IFL Trio Walk Different Paths
Scott Holmes Nov 2, 2007
After defeating Ricco
Rodriguez (Pictures) in the IFL championships,
heavyweight Ben Rothwell
(Pictures) said something that stuck
out. It wasn't something that you hear often.
"I hope I represented the IFL," he said, "and the Silverbacks and Pat Miletich (Pictures) well tonight."
Here was Rothwell, after running the table in the IFL heavyweight
division and handling a former world champ with relative ease,
making a point to show respect to the league that had set the stage
for his coronation as the real deal.
When the decision was made to air a portion of the IFL Grand Prix live on broadcast television, Rothwell and lightweight Chris Horodecki (Pictures) were tapped as the featured fighters. They had become poster boys for the promotion.
Both parties were eager to get their side of the story out in the open quickly, an indication of just how abruptly things had broken down between Rothwell and the league that he was proud to represent only weeks earlier.
Otto and Cox both appeared on Sherdog radio to give their versions of the events that led to the breakup. Otto's issue came down to some text messages that he felt were assurances that Rothwell would be a willing participant in the Grand Prix and would be back next season.
"We were told one thing and assured one thing verbally and through a text message that Ben would be coming back into the IFL for '08," Otto said. "And that is after money was agreed upon. Otherwise I never would have gotten confirmation through a text that he was going to stay."
Otto also felt Cox had made himself unavailable during negotiations.
"Monte avoided my text messages, e-mails and cell phone calls for over a month," Otto said, adding that Cox "played possum until we just couldn't take it anymore."
In Otto's view, Cox was waiting him out: "It just came down to the wire. Our show was four weeks out and still no response, so finally we sent an e-mail saying to Monte, ‘Listen, it's all or nothing at all. All three guys in or all three guys out.' At that point we gave them a time and a place to sign it, and the only guy who showed up was Jay Hieron (Pictures)."
For Cox and company it wasn't so much about the window of time but the actual contracts. The manager claimed that from the beginning, negotiations for Rothwell, Hieron and Mike Whitehead (Pictures) -- all three Cox's fighters -- hit a snag because the IFL was trying to get them re-signed to two-year commitments a few months before their current contracts expired.
"This concerned me," Cox said. "I mean, I signed a one-year deal for a reason. You sign a one-year deal and to get to the end of the deal and then check the free-agent market to see what the guys can get. That's the way that it works. So they were asking me to sign a new deal three to four months early, and I had some problems with that. Especially for Ben Rothwell (Pictures), who I think on the open market is worth a lot, and the amount of money that we were being offered -- I just didn't know if that was enough."
Rothwell wasn't thrilled about competing in the Grand Prix for various reasons, including a lack of financial motivation. But since fans were excited and as an obligation to the IFL, he was training to fight.
"I didn't really have anything to prove and I didn't really have much incentive to do it as far as the money they were offering for the Grand Prix," Rothwell said. "Kurt's only thing to me was, ‘Ben, don't you want to wear that belt?' And I'm like, ‘Listen, the belt doesn't pay the bills.'"
Having already beaten everyone he had faced in the IFL, Rothwell didn't relish the idea of taking on another two fights in such a short time period either.
He and Cox not only bristled at the way the contract issue was handled but also said that the IFL threatened not to re-sign either Hieron or Whitehead if Rothwell didn't play ball.
"They were disappointed," Cox said of Hieron and Whitehead. "They didn't understand why they were being punished for something that either I did or Ben did, and because the IFL didn't get its way, all of the sudden they are out."
Neither fighter has commented publicly on what transpired between them and the IFL.
The league eventually signed Hieron for another year and placed him in the Grand Prix, but Rothwell and Whitehead were out. Hieron's signing seemed to negate some claims from both sides, since Rothwell's decision didn't affect Hieron's bottom line and the package deal of three or none wasn't adhered to either.
How will all of this affect Rothwell?
Come January, "The North Star" should have no trouble finding an organization in need of a talented heavyweight that's just paddling out to a big-wave career, especially now that his manager has gone from MMA super-agent to CEO of upstart promotion M-1 Global.
Cox's move to M-1 might be at the very crux of this story. Otto said he felt that the manager had planned all along to move Rothwell to another organization. When asked, though, Cox emphatically denied that he had negotiated any deals for his fighter.
He may have had wandering eyes, however. "This isn't the big show," Cox said of the IFL, "and I think Ben's ready for the big show."
But where does that leave Whitehead?
Whitehead has been the odd man out in the league for a while, filling in more than ably whenever asked, but the IFL never seemed to have a place for him. By and large he's been kept on the shelf. The recent debacle has left him without any fights, and with a few months left until January, he has nothing to do but wait until he's released from his contract.
Cox pointed out that Whitehead had gone undefeated in the IFL and said the fighter wanted to re-sign with the promotion.
"For some reason, because they are mad at me or they're mad at Ben or they're mad at themselves, all of the sudden Mike is the guy getting punished," Cox said. "Not only is he not fighting in the Grand Prix, not only is he not fighting for the IFL next year, they also refuse to release him from his deal. So they are going to make him sit for three more months in Vegas and let him go broke."
After starting his IFL career in November 2006 by pounding Mark Kerr (Pictures), Whitehead may have ended his tenure in the organization in June by pounding Vernon "Tiger" White. The current Grand Prix light heavyweight lineup, which is a single fight between Vladimir Matyushenko (Pictures) and Alex Schoenauer (Pictures) for the title, could have used him.
Still, although things turned nasty for a few days, both Rothwell and the IFL seem willing to let bygones be bygones.
"I just want to go on the record saying that I've had a relationship with Monte for close to two years now," Otto said in his parting words on Sherdog radio, "and he has never, ever to my knowledge put me in a situation like this before and never lied to me. In this particular situation he did, and it's unfortunate because I respect Monte -- I really do -- and I obviously respect the guys that are with him. … I'm willing to sit back and forget it happened for the sake of his guys. I want him to put his pride in his back pocket and do the right thing."
Rothwell said he continues to have a strong relationship with IFL staff. "There are a lot of great people that work with the IFL," he said. "And I'm not going to stop promoting and encouraging people to watch the IFL because unfortunately a bad situation that was mishandled and a lot of miscommunication has taken place between me and obviously Kurt Otto."
The talented heavyweight also acknowledged that the IFL could match any offers he receives from other promotions, and he could possibly return to the league.
Additionally, even though his departure may seem innocuous now, it could change how the IFL chooses to build its stars in the future. How fine will the line be for promoting a star right into the waiting arms of a "big show"?
Rothwell's exit may also affect the IFL heavyweight division, leaving a rather large void in a class that already has a lack of depth. The IFL could even drop heavyweights altogether in lieu of a more plentiful 145-pound class. In that case, Rothwell's departure will have arguably wiped out a whole division.
"I hope I represented the IFL," he said, "and the Silverbacks and Pat Miletich (Pictures) well tonight."
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When the decision was made to air a portion of the IFL Grand Prix live on broadcast television, Rothwell and lightweight Chris Horodecki (Pictures) were tapped as the featured fighters. They had become poster boys for the promotion.
Yet this Saturday brings the Grand Prix, and Rothwell has been
removed from the posters. He is out of the show and probably out of
the IFL for good after a contractual dispute devolved into a war of
words between his manager, Monte Cox, and IFL commissioner Kurt
Otto.
Both parties were eager to get their side of the story out in the open quickly, an indication of just how abruptly things had broken down between Rothwell and the league that he was proud to represent only weeks earlier.
Otto and Cox both appeared on Sherdog radio to give their versions of the events that led to the breakup. Otto's issue came down to some text messages that he felt were assurances that Rothwell would be a willing participant in the Grand Prix and would be back next season.
"We were told one thing and assured one thing verbally and through a text message that Ben would be coming back into the IFL for '08," Otto said. "And that is after money was agreed upon. Otherwise I never would have gotten confirmation through a text that he was going to stay."
Otto also felt Cox had made himself unavailable during negotiations.
"Monte avoided my text messages, e-mails and cell phone calls for over a month," Otto said, adding that Cox "played possum until we just couldn't take it anymore."
In Otto's view, Cox was waiting him out: "It just came down to the wire. Our show was four weeks out and still no response, so finally we sent an e-mail saying to Monte, ‘Listen, it's all or nothing at all. All three guys in or all three guys out.' At that point we gave them a time and a place to sign it, and the only guy who showed up was Jay Hieron (Pictures)."
For Cox and company it wasn't so much about the window of time but the actual contracts. The manager claimed that from the beginning, negotiations for Rothwell, Hieron and Mike Whitehead (Pictures) -- all three Cox's fighters -- hit a snag because the IFL was trying to get them re-signed to two-year commitments a few months before their current contracts expired.
"This concerned me," Cox said. "I mean, I signed a one-year deal for a reason. You sign a one-year deal and to get to the end of the deal and then check the free-agent market to see what the guys can get. That's the way that it works. So they were asking me to sign a new deal three to four months early, and I had some problems with that. Especially for Ben Rothwell (Pictures), who I think on the open market is worth a lot, and the amount of money that we were being offered -- I just didn't know if that was enough."
Rothwell wasn't thrilled about competing in the Grand Prix for various reasons, including a lack of financial motivation. But since fans were excited and as an obligation to the IFL, he was training to fight.
"I didn't really have anything to prove and I didn't really have much incentive to do it as far as the money they were offering for the Grand Prix," Rothwell said. "Kurt's only thing to me was, ‘Ben, don't you want to wear that belt?' And I'm like, ‘Listen, the belt doesn't pay the bills.'"
Having already beaten everyone he had faced in the IFL, Rothwell didn't relish the idea of taking on another two fights in such a short time period either.
He and Cox not only bristled at the way the contract issue was handled but also said that the IFL threatened not to re-sign either Hieron or Whitehead if Rothwell didn't play ball.
"They were disappointed," Cox said of Hieron and Whitehead. "They didn't understand why they were being punished for something that either I did or Ben did, and because the IFL didn't get its way, all of the sudden they are out."
Neither fighter has commented publicly on what transpired between them and the IFL.
The league eventually signed Hieron for another year and placed him in the Grand Prix, but Rothwell and Whitehead were out. Hieron's signing seemed to negate some claims from both sides, since Rothwell's decision didn't affect Hieron's bottom line and the package deal of three or none wasn't adhered to either.
How will all of this affect Rothwell?
Come January, "The North Star" should have no trouble finding an organization in need of a talented heavyweight that's just paddling out to a big-wave career, especially now that his manager has gone from MMA super-agent to CEO of upstart promotion M-1 Global.
Cox's move to M-1 might be at the very crux of this story. Otto said he felt that the manager had planned all along to move Rothwell to another organization. When asked, though, Cox emphatically denied that he had negotiated any deals for his fighter.
He may have had wandering eyes, however. "This isn't the big show," Cox said of the IFL, "and I think Ben's ready for the big show."
But where does that leave Whitehead?
Whitehead has been the odd man out in the league for a while, filling in more than ably whenever asked, but the IFL never seemed to have a place for him. By and large he's been kept on the shelf. The recent debacle has left him without any fights, and with a few months left until January, he has nothing to do but wait until he's released from his contract.
Cox pointed out that Whitehead had gone undefeated in the IFL and said the fighter wanted to re-sign with the promotion.
"For some reason, because they are mad at me or they're mad at Ben or they're mad at themselves, all of the sudden Mike is the guy getting punished," Cox said. "Not only is he not fighting in the Grand Prix, not only is he not fighting for the IFL next year, they also refuse to release him from his deal. So they are going to make him sit for three more months in Vegas and let him go broke."
After starting his IFL career in November 2006 by pounding Mark Kerr (Pictures), Whitehead may have ended his tenure in the organization in June by pounding Vernon "Tiger" White. The current Grand Prix light heavyweight lineup, which is a single fight between Vladimir Matyushenko (Pictures) and Alex Schoenauer (Pictures) for the title, could have used him.
Still, although things turned nasty for a few days, both Rothwell and the IFL seem willing to let bygones be bygones.
"I just want to go on the record saying that I've had a relationship with Monte for close to two years now," Otto said in his parting words on Sherdog radio, "and he has never, ever to my knowledge put me in a situation like this before and never lied to me. In this particular situation he did, and it's unfortunate because I respect Monte -- I really do -- and I obviously respect the guys that are with him. … I'm willing to sit back and forget it happened for the sake of his guys. I want him to put his pride in his back pocket and do the right thing."
Rothwell said he continues to have a strong relationship with IFL staff. "There are a lot of great people that work with the IFL," he said. "And I'm not going to stop promoting and encouraging people to watch the IFL because unfortunately a bad situation that was mishandled and a lot of miscommunication has taken place between me and obviously Kurt Otto."
The talented heavyweight also acknowledged that the IFL could match any offers he receives from other promotions, and he could possibly return to the league.
Additionally, even though his departure may seem innocuous now, it could change how the IFL chooses to build its stars in the future. How fine will the line be for promoting a star right into the waiting arms of a "big show"?
Rothwell's exit may also affect the IFL heavyweight division, leaving a rather large void in a class that already has a lack of depth. The IFL could even drop heavyweights altogether in lieu of a more plentiful 145-pound class. In that case, Rothwell's departure will have arguably wiped out a whole division.
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