MMA thread

kobashi said:
http://mma.fanhouse.com/2009/08/03/fedor-emelianenko-signs-with-strikeforce/



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Supposedly the GUARANTEED money was the same from Strikeforce as UFC was offering.

M-1 is co promoting

CBS deal almost in place (rumor was all CBS was waiting on was confirmation of Fedor becoming a Strikeforce fighter)

Non exclusive contract.

Good move for Fedor as the UFC either was not willing or could not offer options 2-4.

Great deal for Fedor. He should be able to fight Barnett on NYE in Japan.
 
liger05 said:
Supposedly the GUARANTEED money was the same from Strikeforce as UFC was offering.

M-1 is co promoting

CBS deal almost in place (rumor was all CBS was waiting on was confirmation of Fedor becoming a Strikeforce fighter)

Non exclusive contract.

Good move for Fedor as the UFC either was not willing or could not offer options 2-4.

Great deal for Fedor. He should be able to fight Barnett on NYE in Japan.
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If Barnett is booked for the Sengoku 7/11 Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan show he will have to win easy and not get hurt at all or there is no chance he could recover for NYE.

The good thing that might come from Fedor and Strikeforce working together is we could see Strikeforce working with Dream/K-1! :)
 
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I've got ESPN :DD. Can't wait for UFC 101! Will it be in HD over here?


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What we can confirm is that UFC 101 will air live on ESPN in the UK on Saturday, August 8. The broadcast will not be available in HD however future events on ESPN will be available for those able to receive HD.
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Boo! At least they should be from 102 onwards!
 
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http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/pub...d_for_the_fans_in_the_short_run_printer.shtml

Fans are going to be in for a treat with the latest development in Strikeforce's leap from large regional to nationally headlining promotion. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was on TapouT Radio on Monday night and let the cat out of the bag on the fact that along with their acquisition of Fedor Emelianenko and subsequent co-promotion with M-1 Global, an announcement will be coming out of Japan sometime Tuesday to announce an additional partnership between Strikeforce and DREAM to bring together the best of all three promotions.

The proposal will set up events co-promoted by all three brands wherein they will pit fighters from each promotion against one another. Fights Coker threw out as ones he was interested in the possibility of setting up were Robbie Lawler vs. Melvin Manhoef and Shinya Aoki against anyone as long as the fights in the U.S. to name just a couple. The potential for some major fight events not run by the UFC is there with the best of the best of all three companies facing off. But how long can that relationship last, and even with all three would it be enough to crack the landscape of fans on a large scale?

Coker, on the program, described the what this co-promotion with M-1 is like, saying:

"The type of relationship we have with M-1 is more like a boxing relationship. De La Hoya promotes Ricky Hatton, Bob Arum promotes Manny Pacquiao, so one guy doesn't lend his fighter to the other guy for a paycheck, what they do is they do a co-promotion. So Pacquiao fights Hatton and it's promoted by De La Hoya and Bob Arum, and somebody is the point person for the casino deal and basically produces the fight, and they work with HBO and there's a revenue split there. That's really what this M-1 deal is."

So what we've got here is three promotions that are now going to move forward in a boxing model to set up some events. While there's no doubt that for fans of the sport, in the short term, these new partnerships will bring some great fights and fighters together, this is a situation that cannot hold on for a long period of time. Outside of hardcore fans, there simply aren't enough of the "best fighters" in these three organizations that are going to draw enough interest to end up making this a truly viable endeavor.

Sure, we're all salivating at the prospective fights that could be coming our way with the Strikeforce and DREAM pairing, as there are just some awesome fights to be had in many divisions, but the fact will remain that DREAM is scene only by a tiny fraction of the MMA audience. Strikeforce is still in it's infancy as a #2 promotion, and M-1 has Fedor. That's it. The average fan couldn't tell you who Joachim Hansen or Shinya Aoki are, and the appeal of those fighters facing off against Strikeforce talent will be highly overrated in the coming months as this partnership gets closer to reality.

Quite simply the boxing model is not going to work when the UFC will still lay claim to the best fighters in almost every division. The boxing model hurts fans in the long run for the simple fact that fights like Lesnar-Fedor get clamored for but don't come to fruition because of too many promoters unwilling to work with each other. It's a problem that has pundits constantly wondering aloud about boxing's downfall. There are far too many promoters in boxing and the top talent is spread far too thin for any argument to be made that it's a good model for MMA to follow. Granted, this is only three organizations, and again in the short run it will provide more depth to some cards and help set up some more major cards in the future, but again it can't last.

Eventually it will once again come down to the majority of fans not caring if it's not the UFC. The UFC will run even more counter programming to combat the rise of a competitor, which is exactly what Strikeforce is making themselves, direct competition, to the point that even if some of these great fights come to fruition, it won't end up being enough to sustain major shows for Strikeforce and/or M-1.

Again I say, this is a great thing for fight fans right now, as we'll get some very intriguing fights that we wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to see. But again, if you'll notice, this talk all seems very familiar. While Strikeforce isn't bludgeoning themselves and blood letting themselves monetarily to the point Affliction was doing, this is the same type of thoughts that many had about what Affliction was doing. Yes they're putting on some great fights but it's not going to last. It can't when even the combination of the talent in all three organizations does not add up to a roster of stars and the level of show that the UFC is able to put on, both on pay-per-view and free television.

I want to be clear that in now way am I hoping for the end of Strikeforce, or DREAM for that matter. There's room for what Strikeforce was, and perhaps still is, a regional #2 promotion capable of putting on good to great cards for the fans that desire more MMA than the UFC. That said, as they try to take on the giant, there will be casualties along the way. Plus, the way Coker threw out that they are essentially in a boxing style set up for promoting here does not have me optimistic on the prospects here. I hope that they can be a healthy company capable of bringing fans the best alternative to the UFC product, I just fear that they're setting themselves up for a big fall with unrealistic expectations as to what the mass MMA audience wants to see and an attempt to break out into a global scale themselves, territory the UFC has been deeming their own. It's now going to be even more of an interesting stretch do to the end of 2009.
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Tim7 said:
I've got ESPN :DD. Can't wait for UFC 101! Will it be in HD over here?


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Boo! At least they should be from 102 onwards!
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I'm sure I've seen it listed on ESPN HD. I'm guessing despite it being on that channel it's just going to be a SD image.
 
Radiation said:
I'm sure I've seen it listed on ESPN HD. I'm guessing despite it being on that channel it's just going to be a SD image.
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They are showing nothing in HD at the moment. If you look on the Sky EPG guide, the only programme listed as HD so far is the 1st EPL game. Even SPL is not listed for HD yet!
 
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I'm not really that fussed about Fedor coming to the UFC, he clearly doesn't want to, and the UFC have pretty much thrown everything at him and he still refuses. I too feel like Fedor is just ducking fighting Lesnar. Why can't they just do an exhibition match to get it over and done with? Fedor obviously doesn't care enough about the UFC so why would he care about a title shot. I'm sure both organisations would benefit greatly.

The big problem I can see is that there is no real competition for Lesnar in the HW division in the future. Perhaps the UFC can sign some heavyweights from elsewhere? :THINK:
 
Fedor ducking Lesnar?!? C'mon guys!

That's like Man Utd supposedly being scared to death of West Brom!

You're right about the fact that he simply doesn't care about UFC though. Nor does he actually care about being the best in the world. You guys have seen him talk right? He is THE MOST chilled guy ever. You'd think he's like a spiritual teacher or guru or something lol. He's soooo peaceful, I don't think this guy would ever hurt a freaking fly unless they forced him! He has like 'No' Ego! Which is very strange and much different than most other fighters and especially Brock himself and the even bigger douchebag which he rightfully shut up in Frank Mir.

He's a very simple, down to earth, humble man with no huge ambitions or desires. Hell, despite all this fame and money, he lives a very simple life in a place you wouldn't believe.

Fedor isn't fighting in UFC because they couldn't offer M-1 which is where his loyalties lie and what he truly cares about, all they demanded. Which is fair enough, maybe like Dana said, they didn't want to co-promote and it doesn't make sense for them to do.

But to now say, the undisputed, undoubtedly the best in the world is scared of Brock Lesnar lol, that's a huge disrespect. And anyway 'liger05' already explained all this beautifully in my opinion on the last page.
 
It seems that way though PLF. Why is he choosing inferior fighters when he could fight the best of the UFC? He may not have to prove anything to himself, but for him to truly be the best in the world, in his weight class, he shouldn't be passing up opportunities to fight real contenders.
 
Fedor ducking Lesnar?!? C'mon guys!

That's like Man Utd supposedly being scared to death of West Brom!
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It's more like a top class player at West Brom who the fans see as the best player around deciding he doesn't want to play at Man United and chooses an inferior team to go to. As in the player knows if he went to United he might not shine as much as if he went to an inferior club surrounded by inferior players.
 
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No bro, like liger said, Fedor HAS fought and beaten the very best and quite easily too. Without breaking much of a sweat.

UFC is the shit but NOT in the heavyweight division. That's why I was excited about the Josh Barnett vs. Fedor fight so much anyway because I do believe Barnett is probably #2 or #3 best heavyweight in the world.

Arlovski again one of the top guys, who says Brock can even beat Arlovski? One huge advantage he has over guys is size and athleticism, but Arlovski has that too and he's actually an MMA fighter and quite technical. I do think Brock is a monster also in terms of 'Mental' stuff though and that's why I 'could' see him beat Arlovski but it can go either way really. But a Fedor vs. Lesnar right.. I'm willing to bet and give you guys great odds. something like if Lesnar wins, I give you $40, if Fedor wins, just give me $10.

I don't blame the UFC nor Fedor for this deal not happening, but one thing I won't do is say Fedor (The man that is Fedor) is ducking Lesnar.

Your analogy of a top West Brom player doesn't really work Radiation because Fedor was in PRIDE FC which at the time had most of the best heavyweights in the world, and he fought every single one (some near top of their game at their peak like Crocop who sadly seems like a shadow of himself now) and beat them. But I'm sorta repeating stuff here anyway, you guys are of course more than entitled to have your own opinions on this and I respect that. :)

But 'liger' already brought up pretty good reasons on why that is not likely the case.
 
Gonzaga, Lesner, Valesquez, Barnett and Carwin are the people he should be fighting and all but 1 are in the UFC

He would probably maul all of them except Barnett and Lesner but these are the best HW's now so he should have came to the UFC
 
I personally think Fedor is in a league of his own, even compared to UFC's heavyweights.

Despite being a fan of Lesnar, wayyyyy back from his WWE days, Fedor would absolutely decimate Lesnar IMO.
 
Coopz said:
Gonzaga, Lesner, Valesquez, Barnett and Carwin are the people he should be fighting and all but 1 are in the UFC

He would probably maul all of them except Barnett and Lesner but these are the best HW's now so he should have came to the UFC
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If Fedor fought Gonzaga or Valesquez on a non UFC show people would moan and say his not fighting top competition. Other than being in the UFC what have Gonzaga or Valesquez done to suggest Fedor needs to fight them? It seems to me that just being in the UFC suddenly means fighters are worthy challengers to Fedor.

I've never seen a Fedor fight. Any on YouTube?
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Yes there are plenty. Check him out.
 
http://mmajunkie.com/news/15746/m-1...r-emelianenko-is-not-dodging-brock-lesnar.mma

M-1 Global's Jerry Millen: Fedor Emelianenko is not dodging Brock Lesnar

Business negotiations between the UFC and M-1 Global have at times bordered on bizarre.

But while the two companies recently failed once again to come together and bring Fedor Emelianenko, the world's top heavyweight, to the UFC, the world's top MMA promotion, M-1 Global exec Jerry Millen wants to make one thing perfectly clear: Emelianenko is not dodging UFC champ Brock Lesnar.

"I've been reading a lot of this with people saying, 'Fedor's dodging Brock Lesnar,' that kind of stuff," Millen told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) late Wednesday night. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. At the end of the day, Fedor will fight anybody. The terms just have to be fair."

The terms, or rather term – co-promotion between the UFC and M-1 Global – has, at least for now, made this fantasy matchup just that. But Millen is appalled by some of the recent suggestions that Emelianenko and M-1 Global turned down the deal simply because they were afraid of the hulking former professional wrestler.

"Does anybody honestly think that Fedor Emelianenko would dodge Brock Lesnar?" Millen asked. "What does he have – is it five MMA fights now? He's got five MMA fights. At the end of the day, he's more of a pro wrestler than he is an MMA fighter.

"Not to take anything away from [Lesnar], but you've got to remember the UFC manufactured his rise to the top. They gave him a title shot so far ahead of other guys that might have deserved a title shot that if I was some of the heavyweights in the UFC, I'd be upset."

Millen said he does respect Lesnar's abilities; he simply doesn't feel they're on Emelianenko's level.

"Did Brock Lesnar really deserve a title shot?" Millen asked. "Is he a great fighter? Sure. I think he's doing great. But he's got a lot of room for improvement. At the end of the day, Fedor's not ducking anybody."

Money vs. Respect

So if M-1 Global isn't concerned about Emelianenko's chances for success in the UFC, why were company officials unwilling to accept what they concede was a generous offer from UFC president Dana White for "The Last Emperor's" services?

"It boils down to respect," Millen said. "(M-1 Global president) Vadim (Finkelchtein) has been doing MMA for a long time, and he wants the M-1 brand to grow, for profit or for loss. We're in a co-promotion for Strikeforce as a co-promotion. If it makes a profit, great, we all make a profit. If it makes a loss, we share in that loss.

"It's not about the money. If it's about the money, then you take the sure money, and you take it and say, 'This money is a payday that we're going to get, guaranteed, and let's take this payday. There may even be some bonus structures, and it's going to make it a bigger payday.' Or do we take this risk on a co-promotion? Then we can build something."

Millen admits M-1 Global officials have been put off by White's derogatory comments toward them and Emelianenko, as well as the UFC exec's flip-flopping position on the Russian heavyweight's fighting abilities.

"At the end of the day, it's not about money if you really think about it," Millen said. "You can take a guaranteed figure that's probably pretty good. You're going to know at the end of the day what you're going to get. But if you want to grow your company and get the respect that you deserve?

"One minute Dana's saying, 'Fedor is irrelevant; [expletive] him,' and then the next day he's like, 'Oh, he's the greatest fighter in the world, I want him,'" Millen said. "Now he's back to, 'This guy sucks.' So he can't make his mind up. You see what I'm saying? If he doesn't get his way, it's either his way or no way. That's what it boils down to. [M-1 Global] just wants to work somewhere where it's fair."

Who's calling the shots?

Much has been made regarding Emelinanko's relative silence throughout the negotiations. Several observers have drawn the conclusion that Emelianenko is either blissfully unaware of the tension between the two parties or simply a pawn in Finkelchtein's master plan for M-1 Global.

Millen insists that neither scenario could be further from the truth.

"Fedor is part owner in M-1, and Fedor has complete faith in Vadim," Millen said. "Fedor was there in negotiations with the UFC, and he knows exactly what was offered, what was going on.

"Fedor has a big say in what happens to Fedor. Make no mistake, he wants what is best for Fedor, the people around him, his family at M-1, and his personal family. Fedor understands everything that's going on, and he's completely down with it."

Understanding is one thing. But does the heavyweight wield the same power outside of the ring that he does between the ropes? Could Emelianenko make the call on his own to fight in the UFC?

"I believe he could," Millen said. "Vadim and Fedor have a great relationship. It's not manager-fighter. They have a very close, personal relationship.

"I think I'm a pretty good judge of character, and Vadim truly cares about Fedor. I feel like he's really looked out for him, and Fedor respects Vadim. Vadim doesn't manage 100 fighters. Vadim takes care of M-1, has the Red Devil Sport Club, tries to get some younger fighters going, and he has Fedor. I think he has Fedor's best interests at heart. I really do."

Emelianenko and those around him have repeatedly claimed that the one motivating factor that governs all of their decisions is the desire for competition. So does Emelianenko not believe the sport's best competition resides in the octagon?

"Is the best competition in the UFC?" Millen asked. "I don't know. Any given day, anyone can be the best competition. Do I think Brock Lesnar is the best competition for Fedor right now? I don't know. Is he? He's only had five MMA fights.

"There might be another guy out there that deserves to fight Fedor – maybe a guy that's been fighting 10 years that has 20 fights, 30 fights under his belt. Maybe he deserves a shot. Why does Brock Lesnar deserve that shot just because he's champion of the UFC?"

And what about Emelianenko's legacy as potentially the greatest fighter in the history of the modern game?

"I guess that's something that you have to ask Fedor," Millen said. "I can't speak for Fedor, but I can tell you what I think. I think Fedor's already proven his legacy. I was at all of his fights in PRIDE, and I no-doubt saw the best fighter in the world perform."

Door open for UFC, but Strikeforce – and broadcast television – just fine

While it may have seemed the UFC and M-1 Global were within inches of finally bridging the gap between the two companies, in the end it seems the two parties are no closer to reaching an agreement than before.

And while the world may still hold out hope for a compromise, Millen said M-1 Global executives are pleased with their decision to work with Strikeforce.

"I think that teaming up with Strikeforce is a great opportunity for M-1 Global, for Strikeforce, and I think it's a great opportunity for MMA fans," Millen said. "Broadcast television, Showtime, CBS – it's just going to open up to a huge platform.

"I keep saying this: Look what CBS did for 'Kimbo Slice.' Imagine what this platform could do for a true MMA fighter like Fedor. It will blow the sport up even more. I'm excited. I think it's great for the fans."

And if mixed martial arts (and UFC) fans hope to see Emelianenko in the world's biggest MMA promotion, Millen suggests they use a bit of the same tactics that motivated White to substitute Vitor Belfort for Dan Henderson in the main event for September's UFC 103.

"If the fans want to see a Brock Lesnar fight, hey, all they have to do is keep pressure on Dana," Millen said. "Do a co-promotion. They do it in boxing every day.

"We feel we have the best fighter in the world. You feel you have the best fighter in the world. Let's throw them in the cage, and let's see who the best fighter is."

John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com.
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liger05 said:
If Fedor fought Gonzaga or Valesquez on a non UFC show people would moan and say his not fighting top competition. Other than being in the UFC what have Gonzaga or Valesquez done to suggest Fedor needs to fight them? It seems to me that just being in the UFC suddenly means fighters are worthy challengers to Fedor.
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Gonzaga and Valesquez are better than what Strikeforce (and whoever he fights cross promoting) has to offer that's all im saying

The heavyweight division is pretty shit and the UFC have the best out of a shit bunch with Barnett (maybe Arlovski) being the exception
 
Coopz said:
Gonzaga and Valesquez are better than what Strikeforce (and whoever he fights cross promoting) has to offer that's all im saying

The heavyweight division is pretty shit and the UFC have the best out of a shit bunch with Barnett (maybe Arlovski) being the exception
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So what your saying is those guys have not really done anything to justify a fight against Fedor but because they are the best of a bad bunch Fedor should fight them. Thats BS. Fedor doesnt need to fight these guys to prove a point. The only guy in the UFC Fedor needs to face is Brock and thats only cos he has the UFC title.

Dana White needs to stop crying like a baby. I mean how dare the #1 HW of all time have the nerve the down the UFC.
 
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The top athletes across the board any sport compete against the best, why would you duck the opportunity to fight against UFC current crop of heavyweights and earn mega money at the same time. And when you are the best you do need to prove you are still the best regardless of people saying Fedor does not need to prove himself to anyone.
 
Exactly

UFC 101 tonight guys :)

Silva and BJ win with the Silva fight being a cracking one
 
HulkWogan said:
The top athletes across the board any sport compete against the best, why would you duck the opportunity to fight against UFC current crop of heavyweights and earn mega money at the same time. And when you are the best you do need to prove you are still the best regardless of people saying Fedor does not need to prove himself to anyone.
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And top athletes also dont just accept any contract. They have terms and conditions they want met or go somewhere else we those terms can be agreed.
 
if you play football in the conferance, and a premier league club wants your services, you move to challenge the best and earn the money. The Fedor decision makes little to no sense, keep defending the guy if you want because everyone can make a mistake, this being a big one.
 
HulkWogan said:
if you play football in the conferance, and a premier league club wants your services, you move to challenge the best and earn the money. The Fedor decision makes little to no sense, keep defending the guy if you want because everyone can make a mistake, this being a big one.
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So was David Haye wrong to not fight either Klitchko even though the contract offered was total BS for him? I mean its the biggest fight out there for him as they are the best HW's in the world and a victory over either one would send him on the way to stardom. Is he ducking a fight v either brother or is he simply just looking out for his own interests?

I could argue that every other MMA organisation has no problem with co-promotion and the UFC is denying the fans a Fedor v Lesnar fight due to being stubbon. However the UFC have every right to not do co-promotion just as Fedor has every right to take an offer where his demands are met.

Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem,Brett Rodgers and a possible fight with Josh Barnett in Japan is not too different to the level of competition he would face in the UFC. I dont see how a guy signing for a company in a non exclusive contract (meaning he can fight in Japan), get to earn a bigger gurantee of money than what the UFC offered and fight under the banner of strikeforce co-headlined by M-1 Global (the company he owns 20% of) is a big mistake or make no sense?
 
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Penn is very talented and his BJJ is amazing. I think that Florian might just catch him with an elbow or knee strike and KO him. Or sub him on the ground. Either way I'm really looking forward to the whole event! I'm scared to go to bed as I might not wake up!
 
Penn was too good for Florian. He never looked in danger of losing to be honest.

Anderson Silva - WOW :SHOCK: This guy is scary! Seriously scary. I think he could probably beat Machida for the light heavyweight belt and have that too. I can't really see anyone at Middleweight that is capable of doing him damage. Maybe if GSP stepped up to middleweight that might be a good fight?
 
News about the loser from the Silva Forrest fight (So obvious spoilers here)

News from one of Forrest's trainers.

"His jaw was dislocated very early in the fight...then he took several more punches to the jaw. Apparently he can't hear out of the ear on that side either. He left the octagon because he needed medical attention asap. At first they thought his jaw was broken, then said it was dislocated."
 
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