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However, White insists that's simply not the case.
"No, I don't feel vindicated," White admitted in an interview with SI.com. "Listen, I'm not out to hurt Fedor, or hurt any fighter. People ask me my opinions, I give you my opinion on what I think about a fighter... Listen, I'm in the fight business, and I think that I know a little bit about the fight business. I've been in it since I was 19. And I'm going to have my opinions on fighters, just like you sports reporters or the fans, you know? Sometimes I'm right, and sometimes I'm wrong. I didn't think that Kimbo Slice could win The Ultimate Fighter. I thought the Fedor hype was ridiculous. And the people who were really as great people as he thought he was weren't getting their dues, you know?"
"A guy like Anderson Silva, who's really fought the best competition in the world since 2006, and beat them all. Even in a fight where he was injured and was getting the s--- kicked out him, he pulls off the submission with a minute twenty left in the fight. Those are the guys that deserve to be talked about and deserve to be called the greatest, and you had these reporters who were calling Fedor the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Are you s------- me? You know, it's stuff like that. But I don't feel vindicated, I don't have any dislike toward Fedor. I was just trying to set the record straight and tell these people that they're out of their minds."
With the topic of Fedor being brought up, White was also asked about his thoughts on Saturday's fight between Emelianenko and Dan Henderson on Showtime.
"Well, that's a tough one, you know, because let me tell you what. Although I don't think Fedor is anywhere near the pound-for-pound list, and as far as heavyweights go, I'd have him toward the bottom of the top 10 and maybe just out of the top 10, here's what I will not deny Fedor. He can punch, OK?" White said. "That guy can punch and if he catches you, he can knock you out. The other problem is, though, that he rips easy. His face gets cut very easily, you know. Dan Henderson is tough, he's got a great chin, he's got great cardio, and he can knock you out with either hand, too. So that's going to be a very interesting fight."
"If I've got to still give Fedor his digs, my dig would be, 'Dude, you're fighting a 185-pounder.' Henderson's got a great chin, he's durable, he's got good wrestling, he can stay out of submissions, and all the great things I can say about Henderson, but Henderson weighs 185 pounds. So I actually think this fight, as far as Fedor is concerned, it's a lose lose for him. If he knocks out Dan Henderson, he knocks out a 185-pounder. If he gets knocked out, he just got knocked out by a 185-pounder."
Link to Full Interview
Penick's Analysis: White's stance on Fedor in the past is understandable. Not being the promoter of Emelianenko meant that White wasn't ever going to see him publicly as the best fighter in the world without him fighting the UFC's fighters. Still, considering the level of competition he had been facing prior to the last few years, it wasn't a ridiculous stance. As for his take on Saturday's fight, it's a valid criticism for what this fight means for Fedor. He certainly has a lot more to lose than win in taking on Henderson, because the win can be written off as him just defeating a smaller fighter. That's especially so when Henderson is planning on coming in just over 205 lbs. But it's still a big fight from a name standpoint, and even though a win could be downplayed, it's still very important for Emelianenko.
Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_10021.shtml
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