Hansen to Zuffa: ‘Soul not for sale’

PRIDE veteran Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen appeared content backstage at Cage Rage 24 “Feel the Pain” on Saturday at Wembley Arena. After a painful and stressful year, he is finally a free man.

Zuffa LLC, parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, officially released Hansen (15-6-1) from his contract last month, a contract it inherited with its purchase of PRIDE Fighting Championships on March 27. The Norwegian lightweight did not mince words when it came to discussing the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I just hope people understand that the problems [with Zuffa] weren’t about the money,” Hansen said. “It was about them treating me with honor and keeping their word. I would rather fight for free, then to bend down to them. My soul is not for sale.”

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I guess they didn't offer enough

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Posted by silverbullet

I guess they didn't offer enough

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^ hahaha

ZUFFA better get there ish together or they're gonna have some serious competition (EiteXC). A lot of good fighters feel the same way as Hellboy and it sucks cause I think he would fit right in among the top lightweights in the UFC.

Its certainly something that needs to be approached maturely by Zuffa, who, whilst not certainly the financial juggernaut some predicted it would be by the end of 08, are still making a lot of money through their traditional( live gates and PPV) and digital (UFC on Demand, advertising etc) revenue streams, the market has drastically changed in terms of global MMA awareness. Its not only the market analysts and start ups who see the potential in this sport, but the fighters are gaining the business acumen to start negotiating better deals and are more aware of their market value.

Zuffa needs to keep everyone happy, especially established names, so some fighters who come in might be worth the amount they ask for. But to not muddy the waters, Zuffa seems to rarely capitulate to big offers unless there is a proven market for the fighter. Its just business at the end of the day, EXC might pay Hansen 50k a fight but EXC wont make that money back from him, the UFC makes most if not all the money back on fighters contracts in terms of PPV buys, imaging and licensing rights. Thats why the UFC are huge, and why Bodog and the WFA are emasculated defunct orgs at best.

Just my two cents, theres probably some flaws in there.

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Posted by billycarnage

ZUFFA better get there ish together or they're gonna have some serious competition (EiteXC). A lot of good fighters feel the same way as Hellboy and it sucks cause I think he would fit right in among the top lightweights in the UFC.

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I dunno. Of the weight classes that the ufc has, the lightweight division is the one with the deepest talent outside of the UFC (aoki, melendez, ishida, gomi, JZ, and of course hansen, etc). Dont get me wrong, the UFC did a remarkable job of building that division from within and creating a plethora of new contenders (tyson griffin, joe daddy, guida, huerta, fischer, etc) to fight with their established stars: Penn, Sherk and Pulver to a lesser extent. If all of fighters not signed exclusively to ZUFFA are able to fight in cross promotions, there will definitely be life outside of the UFC for the 155-161 lbs division.

*pimpslap*

I agree with duggy...the weight division has so much talent that it isnt even possible for UFC to get them all under contract. Hansen is a really good fighter but the UFC isnt in desparate need of a lightweight...if he was a middleweight it would be a different story.

The bigger issue is the treatment of fighters. Obviously the under and mid-card fighters need to be paid better and that is the first issue. They also should listen to their fighters suggestions more and continue to evolve, because they wouldnt be in this place if they didnt evolve in the first place.

Right now Zuffa seems happy with this ceiling they have hit, and are more worried about expanding to other countries to continue to grow. I feel if they can work on fighter issues first the growth and perception of the company will continue to move in the right direction.

Not a huge issue yet, but Zuffa should take notice of it before it does become a major problem

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Posted by duggy

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Posted by billycarnage

ZUFFA better get there ish together or they're gonna have some serious competition (EiteXC). A lot of good fighters feel the same way as Hellboy and it sucks cause I think he would fit right in among the top lightweights in the UFC.

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I dunno. Of the weight classes that the ufc has, the lightweight division is the one with the deepest talent outside of the UFC (aoki, melendez, ishida, gomi, JZ, and of course hansen, etc). Dont get me wrong, the UFC did a remarkable job of building that division from within and creating a plethora of new contenders (tyson griffin, joe daddy, guida, huerta, fischer, etc) to fight with their established stars: Penn, Sherk and Pulver to a lesser extent. If all of fighters not signed exclusively to ZUFFA are able to fight in cross promotions, there will definitely be life outside of the UFC for the 155-161 lbs division.

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I seriously think that Aoki and Melendez are the only two of those names that could challenge for the title in the UFC. imo

I hope that the UFC changes their ways and starts having co-promotional events to prove the talent level of the UFC.
I have faith it will happen and we will see legendary fights. I'm stoked!
It's a great time for MMA.

Zuffa is going to have to adjust their tactics when it comes to fighter contracts. It seems like a lot of the guys just aren't happy with the way they are being treated. If a company comes out that treats the fighters in a way that they feel is superior to the way they have been dealt with by Zuffa, the UFC could eventually start losing some of its talent.

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Posted by silverbullet

I guess they didn't offer enough

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LMAO

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Posted by silverbullet

I guess they didn't offer enough

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When a person says "It isn't about the money," it's all bout da benjimens