I can’t vouch for the truth of anything on this thread, so chew on it as rumor for now. If any of this is true, though, there’s a lot to digest. Notable highlights:
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Tito Ortiz
Said injuries have ruined his career. Stated some injuries and their severity that people probably do not know, or should not know. Tito’s “back” injury that has plagued his career, actually is a spinal injury. Silva explained this is why Tito no longer is explosive, showing that there was a time when if Tito wanted to get you down, you were going down.
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Rich Franklin
Said he will stay at 185, and they are currently exploring very interesting options for him. I asked if he was staying in the UFC and Silva said yes, but it was with a hesitated duration of time between the question and the response. Said he is in a unique position, because he said he believes Franklin is one of the best fighters in the world at any weight class, however he falls perfectly into Silva’s style and gameplan.
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Antonio Silva
Said he has 2 fights left on his EliteXC contract. Said he loves the fact he got the tumor removed, because it stopped his huge growth which now allows him to make 265. Said if he wins his final 2 fights, he will definitely be in the UFC.
Jake Shields
Admitted he couldn’t talk to shields about a contract, but said Shield’s people contacted him asking if the UFC would be interested. Silva said they said they were, however at the 23rd hour EliteXC offered Shields a crap load of GUARANTEED money.
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Wandy Silva
Basically hinted towards the fact that if Wandy beats Chuck he will get a title shot, said he didn’t think Chuck would get one for beating Wandy though. Which is understandable. More to come later.
Welterweights
Said Kos and Fitch are basically in the same agreement as Jardine and Evans as in they will never fight eachother. Stated he would love to set up Karo and Fitch if Karo wins. Also, it was interesting to note that Marcus Davis stated that when he wins in Newcastle, he wants to fight someone in the top 10, i said Karo, and he said that is exactly who i think they will match me up with. Davis says he feels Fitch will get the title shot after GSP almost no matter what.
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Japanese Fighters
Fighters like Gomi, Aoki, and others. He said they offered them the biggest fight purses of any orgs, however most of those fighters make big money off of sponsorships in Japan and commercial spots. He said until the UFC has a tv deal in japan, he doubts they will be able to sign high-class Japanese talent.
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Andre Arlovksi
The UFC has offered him multiple contracts, all with significant increases in wages, but Silva made it sound like AA was asking for around 1 mil per fight. He did say though, that no matter what AA will be fighting probably at or before March.
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Randy Couture
Nothing new, but confirmed Randy has been officially offered a fight with Nog, and they are awaiting his response. Said their main problem with Randy was not with what he was saying and how he felt, but they were angered when Randy lied. This is why they put out all the facts about the contract, and also why Randy has not said anything since.
Fedor
He said he respects Fedor and admits he is great. He said he feels like Dana does as well, but dana gets very frustrated with the fact that everyone always just boasts and boasts about Fedor. Said he thinks Fedor is #1, but wondered how long he would stay #1 if he no longer fights real competition. ADMITTED during negotiations with Fedor, Fedor wanted the following: Red Devil fighters under contract and possibly on the main card of fights he was on, A co-promoted show with Russia on multiple occasions, and his management wanted control over who he would fight, and admitted his management expressed concern over Fedor fighting Big Tim. He said their offer to Fedor was by far the largest, but they could not give into his demands when they were paying him that much money.
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Josh Barnett
Said Barnett is a pain to deal with, and not worth it dispite his talent. Said he seems to love Japan, so he doubts he would come to the UFC anyway.
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