MMA Fighting Stances: Mixed martial arts intelligence from the cage and ring

Bob Sapp: Dream wanted to stiff me

A scheduled Dec. 31 bout in Japan for Fighting and Entertainment Group didn't happen because the promotion tried to renege on an agreement, according to Bob "The Beast" Sapp.

The bout with Shinichi Suzukawa was canceled the night of the show, with executives blaming Sapp for attempting to renegotiate his contract. Sapp now says it was the opposite.

"I'm done with them stiffing the fighters," Sapp told MMAjunkie.com. "I'm just done with it. I've seen too much. Start paying people to show up."

FEG, the parent company of Dream, originally promised him $30,000 to face Suzukawa, Sapp said. FEG tried to cut it to $15,000 after he arrived in Japan, he added. The two sides continued negotiating until the evening of the fight, Sapp said.

This isn't the first time FEG-Sapp negotiations broke down just before a fight and led to its cancellation. A kickboxing bout between Sapp and K-1 legend Ernesto Hoost scheduled for May 2006 never happened, with FEG accusing Sapp of issuing new demands despite a contract, and Sapp claiming that FEG never signed a contract.