Sapp and his team were led from the hotel with eight security personnel to an undisclosed location in Amsterdam where they spent the night and caught a plane back to the United States. The aftermath of what happened is something that is almost beyond belief in what it reveals about K-1, its personalities, its athletes, and the industry as a whole.
K-1’s athlete’s are subject to a “consumption tax” levied by the country of Japan. The foreign contingent of K-1’s athletes will be subject to this tax retro-active to 2002. It is basically a tax based on the principles that athletes come to Japan to reside, thus consuming, space, food, energy, and other dispersed and disposed commodities noted to be of an above average value on a piece of land that pales in comparison to magnitude of it’s population. K-1 has not notified or advised any of these athletes about this, and until now they would never known until the Japanese equivalent of the U.S’s IRS caught up with them. What is believed by exercising this deception, is that it would present a situation in contract negotiations where the athlete’s could and would be entitled to a provision in the purse agreement that K-1 absorb the said tax.
“It all comes down to money and K-1 is not being upfront in advising or disclosing this tax. Thus the fighter is subject to these taxes unknowingly long after the contract is binding and monies are paid. Pride FC’s athletes all pay that tax, why K-1 has not attended to what will be a very serious matter for these athlete’s boggles the mind.
K-1 will not let Bob Sapp out of a contract. They see him even today as a big draw and a huge commodity. Bob has not done so well of late in competition. You would think that rather than keep him on a contract and continue to pay him for not fighting they would let him go. Since this has happened they have threatened to sue him and harm him, they see him now as an opportunity to exercise the same deal that they did with Royce Gracie.
Pride files suit in a California supreme court against K-1 in a matter that involved Royce Gracie. Pride was granted relief in California by the court in the K-1 lawsuit to the tune of just under $500,000.00. Toru was the lead counsel for K-1 in that matter. K-1 however, did turn around and negotiate with Zuffa to loan them Royce Gracie for some absurd amount that was bound to absorb the Pride award, with much more to spare. K-1 has the same hope and aspirations for Bob Sapp. Sapp has been speaking with all domestic MMA organizations and is actively pursuing an MMA career with these organizations. If the money is right and he has been welcomed with open arms. K-1 is doing everything in its power to make sure that they receive the lion’s share of that contract by “loaning out their fighter.” Sapp just laughs it off in that booming laugh that is uniquely Sapp. “Let them make their move, they got no game over here, they’re delusional.”
The rumors are to be put to be put to rest at least from the sources perspective of what happened in Amsterdam.
It is further noted that Fuji is in a state of complete ignorance of what the financial ramifications will be when the dust settles. K-1 is now promoting Sapp as a participant in the K-1 Grand Prix on July 30th of 2006. Currently there are no plans by Sapp’s camp to participate in that promotion. “If he were to participate for a said purse and contract of $ 1,000,000.00, he would be subject to the consumption tax and the IRS taxes, thereby leaving him with about $50,000.00. That is financially prohibitive all the way around. He just got a letter from K-1 advising him of the consumption tax. That’s the first ever in 4 years that it has ever been brought up.” There are no immediate plans for Sapp to ever return to Japan to engage in further negotiation with K-1. His health and welfare have been aggressively threatened. Simon Rutz is currently under investigation for charges of conspiracy and felony death threats.
It should be clarified that Simon Rutz was not involved in any of the threats in any way, shape, or form. He is just a good guy trying to salvage a bad situation. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and is now being thrown out to the wolves as a scapegoat. Sapp has been approached by various MMA entities in the U.S., offering contracts. Sapp technically owes monies and has debt, thereby allowing him under U.S law to provide for himself a means of income.
The question that begs to be answered is this: What has K-1 gotten themselves into, that these acts of desperation and greed present to its athletes and public that there is an air of insecurity and volatility? Have they entered into a partnership with an element that is has no regard for its practices or its athletes welfare? As this unfolds, it is surely on a path that will rear the answers to these questions and many more surprises will come to light.
Sapp will stay here in the U.S and consider his current opportunities in the sport and in Hollywood. He is to be in a film with Rob Schneider and Randy Couture this summer. He has aspirations of being able to cross over from one industry to the other. Love him or leave him, what should be looked at are his actions as a whole, and the whole turn of events and actions by all parties. I leave it to you to make your own conclusions.
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