Fedor Emelianenko Wants Brock Lesnar
Fronted by Kid Nate.
MMAJunkie.com has the official statement:
M-1 would like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on his UFC heavyweight title victory as well as acknowledge Randy Couture's return to active competition after a layoff that lasted over a year.
Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year. While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment.
We've invited the media to speak with us today to not only make it clear we would welcome a Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup but to act in a preemptive fashion to address the possibility that UFC officials will try and position Lesnar as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, much like they have tried to use a marketing ploy to brand Anderson Silfva as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
In the past, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa, LLC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have tried to claim that Fedor was "overrated" and that his "record was irrelevant." They make these claims in spite of the fact that Fedor holds career victories over UFC champions past and present. While we have tremendous respect for the contributions Mr. Fertitta and Dana have made to this sport, we do not believe they are sincere in their statements.
It is the position of M-1 that the UFC has adopted an anti-Fedor policy because multiple attempts to sign him have not been fruitful. For a company that has tried to market itself as the number one promotion in the world, they are unable to accept the fact that the number one fighter in the world does not reside on its roster of contracted fighters.
We believe that the UFC has determined that it's much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.
While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world. Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.
For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we'd like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that "Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point."
Jerry Millen, M-1 Vice President
Some harsh words for the UFC in there.
The statement is kind of longish, so here are some of the more fun bits:
We believe that the UFC has determined that it's much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.
In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.
For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we'd like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that "Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point."
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
Comments
The UFC may have destroyed Couture’s chance to be recognized as the best heavyweight in the world, but they haven’t done much to discredit Fedor.
That's just a big son of a bitch -- that's all there is to it.
by mma_dude on
Nov 18, 2008 11:40 PM EST
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I’m going to go with holding a legitimate four man heavyweight tournament – instead of feeding Barnett and Andrei relatively easy wins and then picking between the two for Fedor’s next fight – as being a little discrediting. As for Fedor’s last win? I’ll sell everything I own to see Sylvia-Lesnar.
He threw a dig in Anderson Silva in there, too. What a fucking tool. This is like a guy building a hot rod from the ground up, and then some dick says he’s got just the best steering wheel ever and your car sucks if you don’t let him install it – his way – and take half the money. Fedor allowing something like this to be released on this behalf is stuffing a pillow over the face of whatever respect I had left for him.
by subo on
Nov 19, 2008 8:21 AM EST
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If Fedor wants to fight anybody in the UFC then he needs to shut the fuck up and sign the contract. Why is he always calling out fighters in a Organization he never plans on fighting for? UFC isn’t going to cross promote if he wants the next big thing then come and fight him.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by Pitbull on
Nov 20, 2008 11:54 AM EST
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God, who could possibly care about what Jerry Millen has to say?
by Michael Rome on
Nov 18, 2008 11:46 PM EST
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Exactly, the real question here has nothing to do with Fedor or Lesnar it has to do with why in the hell did M-1 hire Jerry Millen and who thought it would be a good idea to let him speak for their company??
by who me on
Nov 19, 2008 4:30 AM EST
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Poking the bear…look what ended up happening to Beard.
by iiowyn on
Nov 18, 2008 11:48 PM EST
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Seriously, nothing – and I mean nothing – Jerry Millen says to Dana White matters. And could issue a more transparent threatened note?
by Luke Thomas on
Nov 19, 2008 12:16 AM EST
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That last part should read: “And could they issue a more transparently threatened note?”
by Luke Thomas on
Nov 19, 2008 12:16 AM EST
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This is how dumb this Millen character is. He actually takes time out of his day to write a blog calling out Lesnar but then saying UFC, M-1 and Affliction would have to all co-promote it. He knows it will never happen, especially after this shit with Beard. Soon, Dana will be calling him a " 4 time failure".
by steveoc24 on
Nov 19, 2008 12:20 AM EST
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It’s a big “hey look at us we have Fedor” note designed to try and piggyback some attention off of the Couture vs Lesnar bout. The only way it could get more pathetic is if Millen had just titled it “Hey look at me, look at me”.
by who me on
Nov 19, 2008 4:38 AM EST
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As always, good post mythbuster. Recd.
And as far far as paying Fedor what he is actually worth? What exactly is he worth? At this point Kimbo Slice has more name value than Fedor, and thats sad.
by nitro on
Nov 19, 2008 12:26 AM EST
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agreed..
Kimbo is more of a draw than Fedor. I think Couture/Lesnar will draw more than Couture/Fedor. Lesnar actually had a name, Fedor doesn’t.
UFC made one of the greatest moves ever. Bringing in Lesnar and putting on the Couture fight. Fedor is pretty much out of the picture at this point beyond die-hards, and that was the UFC’s goal. This is exactly why Millen made this statement, which is part of Dana’s game plan.
by steveoc24 on
Nov 19, 2008 12:36 AM EST
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He’s worth whatever he can get somebody to pay him, which seems to be quite a lot.
by FRANKIE on
Nov 19, 2008 11:26 AM EST
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Fedor is paid in the souls of dead and dying MMA orgs.
by iiowyn on
Nov 19, 2008 12:04 PM EST
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lol
"I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am." - Ron Burgundy
by monkeyfightclub! on
Nov 19, 2008 5:29 PM EST
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Once Affliction goes out of business, that number will drop a startling amount as there are so few promotions at the national/intl level.
I wonder what his pay would’ve been in Japan to fight freakshows?
by bigweeze on
Nov 19, 2008 1:09 PM EST
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I'm just tired of the salvos from afar
He (they) should do his thing where he’s at, or shut the fuck up and prove it. People wonder why I get frustrated with Fedor rarely fighting real competition and being considered the P4P best by many, then a diatribe like this appears where they’re touting his undisputed crown and he hasn’t fought anyone other than Timmay in the last 12 months.
M1 and stupid fans are making you look bad, Fedor.. When Affliction bites it, do the right thing and fuck off with the press releases about how great you’re perceived to be by your management.
by Blackout612 on
Nov 19, 2008 12:46 AM EST
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Rec’d. Apparently Fedor only fights people with bad tattoos now.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on
Nov 19, 2008 12:48 AM EST
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Are you comparing Timmays tribal and Superman tattoos to Brock’s ghost skull and hook hands?
by Blackout612 on
Nov 19, 2008 12:49 AM EST
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I wasn’t aware Andrei and Josh were known for their tattoos.
by Simco on
Nov 19, 2008 12:51 AM EST
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Just to remind or educate people on Millen this is an interesting article.
by pr0cs on
Nov 19, 2008 12:49 AM EST
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Whether Fedor is the number one P4P fighter in the world can be disputed, due to a just a handful of fighters, namely Silva, GSP, Faber, but i think it easy to see that he is the best heavyweight ever. He beat what, five former UFC champs? Some more then once? And i’ll bet my entire bank roll he’ll beat another this upcoming Affliction event. He is the most dominate heavyweight ever and he would make Lesner his bitch. I don’t think anyone can deny that.
by J_Maddux on
Nov 19, 2008 1:31 AM EST
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He’s beat Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman(not overly impressive feats) Tim Sylvia and Big Nog. Of course that has nothing to do with this silly piece of propaganda that Millen has tossed out. The fight isn’t going to happen, we all know it and they all know it, this is just a bit of fluff from Millen trying to get M-1 some scraps of attention off the Lesnar fight.
by who me on
Nov 19, 2008 4:46 AM EST
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uhh faber best p4p? no. maybe bj is in that group but not faber.
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by weoweoweo on
Nov 19, 2008 8:38 AM EST
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If Fedor is truly interested in being the best heavyweight in the world – and I don’t think he is – Dana will make him the best paid fighter ever. Tomorrow.
That’s all there really is to it.
by subo on
Nov 19, 2008 8:22 AM EST
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i think youre right.. how could he resist the offer that he made before? weird.
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by weoweoweo on
Nov 19, 2008 8:46 AM EST
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blah blah. Is there anyone on this site that actually thinks Lesnar would make it out of the 1st round against Fedor?
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 9:14 AM EST
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I do. Lindland gave him a lot of trouble as a wrestler, so a 275 lb superhuman like Lesnar would definitely give him trouble. Lets forget the fanboy dreams of CroCop KO’ing Gonzaga, Shogun KO’ing Griffin, and Wanderlei Silva KO’ing Liddell. Reality is a far different picture than the fanboy’s imaginations.
by cyph on
Nov 19, 2008 9:55 AM EST
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Right, but in an MMA fight, a guy like Lindland had years of experience before facing Fedor..
bit of a difference between a guy like Lesnar and Lindland. Not trying to discredit Lesnar, but I think any heavyweight at this point is going to have a tough time getting out of a round with Fedor.
Dana would never let him fight Fedor anyways, so it’s a non-issue.
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 10:37 AM EST
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Herring had years of experience facing Lesnar.
Randy Couture had years of experience facing Lesnar.
Lesnar has dominated two extremely experienced fighters in the sport. I don’t know who will win, but to say that one fighter will just destroy the other in one round is highly unreasonable.
by cyph on
Nov 19, 2008 10:53 AM EST
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Small Update
White said he had his lawyer call heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko’s representatives as recently as Monday to see about getting him into the UFC. The UFC president also said in all his attempts to secure the services of the Russian, he has never actually managed to meet him.
by mythbuster on
Nov 19, 2008 9:30 AM EST
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The only way Fedor will truly cement his legacy is to make the move to UFC before his career is over..
we need to see him in there facing the worlds best HW’s., It’s on him. If it’s all about money…
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 10:39 AM EST
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It is notable that Fedor and Dana have never met even after all the negotiations the UFC has had to try and sign him.
by who me on
Nov 19, 2008 1:56 PM EST
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Give Lesnar a year to train and prepare for this fight and I think he would have no problem beating Fedor.
by termin8r199 on
Nov 19, 2008 10:17 AM EST
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Come on, you can't be serious. He destroyed Nog every time he faced him. Watch what happens when Nog and Lesnar face off..
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 10:39 AM EST
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Nog seems to be a shell of his former self. His past few performances have seemed to show him slowing down. I can easily see him finally getting finished.
by iiowyn on
Nov 19, 2008 12:06 PM EST
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This is such a lame, overused argument. Can we get a way to neg posts on here as well as rec them?
by FRANKIE on
Nov 19, 2008 3:49 PM EST
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I don’t think Lesnar would last one round with Fedor, maybe 2 or 3 with Nog – but he won’t win.
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on
Nov 19, 2008 10:48 AM EST
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There was absolutely no way CroCop could lose to Gonzaga or Shogun lose to Griffin either…
by cyph on
Nov 19, 2008 10:58 AM EST
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10 points on that one
"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions." --George W. Bush, The Decider, Lancaster, Pa., Oct. 3, 2007
by lovingmma25 on
Nov 19, 2008 11:20 AM EST
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Neither of those 2 fighters have the credentials that Fedor has.
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 11:28 AM EST
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Hell, if Fedor can’t be beaten, then why even have fights? Put the crown on him and declare him destroyer of the universe!
by cyph on
Nov 19, 2008 11:37 AM EST
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No, not saying that. I am saying that a guy with 3 MMA fights is not the guy to beat Fedor. You are insane if you think Brock would pose any challenge.
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 12:59 PM EST
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As much as I hate to say it..
If Brock has proven anything, it’s that he knows how to use his size to overcome his MMA skill deficiency.
Oh, and he has really bad taste in tattoos.
by mythbuster on
Nov 19, 2008 1:03 PM EST
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Hey now, don’t sell Brock short! It’s 4 fights.
by bigweeze on
Nov 19, 2008 1:12 PM EST
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Are you going to quit MMA for good if Fedor loses like the CroCop fanboys?
by cyph on
Nov 19, 2008 1:25 PM EST
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I don't even think the fight will happen. Dana would be foolish to put Brock in the Octagon with Fedor.
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 1:39 PM EST
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? are you personally attacking me? Was waiting for my first troll. Guess I have officially made it here.
by lbk on
Nov 19, 2008 4:53 PM EST
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POSTING YOUR VIEWS IN THE TITLE PORTION IS ABOUT AS ANNOYING AS POSTING IN ALL CAPS.
by iiowyn on
Nov 19, 2008 4:57 PM EST
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Fedor should make his agents work for him, not the other way around. Everything he does serves the needs of his agent.
If he wants to get paid, I’m sure he can negotiate a solid contract in the UFC based on him being in many main events as the title-holder. There are only a couple of fights left in Affliction. He’ll be moving on soon. Another year tops before he joins the UFC or goes into hibernation due to lack of competition.
by bigweeze on
Nov 19, 2008 1:37 PM EST
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I’m pretty sure he can make a LOT more money outside of the UFC than in it. I believe that the sticking point is that Fedor wants an open contract so he can fight elsewhere, and the UFC says no. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I get.
by mythbuster on
Nov 19, 2008 2:01 PM EST
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I am getting the feeling that a UFC contract would take a LOT of the power out of the hands of his management team, and that is the sticking point.
by iiowyn on
Nov 19, 2008 2:18 PM EST
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Both sides have given different stories about what the sticking points are. Fedor’s side was the open contract issue and Fedor said some odd things about the not allowing him to ever leave and them making him fight 4 times a year that really didn’t make much sense(the champion clause is understandably something Fedor wouldn’t like but when has the UFC forced a fighter to fight a certain amount of fights a year?).
The UFC side was that Finklestien was trying to make the UFC sign a bunch of Red Devil fighters and co-promote with M-1 as part of a deal for Fedor. That is where the “crazy Russians” quote came from, it was Dana describing all the stuff Fedor’s management was demanding as part of a Fedor contract.
by who me on
Nov 19, 2008 2:19 PM EST
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I’m not so sure he can. If he’s making 1.6 per from Affliction, he could likely make nearly that or more if he got a share of PPV buys and 250+/250+.
With Fedor is it always seems his focus is on being elsewhere. Which, for the UFC means that they should have Fedor on the MOST restrictive contract of all fighters.
by bigweeze on
Nov 19, 2008 2:29 PM EST
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Love
Loved this article, love the fact that M1 has called it like it is. And most of all, love how I can picture if/when Brock catches wind of this his stomach will start to turn. To have Fedor gunning for you isn’t good. And if they fight, which I doubt, we’ll all get to see how merely being a good athlete does not make you worthy to hold the title (or be considered among the top ranked heavyweights).
I like the UFC but the latest round of marketing bunk is about to turn some of the hard core MMA fans away (if they haven’t already). Giving a guy w/ a 2-1 record a title shot is insanity.
by jyoseph on
Nov 19, 2008 9:50 PM EST
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