It looks like Australia isn't on "Sapp time."
Gargantuan heavyweight and entertainment personality Bob Sapp (11-6-1) today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) that he has been pulled from a fight with Soa Palelei (9-2) at "Impact FC 2: The Uprising - Sydney."
Sapp, who is currently in Bulgaria after recently completing work on a remake of "Conan the Barbarian," said he received an email today from the Australian MMA startup informing him that the promotion would not fly him to Sydney for the July 18 fight because the plane ticket is too expensive.
"Just like that," Sapp said.
Impact FC formally emerged this past month with an ambitious plan to hold three MMA events packed with well-known veterans on three consecutive Saturdays. The first event took place this past Saturday in Brisbane and featured Josh Barnett, Rameau Thierry Sokodjou, Jeff Monson and Karo Parisyan.
Sapp was set to join several marquee fighters on the July 18 event, which is headlined by UFC veterans Ken Shamrock and Pedro Rizzo.
The 6-foot-5, 350-pound fighter said he had assembled a training camp in Bulgaria to prepare for the bout and spent at least $10,000 on coaches, training partners, and living expenses.
"We had all the paperwork completed," Sapp said.
At the same time, Sapp wasn't shocked by the last-minute cancellation and speculated the promotion's ambitious schedule might be at fault. In the past, he required promoters to put his fight purses in an escrow account before he signed on the dotted line. This time, he didn't.
"That's why they used the loophole, and that's why they jumped," Sapp said.
Impact's promoter, Tom Huggins, could not be reached for comment on the situation. It's unknown whether Palelei will fight on Sunday.
The heavyweight said his team plans to draft a formal letter to the promotion asking for reimbursement of his expenses. If that fails, he may take legal action.
"I'm not going to allow anybody to screw me over," Sapp said.
Sapp has fought the bulk of his bouts in Japan, where his oversized physique and persona have made him a star. This past October, he was defeated by Sokodjou in the semifinal of DREAM's "Super Hulk Tournament."
Most recently, he reversed a three-fight slide with a win over Sascha Weinpolter at K-1 ColliZion 2010 in Croatia.
But today's experience left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"What I never liked is that I go to these other countries and they just treat fighters and people like crap," Sapp said. "It's just rude."
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