Frye: M-1 doesn't have its act together
Don Frye says he decided not to fight on M-1 Global's Aug. 28 show because he wasn't impressed by the organization, or lack thereof.
Frye, a two-time UFC tournament winner who has become mixed martial arts' archetypal tough guy, earlier this month pulled out of an Aug. 28 fight with up-and-coming light-heavyweight Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal after promoter M-1 Global switched the venue to Kansas City from Los Angeles.
One of our readers, MrJM, asks: "Why did the move from California to Kansas necessitate Don Frye's withdrawing? Or was that just an excuse for backing out of a fight he no longer wanted to take?"
M-1's chief operating officer, Joost Raimond, suggested the latter. From an M-1 news release earlier this month:
"We've heard rumors that he wasn't happy with the location change but our television partner, Mo Lawal, and every other fighter scheduled for the event are satisfied with Kansas City so why isn't it good enough for Don? Don also fought just a few short months ago in Lubbock, Texas. It just doesn't make sense because the old Don Frye was willing to fight anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. Perhaps the fire is gone and he underestimated the challenge that 'King Mo' presents?"
Frye yesterday gave his side of the story on MMAJunkie Radio:
" It didn't just move from L.A. It went from the Staples Center to the L.A. convention center. From the L.A. convention center to the Hilton in Las Vegas. From the Hilton in Las Vegas to an Indian casino on the Oklahoma-Texas border. From the Indian casino on the Oklahoma-Texas border to an Indian casino up in Tulsa, which is north Oklahoma. And from there up to Kansas City, Mo.
So you know, after four or five times changing the venue, and then we asked him "Hey, what are you doing for advertising? Are you sending a photographer out to Don's house?" He says, "No, we're just going to use stock photos off the Internet."
So they don't know where the hell they're going to have it. They're not putting any money into advertising. So at that point we said, "You know what? You just ain't got your (stuff) together. We're walking away."
That's something that's between me and Joost, but he had to go and get on the (freaking) Internet and pull this (baloney), and then it opened it up to the whole (freaking) world. That's his fault, not mine.
The position of (dirtbag) fight promoter, who thinks he's tough because he hangs out with fighters and insults fighters -- that position's already taken. We don't need that, OK?"
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