Fedor Emelianenko disputes Dana White’s account of UFC contact
Fedor Emelianenko told Ushatayka he never entered negotiations with the UFC and disputed Dana White’s characterization of past attempts to sign him, saying offers came only when he was under contract and legal hurdles could have prevented him from fighting in the U.S.
Fedor Emelianenko told Russian outlet Ushatayka that reports and comments attributed to UFC president Dana White overstated the extent of any discussions about him joining the promotion. The remarks were transcribed from a Russian-to-English translation credited to Red Corner MMA.
Fedor said a comment about wanting to fight Francis Ngannou was an offhand answer to a question about dream opponents and that he could not pursue an MMA return because of accumulated injuries. He said he might consider a boxing match with Ngannou, but described those remarks as "thinking out loud," not evidence of negotiations.
On White specifically, Fedor said he did not understand why the UFC president expressed interest only after Fedor was under contract elsewhere. Fedor claimed that signing him while another organization pursued legal action could have left him unable to fight for either side and that he was not willing to accept that risk.
Fedor said he and his manager, Vadim Finkelstein, met with White and lawyers at Finkelstein’s request to discuss the situation. All comments above are attributed to Fedor’s interview with Ushatayka via the Red Corner MMA transcription.
