I respect your argument.... but didn't this already happen? Mir broke Tim Silva's arm and won the UFC title belt. Mir then broke his leg on his Harley Davidson (not a UFC event) and we had an "Interim champ" while he healed?
"The show must go on" ... and Dana had others fight for the UFC title. Mir healed and returned to challenge for the title. Throw in the media hype ....and you have even more PPV buys?
So, surely the same would happen for Fedor... if (big IF) he injured himself in Sambo, etc? The clause I mentioned earlier is just smart business .... it benefits Dana .... and Fedor? They both win financially? It seems so simple to me?
I respect yours as well...nice to see someone with some sensible opinions
The UFC's fear of an interim champ is not the issue. Mir also broke his leg in a non-fighting related freak accident. Can happen to anyone although rare. Fedor competing in another combat sport is greatly increasing his chances of getting hurt. Why would the UFC want to INCREASE his chances of getting hurt.
Fedor is a different situation entirely. The interim title really isn't the issue with Fedor. The UFC has built a big name in the UFC. Fedor is not really a big name to the casual UFC fan. By signing Fedor they are really investing in him so that one day he can be popular. For them to invest and build up Fedor's name and then have him use that same name to support another org is not good business sense. That is the UFC's issue.
The main issue is they don't want another org to use his name after they spend a lot of money to get him in the UFC. Besides, if Fedor signs with the UFC his popularity will instanly increase.
Check this interview out with Lorenzo Fertitta on Fedor starting with question 2.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/10-questions-for-lorenzo-fertitta-18516Interested in hearing your thoughts.