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Dana White says he and Lorenzo Fertitta felt relieved when Fedor Emelianenko walked away from their contract offer because the money had spiraled so high in the negotiating room.
The UFC president told The Pivot podcast that the promotion pushed hard to sign the Russian heavyweight in hopes of booking him against Brock Lesnar, but the financial terms ballooned beyond what made sense. "When 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 him so much money," White said, per Sherdog. "You get in that room and you just try to get that deal done."
Why the Lesnar superfight never happened
Emelianenko was the crown jewel the UFC never landed. When the promotion bought Pride in 2007, the heavyweight champion was the one marquee name who refused to sign. He fought a brief Strikeforce run instead, then exited before the UFC absorbed that roster in 2011.
White confirmed the target was a Lesnar matchup, which would have paired the sport's biggest pay-per-view draw with the fighter many considered the best heavyweight on the planet. Emelianenko spent his final years in Bellator, retiring after a knockout loss to Ryan Bader in 2023.
White insists he holds no regrets over the failed pursuit, even as Emelianenko remains the most prominent champion never to compete inside the Octagon.
Reported via:
- Sherdog — Dana White explains why Fedor Emelianenko never came to the UFC
