M-1
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M1Mixfight.com has posted the results of last night’s M-1 Challenge event in St. Petersburg, where all three Red Devil Sport Club headliners walked away with victories. Amar Suloev scored a first-round TKO over Jacek Buczko, Roman Zentsov won a split decision over Daniel Tabera, and Aleks Emelianenko executed Silvao Santos, who came into the fight with an MMA record of just 1-0. Video of the squash match “Superfight” is above, and full results are after the jump.
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Written by admin on April 4th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 Challenge and Red Devil and Roman Zentsov and Russia and Amar Suloev and Recap and Videos and Aleksander Emelianenko and M-1 and MMA.
“The group that formed M-1 Global is still together and we’re going to remain together and put on an MMA event. It won’t be under the name M-1 Global because that is definitely associated with Emelianenko Fedor and the Russians, and we’ve come to an agreement that we’re going to part ways…. We have different philosophies. It’s just the way that it is. For me, I’m not as concerned about all the glitz and the glamour of the show; I just want to have good fights and I want to make money. That was my goal.”
– Monte Cox — President and CEO of M-1 Global — confirms that Fedor Emelianenko is now free to sign on with another MMA promotion if he desires in a Sherdog.com interview. The Russian and American sides never saw eye-to-eye, and as a result, Fedor never competed under the M-1 Global banner. Most recently it was reported that ProElite offered Fedor a four-fight, incentive-laden contract; however, no decision has been made on his next home. Naturally, reports are indicating that his management team is also speaking with the UFC, as well as Japanese organizations overseas. Stay tuned.
Written by admin on March 26th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko and UFC Quick Quotes and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
(“Hey, shit happens, right?”)
Contradicting his earlier claims that M-1 Global’s relationship with Fedor Emelianenko was still A-OK, Monte Cox recently went on Sherdog’s Savage Dog Show to set the record straight: Cox and Sibling Entertainment have parted ways with Emelianenko, and the “M-1″ name is now wholly under control by Emelianenko’s managers. But even though their marquee fighter is gone, the former American faction of M-1 still intends to keep working towards putting on its first MMA show. As Cox told Sherdog:
“The group that formed M-1 Global is still together and we’re going to remain together and put on an MMA event. It won’t be under the name M-1 Global because that is definitely associated with Emelianenko Fedor and the Russians, and we’ve come to an agreement that we’re going to part ways…I am looking at June 14 to do our first show in Chicago…It won’t be the UFC. We don’t have that kind of money to throw away. Now, without Fedor, I expect the show in Chicago to turn a profit.”
Cox also admitted that Emelianenko never signed a contract with M-1 Global; Fedor only signed a letter of intent that prevented him from competing outside of M-1 Global during contract negotiations:
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Written by admin on March 26th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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(The classic taste test.)
Seriously, can we just push Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture into the alley behind Bed, Bath & Beyond and let them beat the shit out of each other? That’s all we want. Let’s just do this. We’ve heard about The Natural’s numerous UFC legal tangles that stemmed from Couture’s efforts to set up a fight with Fedor, and recently Fedor’s free agency details have also started to surface. And while we’re talkin’ contracts, did Fedor even have one with M-1 Global? Apparently not, according to Sherdog:
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.
So the possible Randy/Fedor fight plot thickens. Golden Boy did not comment either, but a source claimed that Fedor would get $1.5 mill for a fight with the organization and his managers would get the TV rights in Japan and Russia. The report also claims that Fedor’s bro — Aleksander — will probably sign with Affliction along with Matt “Movie Screen Forehead” Lindland (previously reported).
So the official contract between Fedor and M-1 was reportedly never signed by the Russian heavyweight. But what does it mean if I forged my uncle’s name on my apartment lease? Am I cool with skipping the April rent? Sweet.
Written by admin on March 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Props: Sherdog.com
Quoteworthy:
“Despite the announcement of an agreement last October between Fedor Emelianenko and M-1 Global, the deal was never signed…. The Russian heavyweight’s only agreement with the company … 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….”
Seriously, is it possible for this situation to get any more bizarre? It’s like a bad episode of the “Twilight Zone.”
Written by admin on March 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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As reported here earlier, Aleksander Emelianenko will be headlining an M-1 Challenge event in St. Petersburg on April 3rd. M1MixFight now has more details on the event, revealing that “Aleksandr Emelyanenko” (whoever that is) will be facing former Brazilian pro boxer Fabio Maldonado, who has compiled a 4-1 MMA record facing nobody you’ve ever heard of. In the event’s other “superfights,” Roman Zentsov will take on equally anonymous Brazilian fighter Junior dos Santos (5-1), and Amar Suloev will take on Polish journeyman Jacek Buczko (11-3).
I know — dullsville, right? But the night’s main card might provide some patriotic excitement, as a separate Russian team will compete against a Japanese crew, and a quintet of Fins face off against Team Korea. The lineups:
Team Finland vs Team Korea
Niko Puhakka vs. Kim Jongman
Janne Tulirinta vs. Lee Yonghoon
Lucio Linhares vs. Lim Hyungyu
Toni Valtonen vs. Choi Seunghyun
Jarno Nurminen vs. Kim Jihoon
Team Russia vs Team Japan
Yuri Ivlev vs. Nakamura Daisuke
Islam Karimov vs. Hamamura Ken
Ansar Chalangov vs. Watanabe Yuta
Besike Gerinava vs. Sakuragi Yuji
Ahmed Sultanov vs. Fujii Katsuhisa
As for M-1 Global, their site is still a dead-end, and Russian MMA reports that Vadim Finkelchtein wrested control of the operation from the Americans last month. So, Mitchell Maxwell and Monte Cox should be receiving the news in another few weeks.
(Props: FiveOuncesofPain)
Written by admin on March 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 Mix Fight and Roman Zentzov and Amar Suloev and M-1 and News and Aleksander Emelianenko and MMA.
(Fedor and the M-1 crew, in happier times.)
Could Fedor Emelianenko become a free agent after suffering through five months of M-1 Global’s disorganization and managerial impotence? According to a new bombshell dropped by ESPN: The Magazine, hellz to the yeah.
Apy Echteld, one of Emelianenko’s agents, confirmed what a source close to the situation previously told The Magazine: M-1 Global and Emelianenko will part ways some time in the next week, making the Russian a free agent. Divorce negotiations are ongoing right now, with a formal announcement likely for in the next few days. “Officially, yes, Fedor will be a free agent,” Echteld says.
Holy crap, does this mean that Dana White would be willing to resurrect negotiations with the “crazy Russians” and work on making the Fedor/Randy fight happen in the UFC?
“Absolutely, 100 percent, in a heartbeat,” says White. “People think he’s the best — I don’t, not even close. But if it’s somehow possible, I would make it happen…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…because A., it’s a great fight and B., I think Randy would smash Fedor.”
Echteld responded in a poetic fashion that’s common to Russians: “If everybody is willing to put a little wine in the water, then we have something to work with.” Through his spokesman, Couture declined to comment.
Well this is fucking awesome! The long international nightmare that was the M-1 Global farce looks like it’s about to end, and Fedor can move on with his life. Except not so fast. Maybe it’s just good old-fashioned denial, but M-1 Global prez/CEO Monte Cox is still insisting that Fedor ain’t goin’ nowheres. “As of right now, M-1 Global and Fedor are still working together,” he told MMAWeekly.com:
Cox declined to comment about the ESPN article, but said M-1’s plans were still underway for its first event on American soil, a June 14 card at the Sears Center in the Chicago area, still expected to feature Emelianenko. The show has been rescheduled from a May 3 date at the Allstate Arena, also in the Chicago area.
Monte Cox probably just didn’t get the memo yet, which is understandable because M-1 memos first have to be translated from Russian into English, and that takes time. Anyway, cross your fingers that M-1 swirls down the shitter, because Fedor signing to fight Randy in the UFC would pretty much solve everyone’s problems.
UPDATE: From Sherdog: According to one source that asked not to be identified, M-1 will likely expect Emelianenko to return a $1.5 million signing bonus he was paid last September. Negotiations should be finalized by Tuesday of next week, the same source said.
Earlier: Aleksander Emelianenko to Headline Next Month’s M-1 Challenge?
Way earlier: “Like all children, I was afraid of darkness.”
Written by admin on March 7th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Might as well pop some Excedrin now, because your head will be aching after this one. According to ADCombat.com, M-1 Global is quietly setting up its first event in Russia, which will go down at St. Petersburg’s 3000-seat Ice Palace on April 3rd. One of the promotional images is above; the event will be headlined by Aleksander Emelianenko (against a yet-unnamed opponent), with M-1/PRIDE/Bodog vets Roman Zentsov and Amar Suloev also scheduled to fight (ditto). According to ADCombat’s anonymous “Russian insider”:
“With the Russian elections last weekend, advertising before [then] was next to impossible, as most attention is focused on the elections. The smaller venue may indicate a good bit of pragmatism on the part of the promoters, since they are only going to have a month or so to really push the event.”
So, by now you’re thinking, “if this is supposed to be an M-1 Global event, why does that ad clearly say M-1 Mix Fight?” Very good question. ADCombat writes:
In a previous conversation, M-1 Global’s Monte Cox confirmed that [Vadim] Finkelstein and [Apy] Echteld would be promoting events with the M-1 Global name, however the infrastructure for the show and promotion are independent of what Cox will use when M-1 Global begins to move forward in the United States.
Which explains absolutely nothing, considering that Finkelchtein isn’t promoting this event with M-1 Global’s name, but under his old Mix Fight label. According to RussianMMA.com, the St. Petersburg event will actually be the second leg of the not-very-well-publicized “M-1 Challenge” that we briefly mentioned last month. The first M-1 Challenge event was apparently held last Sunday in the Netherlands, with the Fedor-coached Russian Red Devil Sports Club competing against France’s Team Amossou, and a Netherlands team taking on a pack of Germans; shockingly, the Russians lost three out of five matches to the Frenchmen. (Don’t ask how the Netherlands/Germany matchups went down, because results weren’t published on M1MixFight.com, and news hasn’t yet trickled down to any other American MMA websites.)
RussianMMA reports that the April 3rd M-1 Challenge event will include teams from Russia, Japan, and “Europe,” and Emelianenko/Zentsov/Suloev will be competing in superfights. Checking M-1 Global’s official site, of course, confirmed nothing — it hasn’t been updated since New Year’s Eve, and you can’t expect Monte Cox to keep tabs on Vadim all the time. Especially when M-1 Global is such a disorganized pit of confusion…
Written by admin on March 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 Mix Fight and Roman Zentzov and Vadim Finkelchtein and Vadim Finkelstein and Amar Suloev and Rumors and News and Aleksander Emelianenko and M-1 and M-1 Global and MMA.
Fedor Emelianenko, once considered the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter, has agreed to face the winner of a 16-man tournament on a new reality show by M-1 Global titled, “Fighting Fedor.”
Here’s the video trailer:
In short, be prepared for fighting’s most embarrassing television moment since “Iron” Mike Tyson made a guest appearance on, “Who’s the Boss.”
It seems M-1 Global is indeed hell-bent on delivering MMA fans the matches we’ve all been screaming for. After all, why bother with the likes of Josh Barnett or Antonio Silva when you can steamroll an up-and-coming fighter in front of your hometown crowd?
Even more amusing is the hackneyed narrator trying to sell us the premise as “Groundbreaking” and “The likes of which have never been seen before on American television“.
Sixteen fighters compete against each other in a sequestered environment with the winner getting a title shot — yeah … that’s as fresh as they come.
I’ve always been a fan of Fedor Emelianenko and there is no questioning his accomplishments in this sport. But this new endeavor carries the foul stench of network entertainment.
Fedor will continue to grin and sleep soundly in his bed of cash. He may or may not face the best competition, but it’s his legacy to defend.
And he may choose to defend that legacy with little or no effort.
His fans, unfortunately, no longer have that same luxury.
Written by admin on February 12th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
The last man to hold the Pride FC heavyweight title, Fedor Emelianenko, will return to fight in the United States for the second time ever on April 11 in Illinois, according to a recent interview with Complex.com.
No opponent was named in the write up. And no, it will more than likely not be embattled UFC Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture. The picture for this post was taken during a recent photo shoot in Los Angeles, Calif., for the Affliction clothing line.
Of course, it’s the dream fight that everyone wants to see and both Emelianenko and Couture want … and it’s perhaps for the same reason (or because it may never happen).
Here’s a snip from Emelianenko:
“If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. That’s it. But I think it’s going to take place because I think that everyone wants it…. If I win, I would be considered one of the strongest fighters ever.”
With a win over Couture it would certainly begin to help repair the image that Emelianenko has padded his almost perfect record with a significant number of questionable opponents.
In the meantime, however, it’s not going to help matters that apparently Dutch kickboxer Semmy Schilt — who Emelianenko defeated once already in 2002 — is now the front runner to challenge the Russian, according to Sherdog.com. It’s certainly better than Hong Man Choi, but there are much better (and deserving) fighters out there such as Josh Barnett, Pedro Rizzo and Jeff Monson.
Oh wait … Chicago’s own, Andrei Arlovski, might be available around that time, too. His UFC contract expires with his next fight, which is rumored to take place in March.
Hmm … a man can dream, can’t he?
Written by admin on January 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on M-1 and Fedor Emelianenko and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and MMA.
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