenzo are childhood friends. I’m from that area, I don’t stay in touch with ANYONE, but one phone call and I would have an army of guys with my back NO MATTER WHAT!! These two are very loyal to one another, and are just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played!
great post buddy!
by kevin on Nov 21, 2008 11:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
“To me it’s obvious that Dana is going to need to Camp Canada to get us to allow mma outside quebec.”
Dude, mma is alive and well in alberta. Next month we’ve got John Allesio and Paul Daley in Edmonton and that isn’t even the headliner.
“No employer with a brain would turn down his trusted employees decision and have his trusted employee lose face with the people he has to control and manipulate each day unless it’s good cop bad cop.”
Honestly, as I watched the video with Jon that’s what I was thinking. Dana and Lorenzo have a good cop bad cop thing going on. Think about it; Tito always says he hates Dana but gets along with Lorenzo.
by JB on Nov 21, 2008 12:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
LMAO. In other words….
“Dana is a douchebag, and none of our fighters at AKA like to speak with him, because we don’t like him, respect him, or give two shits about him…we’d rather speak with Lorenzo”
Funny stuff
Man, and to think that Tito looks more and more right every time this shit goes down. Who would have thunk it.
by introvert on Nov 21, 2008 11:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
if what fitch said is all true, then dana should fix his attitude problem, or maybe there’s a hiddne prob between dana & AKA thats why dana act to them like that. but overall we really dont know
by mad_drummer on Nov 21, 2008 11:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
im done with this. fitch’s word means nothing.
by b.w. on Nov 21, 2008 12:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I know, I dont even know what to say about this anymore!
by JV on Nov 21, 2008 12:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Fitch sounds like a big baby. “Boo Hoo, I didn’t like how Dana talked to me so I wouldn’t sign”. I have no sympathy for that. MAN UP and sign like all the other employees did!!!
by BNF on Nov 21, 2008 1:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
so do bend over and take it when someone is trying to strong arm you, i dont and neither should fitch or anybody else.
by day1er on Nov 21, 2008 4:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
When my boss tells me to do something I do it. I may not like it, I may tell him I don’t like it or appreciate his tone, but I do it. If I don’t like it that much I will get another job, period.
by BNF on Nov 21, 2008 5:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
you just had a period? drink some cranberry juice… natural diuretic
by brendan on Nov 21, 2008 8:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Brenda the troll… That was incredibly unclever. Douche…
by BNF on Nov 21, 2008 11:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Damn Im glad I have a career/education rather than just a job. If my employer pulled that kind of crap, I would tell him to fuck off. Noone has control over me. John Fitch,s boss is an idiot
by LOKIE on Nov 22, 2008 8:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
“he gave me his word if we want to go do something different then we can do that”
Ha! I bet that’s what they told Randy about fighting Fedor too!
Dana White is at least being honest about the fact that they want to control the fighters.
by DavidM on Nov 21, 2008 12:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
totally agree with Freddy101!!!!
and what was up wit Fitch sayin he sells tickets and that hes ok because that?!?!?! and people complained about Dana’s ego!!!
by irishlilpete on Nov 21, 2008 1:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Wow, I remember posting a bunch of comments about how big of a douche bag Dana White is and all I got was some slams back. Its kind of funny how many people didn’t see this coming. Dana Whites ego, his overwhelming ambition to drive other organizations into the ground, his bull $hit comments on fighters that are not in the UFC, etc… has finally caught up with him. All the hard work that he whines about everyday and how he basically created mma, is all junk. Fertita boys need to take over before Dana runs UFC into the ground!!
by fighter on Nov 21, 2008 2:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Heres is what a lot of people are missing…
Dana is an idiot but it doesn’t matter.
He owns the UFC. He built MMA into a popular sport.
He is a bad negotiator, so what! He owns mma so he can do what he wants.
Notice… “did anything change on the contract?” “no”
lol. Let me tell everyone the cliff notes of this story…
_____________________________________________________________
Ring ring (telephone)
Dana: “sign the contract or you aren’t in the UFC”
Jon + managers: “we aren’t sure about everything, can we negotiate?”
Dana: “sign the f’ing contract or you are out of the UFC.”
Jon + managers (thinking) he won’t do that… “we aren’t signing yet”
Dana: “you are out of the UFC”
ring ring (telephone)
Jon + managers: “man, this sucks. My career is over”
Lorenzo: in a nice tone, “sign the contract or you are out of the UFC.”
Jon + managers: “ok, you sure are nice”
END
by Ben on Nov 21, 2008 2:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
HAHAHAAHA – That is exactly how that happened.
by Jojo on Nov 21, 2008 2:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
LOL! yeah all lorenzo had to do was leave out the f-bomb and fitch felt all warm and fuzzy. give me a break. now im through.
by b.w. on Nov 21, 2008 3:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Jesus Christ, Dana White should just fire this f ucker personally
“it was not about the contract, but we wanted to renegotiate?”
that’s complete BS, jon and his managers are a bunch of shit disturbers, why do you think he’s rationalizing how the terms of the contract isn’t that bad? how he doesn’t have video game companies knocking at his door?
cuz they f ucken tried to stir the pot, and dana doesn’t deal w/ that BS and did what a lesser man wouldn’t, lay down the law and fired them
by Johnny on Nov 21, 2008 3:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Can you say that again please? It’s hard to understand you with dana’s dick still in your mouth.
by mynameisbear on Nov 21, 2008 4:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
as good as dana has been for the sport of mma, and for the ufc in general he is a horrible buisness man. you dont fly off the handle and fire the #2 guy in the ufc ww division. i personally like dana but i would never work for a man like him, he is childish. people like him usually end up dead surrounded in controversy
by day1er on Nov 21, 2008 4:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Dana knows there is nowhere else for fighters to go so he might end up losing some fighters in the future by bullying them around….
by Blades on Nov 21, 2008 7:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Wow, Fitch fell for the old good cop bad cop ploy. I love how he said they’d “probably” let him out of the agreement if he wanted to. Yeah I got a bridge for you too. Dana’s intimidation tactic works yet again. You know Lorenzo is saying good job to Dana. Dana wins another battle. Buy the Fedor fight not the UFC in January.
by MrFyer on Nov 21, 2008 8:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Nice to have him back, he’s #2 contender in WW to me.
by YOU on Nov 21, 2008 8:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
i always stuck up for dana white i liked him reading this jon fitch stuff it makes hard to like dana dana white dosent care about the people that made him a rich idiot come on dana ufc should fire his ass what sealed the deal for me is letting the russian pitbull go come on lets see tito vs white i hate tito but i hate dana more
by jamie on Nov 21, 2008 9:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I hear ya’! Dana has down a ton for MMA, but I think he may be letting his ego run the show.
by SilasM on Nov 22, 2008 10:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think overall both parties handled this poorly, but without a doubt Dana thinks he is an MMA God and will strike down anyone that opposes him. It’s time for Dana to start acting like a corprate CEO; if you have to play hardball, play it! That said, everything is open to negotiation and only a jackass would fire a top “employee” because he wanted to negotiate a contract.
by SilasM on Nov 22, 2008 10:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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