Fedor to Strikeforce?

So recently RDM posted that Fedor Emelianenko turned down a monster contract with the UFC, which I found rather odd, because as far as money and fame go, the UFC is where you want to be if you are an MMA fighter.  Now not only do I find out Fedor turned down the UFC, but that he struck a deal with Strikeforce? If you don’t know what Strikeforce is, don’t feel dumb or uninformed, you are with the majority.

Anyway, I don’t get the strategy here.  This is like turning down an NFL contract to sign with the CFL.  The money is with the UFC, the fanbase is with the UFC, the more legit competition is with the UFC… I do not see any upside to Fedor’s decision.  I am not saying that Strikeforce pays peanuts, has no viewers, and no good fighters, but it is inferior to the UFC in ALL of those categories.  In fact, Dana White (UFC President) sums it up pretty well in his usual way, not worried about making friends with his language or suggestions.  White said:

“Fedor is a [expletive] joke, he turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for no money. I feel sorry for the real fight fans. I wanted to make the deal, but it takes two and it is very obvious Fedor doesn’t want to fight the best, and doesn’t give a [expletive] about the fans.”

Whether or not you agree with White here, you do have to love his disregard for the status quo of public statements made by presidents of multi-million dollar companies.  White calls ‘em like he sees ‘em every time.  Without all the disrespect White used, I do agree with the basic premise of his statement.  Fedor turned down guaranteed money, a built in fan-base, and the best opponents for reasons that are still unclear to me.