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whew...
Stop me if you've heard this one. Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) is once again -- allegedly, presumably, unofficially, categorically, depressingly -- the most valuable free agent in mixed martial arts.
Emelianenko's cryostasis was supposed to have thawed with his M-1 Global affiliation last fall. Instead, we got one vapid fight against Marvel Comics mutant Hong Man Choi (Pictures), months of thumb twiddling courtesy of the front office and fatiguing speculation over a theoretical bout with Randy Couture (Pictures). (It's now a fight that can't possibly live up to the unending, insufferable hype.)
M-1 -- led by respected athlete manager Monte Cox -- seemed optimistic that it could cir vent the obvious problems in trying to build a promotional foundation spread across two continents. (Perhaps Cox should've consulted with Ed Fishman, Dana White or anyone who's tried to negotiate foreign combat policy with obstinate peers from overseas.) Now comes word that M-1 is about to implode thanks to warring ideals and what some smart person once dubbed "paralysis by analysis," the act of overthinking everything and therefore doing nothing.
And so the Emelianenko sweepstakes have been resurrected, with the countless freshman organizations all coveting the cache that comes from hosting the presumed world's best fighter.
But as Emelianenko and his agents may soon discover, the adhesive on that label is beginning to peel.
The Russian's last important fight was against Mark Hunt (Pictures) in December 2006 -- and Hunt, barely on the fringe of the heavyweight scene, made Emelianenko work for it. Since then, Emelianenko has fought only twice, the spectacle against Choi and a pointless bout with middleweight Matt Lindland (Pictures).
At what point does the hype expire on the hyperbole?
While the Red Devil figurehead has been busy in the boardroom, athletes like Anderson Silva, Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) have been busy challenging the best in their respective divisions. Even mainstream media, which was all too quick to buy into the concept of Emelianenko as a mystical, mythical figure, has now slotted Silva as the pound-for-pound great. (Imagine the outcry if Silva proceeded to spend the next three years fighting medical oddities and lightweights.)
At a certain point, one has to wonder whether the myriad of financial and contractual impositions that Emelianenko promises are still worth it. If you're paying for the sport's best, shouldn't he have to offer contemporary proof of that? If you're doing due diligence on your investment, wouldn't you question your athlete's diluted career?
Emelianenko, as this space has often charged, possesses his image in part because the heavyweight division is the flimsiest in the game. Aside from highly impressive wins against Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures), he's yet to dominate a majority slice of the top 10. And under the right (or wrong, depending on your perspective) rule set, a good wrestler stands an excellent chance of grounding him and using elbows to turn his scar-stricken forehead into tenderloin.
That's a pretty anticlimactic end to what would be a massive investment.
That said, the UFC -- surely a reluctant contestant in the drawing -- could do worse than to make an effort to see the Emelianenko-Couture bout happen, which would snatch away one of the more significant fights from the compe ion and sway media attention back to the premier MMA brand in North America.
White and his crew may not feel that heat, however. Despite the incessant fan and press chatter every time the heavyweight passes gas, the bulk of the UFC's customers have little idea what the match truly represents. The blanket story that there's some kind of Pride invasion has been quashed with the mediocre results offered by Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures) and others.
What's really for sale, then? A nearly anonymous foreign fighter who speaks little English, sports a dumpy physique and hasn't been pushed in a fight in years. Call it sacrilege, but Kimbo Slice is poised to sell more pay-per-views than Emelianenko -- at a fraction of his price.
It's ironic that Emelianenko's value revolves solely around a shaky claim to being the sport's best, yet he continues to do nothing to substantiate it.
At least he is re-entering the free market with a fresh line of suitors. EliteXC's deal with CBS might encourage the promotion to open its wallets and send the Russian on a tour of fighting B- and C-list heavyweights with the occasional meaningful fight (Josh Barnett (Pictures), possibly Andrei Arlovski (Pictures)) thrown in. Rumors of the Affliction clothing company and Oscar De La Hoya entering the business could drive up his price further.
But as Emelianenko's middling recent results and contractual foot-stomping have indicated, any and all potential business partners should pay heed to the appropriate Latin cliché: Drago's caveat emptor.
Let Fedor's buyer beware.
whew...
Emelianenko Never Under Contract to M-1
Despite the announcement of an agreement last October between Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and M-1 Global, the deal was never signed, a source close to both camps told Sherdog.com.
The Russian heavyweight's only agreement with the company -- according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity -- came in the form of a letter of intent.
The return of a $1.5 million signing bonus paid by M-1 Global to Emelianenko is the only hurdle to the former Pride champion's potential free agency. That should be remedied this week, the source said.
M-1 Global CEO Monte Cox declined to comment.
Once Emelianenko is clear of his M-1 obligations he is expected to field offers from several MMA promotions. The early leader, according to the same source, comes from the purported partnership between Affliction and Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which Sherdog.com has learned could debut on June 28.
"Right now we don't have any comments," Golden Boy Promotions Public Relations Director Romiro Gonzalez told Sherdog.com. "[Oscar] is in the sports business. He is loading up on all the fields, especially boxing. We're moving into soccer, MLS. There is nothing official we can say."
Emelianenko would receive approximately $1.5 million to fight and his management could be given the rights to television in both Russia and Japan, according to the source.
The 31-year-old heavyweight champion's younger brother Aleksander is also believed to be joining the Affliction roster, as is American middleweight Matt Lindland (Pictures).
Affliction-branded clothing has created close ties with combat sports through sponsorship of top boxers and mixed martial artists, as well as involvement in Golden Boy's boxing events.
What i don't get about this whole fiasco is if Fedor is so damn good or at least is perceived as that damn good then why doesn't the UFC just give him a mega deal for a couple fights?? Tear up Randy's deal and give him a mega one or 2 fight deal. He is 45 years old it is not like you will be locked into paying the guy crazy money for a decade. Isn't it worth it for the UFC to make this happen?? Instead the UFC has wasted time and money by grandstanding and taking Randy to court. I don't take Randy off the burner here as he did not handle this very well but in the end this should be about business. The best business move for the UFC is to sign Fedor and make this damn fight happen. It will be such an event and the UFC will likely set records on the fight. The UFC's actions make no sense to me at all.
Well..here is what supposedly happened with that
Before this M-1 mess Fedor's people did indeed negotiate with the UFC and obviously it didn't work. These are the details I picked up over time (LEONARD may need to correct me here on some points)
The UFC...
Offered the most money
Wanted his likeness rights for video games
All pretty reasonable and agreeable issues in my opinion but they also..
Did not want him to do Sambo (re ed since he will likely never get hurt here)
Locked him into a champion clause that extends his contract everytime he wins. So in other words as long as he doesn't lose he is never allowed to leave the UFC
They can cut him after one loss
Fedor's people...
Wanted him to be able to do Sambo
Wants the UFC to sign some people from his camp (reasonable to a point)
But…
Demanded the UFC hold an event in St Petersburg (highly expensive)
Wants to cross promote (if the UFC is offering that much money you need to be flexible on this imo)
So I think that was the main points. Supposedly they only negotiated one time. Both sides had resonable and dumb things they were asking for. The UFC are hardasses but considering the fallout from Bodog and M-1 so are Fedor's people. Just dumb sports egos getting in the way of what the fans want to see.
All in all..I am pretty certain fedor is blameless in all of this. I don't think he has a clue any of this goes on. Maybe you can blame him for letting his people have too much control but who knows. That's just a guess.
One more thing…Me and every other die hard MMA fan and media person thought Fedor had signed with M-1, we were wrong. So obviously none of us know anything so my entire post is based on what I have read on sites, forums and blogs so chances are it's all wrong so I would advise you to ignore it. None of us know anything it would seem.
Last edited by Evan; 03-19-2008 at 12:22 PM.
That's a pretty good summary Evan
Evan iz a st8 up balla
Tim Sylvia wants Fedor....
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=12047
For the first time in three years, former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures) will compete outside the Octagon.
The 6-foot-8 mixed martial artist announced his departure Friday evening during an appearance on HDNet's "Inside MMA."
"I've pretty much come to a crossroads in my career," Sylvia said. "And there's a lot of big things happening in the MMA world, and especially outside of the UFC."
As Sylvia, 32, spoke of the move -- which came with the UFC's blessing despite one bout remaining on a contract that was set to expire in July -- the No. 4 ranked heavyweight according to Sherdog.com was announced as officially joining Adrenaline MMA, a newly-branded promotion headed by his manager, Monte Cox.
"Adrenaline is a new promotion, but it allows fighters to fight for other organizations -- that's huge," Sylvia said. "I've got three to four years left and want to fight as much as possible, so this is the perfect choice for me at this time."
On Monday, Cox told Sherdog.com that his new organization, which replaces M-1 Global, would debut June 14 in Chicago, Ill. Cox will act as President and CEO. Bob Clark (COO) and Brian Patton (VP) follow Cox from the defunct M-1 Global, which failed to promote an event during its five months in operation.
In addition to Sylvia (24-4), Adrenaline MMA announced it secured the services of former International Fight League star Ben Rothwell (Pictures), currently ranked No. 10 at heavyweight by Sherdog.com.
"I'm ready to see how I fare against the best heavyweights in the world," said the 26-year-old Wisconsinite, whom like Sylvia is managed by Cox.
Sylvia and Rothwell (29-5), teammates at Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf, Iowa, signed multi-fight contracts with Adrenaline MMA.
"Japan's starting to get some big shows going again, and Affliction show is going to be happening," Sylvia said on HDNet. "So I'm looking to fight in all of them. Be real active, fight five or six times a year. And there's a guy out there named Fedor [Emelianenko], who I'd like to fight. And I think the only way that's going to happen is by me leaving the UFC."
Sylvia racked up a 9-4 record during his tenure with the UFC, which began in 2002 when he battered Wesley Correira (Pictures). In just his second bout in the Octagon, Sylvia stunned Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures) at UFC 41 to capture the organization's heavyweight crown.
Following his first defense of the belt, a knockout over Gan McGee (Pictures), Sylvia tested positive for anabolic steroids. In his return to compe ion following a suspension and fine, not only did the "Maine-iac" fail to recapture the belt he was forced to vacate, Frank Mir (Pictures) snapped Sylvia's right arm below the elbow.
Having worked his way back into the le picture, Sylvia took control of the belt for a second time with a first-round knockout of Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) in April 2006. He gave up the le 10 months later when Randy Couture (Pictures) scored a dominant five-round decision.
In what would be his last UFC bout before moving to Adrenaline MMA, Sylvia fell short in a battle for the interim UFC heavyweight le against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures).
Dana going after Emelianenko again
UFC president Dana White said the company had released one big-name heavyweight from his contract while admitting interest in arguably the biggest heavyweight name of all.
White said the UFC released former heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia from his contract with one fight remaining on it. The move made Sylvia a free agent and he is expected to sign a contract with M-1 Global, where he would be teamed with his agent, M-1 Global chief executive officer Monte Cox.
But White said that the UFC is again interested in landing former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Emelianenko had a very public dalliance with the UFC last year, only to spurn the company in favor of the newly formed M-1 Global.
That sparked a torrent of abuse from White toward Emelianenko.
But M-1 has conceded that Emelianenko never signed the agreed upon contract and that he was a free agent. EliteXC has made no secret of its desire to sign the many man feel is the best fighter in the world.
White said Friday that he would attempt to reach a deal with Emelianenko, who is 27-1 with one no-contest and owns a pair of victories over current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Randy Couture, who holds the UFC heavyweight belt, is in the midst of a lawsuit with the UFC largely because of Couture's desire to fight Emelianenko. The UFC has refused to co-promote an event with another promoter and would only do it if Emelianenko signed a promotional contract with it.
On Friday, White never mentioned Couture by name, but said he would be open to the fight.
"We want to make the fights the people want to see," White said. "If there is a fight that we can make for him that people really want to see, then we'll try the best we can to get that done. We'll see what we can do as far as (signing Emelianenko) goes."
Dana on Fedor...
Oct-Nov
"Fedor sucks! He's not even a top 5 HW"
"Randy would smash Fedor easily. He's overhyped and untested. He hasn't fought anyone in the last year and a half."
"Fedor is a fraud...he isn't even a top five fighter!"
Early 2008
"Fedor is a farce"
3/3/08 after UFC 82 press conf - "It's the hatred of me that makes Fedor ranked #1"
3/5/08 - "People think he's the best—I don't, not even close. I like Randy, I genuinely like to think he's a good guy. As much as we've gone back and forth on this, I would sign Fedor and do everything possible to get Randy in the octagon with him. I'd do anything, because a., it's a great fight and b., I think Randy would smash Fedor."
The carnival barker makes an ass of himself once again.
Fedor will make up his mind by the end of a week
Probably EliteXC proposed a contract for four fights with a seven digit income for Emelianenko.
Seems like Elite want to catchup the UFC pretty fast
Once they sign another 180 people and are able to put on a show every month, maybe.
When EliteXC can handle a high selling PPV for a few years, maybe.
Fedor Emelianenko, the former PRIDE heavyweight champion who became a free agent after last week's surprising split from M-1 Global, is in negotiations with EliteXC, but his $2-million-per-fight asking price could keep a deal from being reached.
EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw confirmed the dollar figure during a recent interview with The Lights Out Show on the TAGG Radio Network, a content partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
MMAjunkie.com reported last month that EliteXC had offered Emelianenko a four-fight, seven-figure deal that would put the fighter on the first two show EliteXC-CBS shows. He'd also get two pay-per-view slots and would share in a portion of the revenue.
Apparently, though, the deal -- which would give a base pay of approximately $300,000 to $500,000 per fight -- wasn't good enough.
"[Fedor] wants $2 million per fight," Shaw said. "We keep going back and forth, but he has to fight soon. It's been almost two years."
Emelianenko actually last fought at the "Yarennoka!" New Year's Eve show back in December, but it's been nearly two years since he's faced a top-tier opponent in his own weight class. And while that drought of meaningful fights has many fans questioning his once near-unanimous standing as the world's top heavyweight fighter, Shaw still considers him one of the best.
In fact, he seems to think the talent pool is fanning out and that his biggest compe ion is struggling.
"[The UFC's] got a hole in their dike right now," Shaw said. "It's leaking... No one organization owns the best fighters."
Despite the comment, the UFC is still considered one of Emelianenko's most likely destinations, though he's rumored also to have offers from Japanese-based organizations.
For more on this interview, and to hear Nick Diaz talk about being pulled off this past weekend's Strikeforce/EliteXC show and for Joey Villasenor's thoughts on his fight with Ryan Jensen, download Tuesday's edition of The Lights Out Show, available for free in the TAGG Radio Network archives.
I'm kinda surprised that Nog being the champ in the UFC doesn't draw Fedor in...he's already smoked him twice...
and that was when Nog was REALLY good...
I cant imagine EliteXC outbidding the UFC. Who does Elite have for Fedor? JT, Kimbo, Ricco, Big Foot?
Fedor's team wants two things
A truckload of cash and complete freedom.
Well....welcome to capitalism. You can't have both.
They need to chose one or the other. Fedor has now fallen out with three companies, Bodog, M-1 and PRIDE.
Don't forget...there was a ton of weird rumors about problems with Fedor and PRIDE at the end. They were furious at him fighting Lindland and from what I remember they did not want to deal with RedDevil either. Supposedly they used some weird loophole to have the fight in Russia.
We'll see who picks him up. I'm sure UFC is going to lay out the same offer. I think they were offering somewhere around a million last time.
Leak in UFC?
If already posted - sorry
The following interview was conducted by the Korean MMA site MFight with Fedor Emelianenko:
Q:You will be one of the carriers of the Olympic torch for the Beijing Olympics in St. Petersburg on April 5. How does it feel to represent Russia?
AFedor):I feel very good. I was chosen as one of 5 carriers of the torch. I'm very happy and proud.
(Finkelstein): Many other famous Russian athletes will be carrying the torch including world champion boxer Nikolai Valuev.
Q: Who do you think would be the best opponent for you right now?
A: I don't think about such things. I am an athlete and I just fight. I just fight whoever is put in front of me. I don't think about who I want to fight in particular. I proved everything I had to to myself.
Q: You terminated your collaboration with Sibling Entertainment and Monte Cox. Is there still a possibility of a match against you and Randy Couture? If so, where will it likely be?
A:
(Fedor):I trust my manager Vadim 100%. I agree with whatever he thinks and decides. If he thought severing the relationship between the American side was necessary, there was probably a valid reason for it. We've met with Randy's manager a few times. I think there's definitely a chance that we'd fight each other.
(Finkelstein): I think Randy Couture is the best opponent for Fedor. He has a good style and a good skillset. The fight won't be able to take place now because he's currently under contract with the UFC, but I think I could happen once his contract is up. Fedor also wants the fight to happen.
Q: UFC President Dana White recently said that you weren't the best in the world. What are your thoughts on this comment?
A: I think Dana White is just a very weird person. So I don't particularly care about what he says.
Q: What do you think about the UFC's policy of signing exclusive contracts? Will you be willing to fight under an exclusive contract if they offer you the right money?
A: The offers the UFC has given me so far weren't satisfactory. Like I said before, my manager knows more about these matters. But as far as I know the UFC hasn't given me a good offer.
Q: What are your thoughts on EliteXC?
A: As far as I know my manager Vadim is currently in negotiations with the UFC and EliteXC.
Q: Your most recent fight against Hong-Man Choi has been a major topic of interest in Korea. What do you think about Choi?
A: He's a very huge and interesting fighter. But I was able to beat him.
Q: The move Choi used to take you down was a sireum technique. How effective was it, in your opinion?
A: I don't think the effectiveness of a takedown is that important. In my opinion, the most important thing is the result of the fight. Choi took me down but didn't do that much damage. He only got the top position. The fact that I beat him using technique, is what is important.
Q: M-1 Challenge, which is using a "nation vs nation" format, will be held on April 3 in St. Petersburg. What opinions do you have on this event?
A: An event like this was necessary. Events that can scout promising young prospects are important. Events like this are also good for fighters like myself.
Q: Do you know which course you'll be running and how long?
A: I don't know yet. There will be a meeting on this on April 3. I'll find out how long I'll be running then.
Q: It's said that you have to be quite famous in Russia to represent the country as the carrier of the Olympic torch. I know it'd be a little awkward for you to answer, but how popular are you in Russia? Do a lot of people recognize you?
A: A lot of people recognize me. People recognize me on the streets but some people just pass by thinking it's just someone who looks like me (laughs.) I sign a lot of autographs. I don't know any statistic regarding my popularity so it'd be hard to tell you exactly how popular I am.
Q: You once said that you respect Alexander Karelin. How popular or influential are you compared to him? People in Korea are curious about your popularity in Russia.
A: I respect Alexander Karelin but I don't think I can compare myself to him. We are in different fields. Aleksander Karelin is Aleksander Karelin, and I am myself. I just want to work hard on what's put in front of me.
Q: You held a seminar in early March in the Netherlands. How did it go?
A: We had a seminar in the Netherlands and a lot of famous fighters were there. There were a lot of people who became interested in the sport while working out at the gym. The seminar was held in a very warm and laid back atmosphere. I really enjoyed it.
Q: Remy Bonjasky, Ernesto Hoost, and Peter Aerts were there as guests. There's a photo circulating around of you putting on a submission on them. What did you guys talk about?
A: We always say hi and talk to each other when we meet. We asked each other how they were doing and talked about training together. They asked me to show them some submissions so I demonstrated some on them.
Q: A lot of fighters seem to be challenging you these days. Kimbo Slice, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Randy Couture are a few.
A: I fought Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira twice and beat him both times. I heard he became the UFC Champion. I'm not under contract with the UFC so I won't be able to fight him. Randy Couture is a very popular fighter who's very tough. I respect him very much and like him as a person. I think I'll have the opportunity to meet him again in the future.
Q: Several Korean fighters will be participating in the event. Do you have any thoughts on them?
A: I'm afraid I don't as I haven't seen them fight.
Q: Team Russia will be facing Team Japan in M-1 Challenge. It's been said that you've been training with members of the Russian team. What kind of training did you do?
A: Some great trainers including Voranov Vladimir, Nichkov Alexander (I'm probably waaay off with the names as I'm just guessing based on the phonetic pronunciation, sorry.), who built me up trained them. I just played the role of pointing out and correcting common mistakes the fighters tended to make. I trained with them a lot too. I'll probably play a role as trainer more and more from now. But as of now I'm training with them as a trainee. I believe Team Russia will win the battle against Team Japan.
Q: There is a lot of changes going on in MMA worldwide. The power is shifting from Japan to the US. How do you see the worldwide MMA scene in 5 years?
A: I think MMA will gain more recognition around the world. I think more people will tune in to the sport. MMA is a new sport and will only get bigger.
Q: Your second daughter was born last year. How do you spend time with your family when you are not training?
A: I take a lot of walks in forests and outdoors and talk to my daughter a lot. She smiles a lot. I spend time with my family whenever I have free time.
Q: Do you still draw pictures in your free time?
A: I do sometimes when I have the time. I draw a lot of pictures for my daughter.
Q: There have been rumors of you making a silver screen debut. Have you been working on your acting for it?
A: No, I'm not doing any acting practice (laughs.)
Q: Mirko Crocop has starred in a movie. Have you seen it by any chance? Although it flopped...
A: Sorry, I haven't seen Crocop's movie.
Q: Russians like to drink. You've probably tried soju in Korea. How much can you drink, in bottles of soju? (soju is a Korean alcoholic beverage with about 20% alcohol, BTW)
A: I did try Korean soju. But I don't drink to find out how much I can drink. I drink occasionally when I meet friends or have an important meeting. I don't drink to get drunk so I don't know how much I can take.
Q: You're known to enjoy theme parks around the world. Where have you been to, and what is your favorite?
A: My favorite place (in terms of theme parks) is Japan. This one rollercoaster in Japan was the most impressive one I've tried. It was great. There was a good ride in Korea too. I like going to theme parks.
Q: Do you have a goal for this year?
A: My goal is to train hard, get many fights, and not lose a single fight. Raising my daughter well is also an important goal. My goals are basically the same as always.
The link is here http://www.fightline.com/news/2008/4...o_320923.shtml
Last edited by polandprzem; 04-05-2008 at 01:19 AM.
good interview, thank you.
He definitely lets his people run everything...I just hope he is seeing the majority of the money he gets...which I very much doubt.
Just look at that guy, scary.
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