Yet another MMA fight organization made its way to the headlines recently thanks to Fedor Emelianenko reportedly signing a contract with MFC M-1 Mix-Fight Championship.
But what exactly is MFC M-1?? Do they fight in a ring or a cage?? Besides Fedor, who else fights in that promotion??
Glad you asked. I can tell you that M-1 used to be owned by Fedor’s manager and also most of the Red Devil Fight Team fights for this promotion. They do fight in a ring, ala BodogFIGHT or PRIDE.
You can even watch a recent event in its entirety on the M-1 website.
Here’s a photo of Fedor and Oleg Taktarov (I think that’s Oleg) doing some announcing…
I don’t speak Russian and I am too lazy to use Babelfish so if my info is incorrect, feel free to comment and I’ll make the appropriate changes.
Written by admin on October 15th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Fedor Emelianenko and MMA.
Two months ago Josh Koscheck was on the path to a title shot, proving that he belonged atop the division with a unanimous decision win over nemesis Diego Sanchez.
All he had to do was defeat Georges St. Pierre at UFC 74: “Respect” and he would almost certainly punch his ticket to an opportunity to compete for the 170-pound crown.
It didn’t go his way — “Rush” earned the win and is now set to fight the winner of the bout between Matt Serra and Matt Hughes for the welterweight championship sometime in early 2008.
That leaves “Kos” in a position in which he needs to climb his way back to the top. Fortunately for him he’s done it before, and in this exclusive interview he vows to do it again.
Koscheck was gracious in defeat and clearly has a tremendous amount of respect for St. Pierre. He offers up not a single excuse for his loss, talks about who he wants to fight next and when he wants it to happen, as well as what his future holds in the UFC.
Koscheck is chomping at the bit to get back in the cage. And he’s determined more than ever to prove to himself and the fans that he is among the elite in an elite 170-pound UFC division.
UFCmania.com: Thanks for taking the time to speak with UFCmania.com, Josh. What’s been going on since the loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 74 back in August?
Josh Koscheck: Not much, just training hard and getting in some relaxation time. I check out your Web page and it seems like you guys are getting a lot hits.
UFCmania.com: Yeah, business is good but as you know it can always be better … just like at MAR Clothing, you know?
Josh Koscheck: I hear that. We’re actually not doing too much promotion because we’re having a new company redesign the Web site that will come out early next year. We plan to roll-out a lot of new cool gear at that time so we’re excited.
UFCmania.com: Going all corporate now or what?
Josh Koscheck: No, just a new deal that is going to work out real good for me. It’s going to be sick. Had to pay some big money to get this thing done right. It’s a pimp Web page and I can’t wait.
UFCmania.com: You should have called us, we would have hooked it up.
Josh Koscheck: I didn’t know you guys did that, too (laughs). But this guy is real good and does some sick shit. Appreciate the offer, though.
UFCmania.com: OK, let’s get to it. What happened against St. Pierre? His gameplan seemed to attack your strength and beat you at your own game (wrestling). Did that surprise you?
Josh Koscheck: My gameplan was to not wrestle in this fight. Georges had an entirely different approach. I wanted to stand and trade to prove that my stand up was getting better, but no excuses. He had a heck of a gameplan, he executed and he was the better man that night. My hats off to Georges St. Pierre because if you look at all of his recent opponents with the exception of Matt Serra he’s ran through everybody. It was a big learning lesson for me and it showed the fans that I’m getting better. Two years ago St. Pierre would have kicked the shit out of me. Now I can build off of that and hopefully fight Georges when really matters — when he has the title next year after beating the winner of the bout between Serra and Matt Hughes.
UFCmania.com: What was it like fighting St. Pierre? Was he stronger, quicker or more talented than you thought?
Josh Koscheck: I wasn’t surprised at all. He an athlete and a good competitor who came to fight that night. I knew going in he had great skills. I knew he’d be strong, athletic and fast. For me it’s just whatever because I didn’t fight my best fight that night. I can’t harp on or cry about what happened. I’m just focused on what’s ahead of me next and move forward. I’m excited about the opportunity to get back in the cage as soon as possible that’s for sure.
UFCmania.com: Before the fight with St. Pierre you told us and all the fans to be ready for a “big surprise.” Can you tell us now what that was all about?
Josh Koscheck: I have a new Muay Thai coach who I have been training with for about six months now and I really wanted to unleash some elbows and knees during the fight. I wanted to keep it standing and really work him over in the clinch. That was my strategy going in, which was similar to the way BJ Penn beat up Georges in their fight last year. I wanted to be in his face and aggressive. But as soon as I threw my first inside leg kick he took me down. I watched the fight and I usually don’t do that. But with this one I wanted to see the mistakes I made and learn from them. Georges clearly did his homework and was ready for this fight. One of my friends actually said that Georges cheated me because he took me down (laughs). He wasn’t supposed to take me down. Whatever. That’s life and part of the sport. Next time we fight I’ll have a different strategy and be ready for whatever he brings. I’ll be prepared for the wrestling aspect and the stand up.
UFCmania.com: Are you saying your wrestling isn’t where it should be? You’re known as perhaps the best wrestler in the organization. Certainly the most decorated.
Josh Koscheck: Not at all. I’ve been wrestling for more than 20 years and have been doing it against some of the top guys in the world. That’s all I knew when I went on to The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) three years ago. It was good enough to get me through a lot of those early fights. But this is mixed martial arts — not wrestling. I’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. For this fight I focused mainly on my stand up because that part of my game needs the most work. Like I said … next time I’ll be ready for everything.
UFCmania.com: In the waning seconds of the fight you admitted to congratulating Georges on the win. Dave Meltzer (who was also a UFC judge on occasion) noted that had you secured a takedown in I believe the second or third round and not Georges that the judges could have given you the round based on the current 10-point must system. Did you think the fight was that close?
Josh Koscheck: It was a close fight. But I wanted it to be exciting and give the fans what they paid to see. I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that my stand up is getting better. It is what it is. I can’t say now if I did this or that that it would have won me that fight. It’s over. I’m a competitor and I got beat. It happens. In the long run the loss will probably make me a better fighter. Georges was just a better fighter and a better athlete that night. He won the fight.
UFCmania.com: Now do you think you lost that fight because of the gameplan you had going in to it or did Georges simply just win the bout?
Josh Koscheck: Definitely Georges won that fight. Based on the current rules in mixed martial arts he did more to win that decision. However, he didn’t cause any damage while he was controlling me. There were no marks on me after that fight except for a small knot on side of my head from an elbow and that was it. But that’s life, you know? It’s part of the game. As soon as I got out of the Octagon I told Dana White and Joe Silva that I wanted to get back as soon as possible. I said I’d fight next week if I could.
UFCmania.com: Well that didn’t happen. So when is your next fight and who is it against?
Josh Koscheck: To read the answer to this question click here.
UFCmania.com: Sans fighting for the 170-pound title, which fight intrigues you the most going forward? Who do you want to fight next?
Josh Koscheck: I’ll fight anyone as long as it makes sense and moves my career forward. I want to be in against the best guys so I can challenge for that belt as soon as possible. When Georges wins back that belt I want to be near the top of the division so I can fight him again. Ideally I want to face the loser of the Serra and Hughes fight because I know that the winner fights Georges.
UFCmania.com: The last time we spoke you mentioned that you want to fight Hughes before he declines or retires from the sport. Will you be rooting for Serra on December 29?
Josh Koscheck: I don’t really care at this point. Fighting either one of them makes sense because it will mean that they are both former champions. If I get that opportunity it will put me right back into contention to fight for the title. Hopefully, with two or three fights I’ll be back in the mix. I want to fight the best guys … bottom line.
UFCmania.com: I have to ask even though I already know the answer. Does that include either Jon Fitch or Mike Swick?
Josh Koscheck: I fight those guys everyday. If you want to see me fight them just stop by the American Kickboxing Academy and check it out. Aside from that I’m not about to ruin good friendships and training partners for what we are getting paid. There are plenty of other guys out there … the division is loaded with talented fighters.
UFCmania.com: What about if the price was right?
Josh Koscheck: I don’t know. It’s a discussion we’d have to have in the gym. But I don’t think so. Besides we’re all at different levels right now. Swick just dropped down to 170 pounds and he hasn’t even fought anyone in the division. He’s also coming off of a painful injury and needs a bunch of fights to get going. Jon Fitch on the other hand is a tough son of a bitch. Everybody now knows that after he beat Diego Sanchez. It was a great fight and my hat goes off to both of those guys for putting on a show. Right now there’s no reason whatsoever to fight one another. We feed of each other and push one another. It’s a big reason we are all successful. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without those guys and everyone else who trains at AKA. And I think if you ask them the same question they’ll have the same answer.
UFCmania.com: What’s the situation on Swick since he had to pull out of the fight with Jonathan Goulet because of the ribs. Are they still busted up?
Josh Koscheck: He won’t fight probably until January or February I’m assuming. It was a pretty bad injury that takes a while to heal. In fact, he’s just running and doing technique right now. He hasn’t been sparring or rolling or anything like that. He needs some more time to recover.
UFCmania.com: Let’s take a look into your crystal ball. Who will be the 170-pound champ one year from today?
Josh Koscheck: Definitely Georges St. Pierre is going to be the champion again. He’ll run over either Hughes or Serra when he gets the chance. If I can string together a few wins while all that happens then maybe I can get back to the top in 12 months. And I can guarantee that I won’t make the same mistakes I made against Georges St. Pierre. I want another shot at him so I can take his title. Let me just also say that my focus just isn’t on Georges St. Pierre. My focus is to win my next fight and take it one fight at a time. I won’t let this loss get me down and I plan to get motivation from it. I’ve lost before in MMA and in wrestling and I don’t let it get me down. I bounce back every time. It’s just a bump in the road and I need to put it in four-wheel drive and run over that sucker. I know that if I keep training and do the things that I do every single day then I know it will all work out in the end.
UFCmania.com: Last time we talked you were talking about getting a new contract. How’d that work out?
Josh Koscheck: I’ve fulfilled my nine-fight obligation on the TUF contract that I signed three years ago. Actually in April 2008 all of the fighters’ contracts on that cast are set to expire. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.
UFCmania.com: OK, Josh. We’ve taken up enough of your time. Thanks for checking in. Any last words for our readers out there?
Josh Koscheck: Just check out my Web page, MySpace or buy some gear over at MAR Clothing. I can’t wait to get back in the Octagon and put on a show for the fans. I appreciate all the support.
Written by admin on October 15th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on UFC Fighter Interviews and UFC Welterweight Division and Josh Koscheck and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
I want to preface what you’re about to read by acknowledging the following:
1. I have never seen a UFC contract with my own eyes. All I know is what I’ve heard second-hand.
2. I have no first-hand knowledge of Randy Couture’s contract. I don’t know if it’s a standard UFC contract or if special considerations were made when he came out of retirement.
3. I’m not an attorney so a lot of what I will be stating are nothing more than assumptions.
If you have ever seen or signed a UFC contract and I have something wrong, please feel free to e-mail me at SCaplan8@comcast.net to correct me.
There is growing speculation that Randy Couture will eventually resume his fighting career and will do so for a promotion outside of the UFC. Unless I’m missing something here, I don’t think that’s entirely possible unless something drastic happens.
Many people are assuming that Couture will be able to fight outside of the UFC after a recent clarification was made that he has not retired from MMA but has in fact resigned from the UFC. Couture’s statement is perplexing because he has two fights remaining on his UFC contract. If he’s not retiring from MMA then how does he plan to compete again if his promotional rights are retained by the UFC?
It’s possible that Couture knows he has no legal way of fighting for another promotion but is phrasing his departure as a resignation as opposed to a retirement so that the blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of UFC management. By saying he is resigning as opposed to retiring, it limits the ability for how the UFC can spin the situation. It seems to me that he’s drawn a line in the sand and rather than take his case to a court of law, he’s taking his case to the public court of opinion. It’s a savy move on his part considering that he’s one of the most beloved figures in the sport. It certainly never hurts to have an outpouring of public support to back your cause.
It’s been said by some that Randy could become a free agent when his contract expires in nine months and that a showdown with Fedor Emelianenko under the M-1 banner is likely. However, based on my limited knowledge of the structure of the UFC’s contracts, a scenario in which Couture becomes a free agent and can compete for another promotion is not possible.
It’s been explained to me that a Zuffa contract contains two provisions when it comes to the length of a contract: the term (time period) of the agreement and the number of bouts. In order for a contract to expire and for a fighter to become able to negotiate with other promotions, a fighter must satisfy both the term and the number of bouts.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG.
Written by admin on October 15th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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In spite of recent reports making claims to the contrary, new IFL President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Larkin claims in a new interview I conducted with him for CBSSports.com that the promotion has a TV deal in place for next year:
Q: As a point of clarification, is the IFL without a contract to do live TV on MyNetworkTV next year or without a TV deal with MyNetworkTV entirely at the moment?
JL: We have a TV deal in place with MyNetwork and Fox Sports Network. We’re examining that deal now. We have every indication from our partners at Fox that they’re very enthusiastic about the IFL on their channel and want us to come back next year, and we’re in those talks as we speak.
Q: But as of now is there a deal for 2008 in place?
JL: Yes, there’s a deal for 2008 in place. It’s in various stages of going through the lawyers and it’s being reviewed here. Being a TV guy, I want to take a hard look at the existing television deals. But there’s definitely a television deal for 2008 that’s in place.
For over 20 years Larkin was a top executive for the Showtime Network. Larkin was responsible for brining boxing to the premium cable network and one of his top promoters was none other than EliteXC live events president Gary Shaw. I asked Larkin if there was any chance of the IFL and EliteXC working together in the future:
Q: I know you still have strong relationships with the people at Showtime and Gareb Shamus and Kurt Otto are open to working with other promotions for the betterment of MMA. EliteXC president of live events Gary Shaw also claims to have an open door policy. Is working with EliteXC and Showtime something you’d be open to in the future?
JL: It’s something we would be very much open to. You’ve got the one big obstacle of the cage vs. the ring. The IFL, as you know, is a ring sport, and Elite’s fighters are fighting in a cage, so that would be an obstacle. Gary Shaw is a very old and close friend of mine, so that is certainly not an obstacle.
There are some issues that need to be explored about organizations working together but I don’t think there’s any obstacle there. If you look at boxing as an example, most major boxing fights are co-promotions. You’ll have Don King working with Bob Arum or you’ll have Golden Boy working with Lou DiBella, or whoever it may be. I see no reason in the world why the IFL and Elite couldn’t do a promotion other than the logistics of the cage.
I also asked Larkin about future financing for the IFL, his vision for the promotion, whether he’d be open to a merger or acquisition and much more. You can read the entire interview by clicking here.
Written by admin on October 15th, 2007 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Jay Larkin and IFL and MMA.
