The Fedor Era Is Finished: Fedor Emelianenko's Ridiculous Demands Mean He'll Never Fight the Best Again
by Nate Wilcox on Apr 22, 2010 2:46 PM EDT
in MMA News
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We've already posted on yesterday's Loretta Hunt piece on the current state of affairs between M-1 Global, ie Fedor Emelianenko and his manager Vadim Finkelchstein, but I wanted to elaborate a bit on the implications. Vadim and company are essentially holding Strikeforce hostage. Strikeforce has tweeted their response to Hunt's article, but I respect her track record.
If Scott Coker and company want to see Fedor, the world's #1 heavyweight, per the USAT/SBN Consensus MMA Rankings, fighting on CBS or Showtime, they will need to clear the card to make way for M-1's bevy of other world class fighters. When M-1 had Gegard Mousasi on their roster, matters were a little different, but he has since parted ways. The M-1 roster is loaded with talent like Kiril "Baby Fedor" Sidelnikov, last seen by American fans getting a long and painful lesson in how not to slip a jab from Paul Buentello at Affliction: Reckoning.
As much as I love Russian fighters, and historically they've played a big role in MMA both in the U.S. and Japan. There is no one currently on the M-1 roster other than Fedor who is remotely worthy of getting airtime on CBS.
Sadly, it appears that Strikeforce is hanging onto the CBS deal by its fingertips. In the full entry we hear from Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer (subscription required):
For Strikeforce, the goal to be at least a successful secondary Pepsi brand going against Coke is largely dependent on maintaining its link to CBS. They may be able to survive with Showtime footing a lot of the bills, without CBS, but the reach of Showtime is simply too small to offer major competition. The eventual goal of Strikeforce is to be able to build stars and matches to where they can viably run a few PPV events per year. Even with CBS, that was going to be difficult. Without CBS, and that becomes a real longshot.
...For Strikeforce, the big question is whether CBS will continue to air the programming, and is Strikeforce a viable prime time entity on the network. What we've learned from the past is that CBS had been successful three out of four shows in selling ads to advertisers who target Males 18-34. The ratings themselves are lower than regular programming on the network, but the ability to target market to a specific demo is considered the strength of MMA. The fact is, Strikeforce has drawn a significantly older audience, likely due to the make-up of CBS as an older skewing network, than UFC has done on Spike. They can hit the targets if they have a major drawing card. In the past, Fedor Emelianenko, Kimbo Slice and Gina Carano have fit that bill. The question was whether Dan Henderson would be added to that list, and on a show built around him, he proved not to be.
In the end, CBS did a 1.76 rating and 2.86 million viewers, doing only a 1.26 in Males 18-34 (falling from a 2.3 the prior show) and a 1.74 in Males 35-49 (down from 2.7 last show). Before the show, they said they hoped because Henderson had more TV exposure in the U.S. than Emelianenko, that they could equal the 11/7 numbers, which was a 2.45 rating and 4.04 million viewers. However, privately they did not believe that was the case, and were hopeful of beating 3 million viewers. But it was a demo play and they came up a little short. ...
CBS officials will be meeting with Strikeforce later this week. Even though the rating is going to be the primary determining factor, the rating was at best lower borderline and the demo number disappointing. The show quality is just what it is. The matches weren't good. That's probably not that significant, although perhaps if they had a hot match or two, the rating would have been very slightly higher. The show went 45 minutes long, delaying the local newscasts. Given that the lead-in was a low audience in a demo that probably doesn't translate well to the local newscast, the affiliates probably weren't thrilled. But it was well known when the show was booked that they could go long. If the ratings were strong, going long wasn't going to be a major issue. If the ratings were strong, the brawl at the end of the show wasn't going to be an issue. Bad fights, weak ratings, going long and the brawl all combined, and people very close to the situation at press time recognized CBS may throw in the towel. There was negative publicity on the bad rating, and on the brawl. There were media outlets, most notably the New York Post which insinuated it was completely staged (it wasn't) and there absolutely was a general public feeling of that same thing. CBS may be thinking that between this and Kimbo-gate, the so-so ratings and the inherent controversial nature of the programming that no doubt many station executives were against to begin with, that it's simply not worth the hassle.
I will admit that Strikeforce and CBS would have been better off airing Fedor vs Fabricio Werdum supported by virtually any warm body off the M-1 bench vs Dan Henderson than the card they aired, from a purely cynical ratings perspective.
As Meltzer shows above, Fedor proved last year against Brett Rogers that he is a serious draw with U.S. fans. He drew much stronger numbers than Dan Henderson achieved last Saturday and more importantly the numbers went up dramatically when Fedor was on screen.
The tragedy of M-1's hold out was that Fedor was primed for a break out performance on the heels of his dramatic KO win over Brett Rogers. Now I doubt that he'll have a second bite at the U.S. network television apple. Whatever M-1 Global is doing, they are NOT looking out for what's best for Fedor's career. Had he posted even better numbers and more media attention for his second CBS fight, he'd have been a star in the biggest sports market in the world. Now he'll be a might have been.
As a hardcore fan, I loved the show, but it was clearly a business disaster that might have cost Strikeforce the CBS relationship. With just Showtime, frankly they can't afford Fedor. But since M-1 is under contract with Strikeforce, expect it to take quite a bit of untangling to work out. I don't expect to see Fedor fight in the U.S. in 2010.
If I'm right, that leaves a New Year's Eve fight against Josh Barnett or Alistair Overeem in Japan the best possibility for fans to see the greatest martial artist in the sport's young history fight this year.
Dana White has been very open about his desire to see Fedor in the Octagon, but that will require untangling the Gordian knot of demands made by Vadim and company.
The reality is this, Fedor is 33 years old in a sport that is infamously hard on aging athletes. His biggest rivals from the PRIDE era -- Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- have seen mixed success at best against the current crop of UFC heavyweights.
Fedor has had much better luck recently, notching spectacular wins over two former UFC champs in Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski as well as a KO finish of Strikeforce's top contender Brett Rogers. But the string of unlikely business deals that brought those fights to fruition appears to have run out.
Sad as it is to say, I'm putting Fedor in the history books and giving up on my hopes for one final run of glory and heroics.
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As someone who finds it difficult to agree with strong opinions of anykind. . .
. . . you are absolutely right. I’ve been coming to grips with this exact situation ever since he jumped ship on the Nashville card. Fedor just doesn’t seem to care about anything that the fans do. He is content, that is all.
Kid Nate, you speak to me.
I love me some me.
by Medium Nog on Apr 22, 2010 2:53 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
Rec'd
For the sheer humor of your username alone
Yes...MEDIUM NOG rules among usernames...
and i LIKE mine…
by RickNakedChoke on Apr 23, 2010 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions
It is obvious that Fedor is more interested in the M-1 Global brand then fighting.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
doesn't he own like 30% of M-1?
"It’s going to be like sex with a grizzly bear, you know, a lot of scratching and growling on both sides." - Don Frye
the point is that fedor can do whatever he wants with his life. he doesn’t owe us anything, even though it sucks that he and his management haven’t found ways for him to fight more.
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If he doesn’t want to fight anymore, that’s fine. He can retire, head back to Russia with tons of money and the respect and admiration of fight fans around the world.
It’s the stringing along of Strikeforce (and by extension, the rest of MMA) that sucks about M-1. If Fedor is part of M-1, then he’s part of that problem, and deserves a proportionate share of the blame for this mess.
by CaptnAmerca on Apr 22, 2010 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
He's never coming to the UFC that's fo sho
by doonerthesooner on Apr 22, 2010 2:57 PM EDT reply actions
from watchkalibrun
"Justice is the whim of a judge, check his chest density
It leaves much room for error, and the rest left to destiny."
-Sage Francis
by DamnSevern on Apr 22, 2010 2:58 PM EDT reply actions 7 recs
Glad they find this funny.
"The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." - Miyamoto Musashi
by Kaleb Kelchner on Apr 22, 2010 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
M1 had three good fighters to offer.
Fedor, Mousasi, and Amassou. Mousasi left M1 and Karl has three fights left on a 4 fight contract with Strikeforce. Sidelnikov loses to anybody with a wiki page, particularly CSAC drug testing. It would be hard to even have a an M1/SF Challengers card without gross mismatches.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
by pdl on Apr 22, 2010 2:58 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
The one thing that Vadim keeps saying (and I don’t know if its true or not) is that everything they are holding out for, including more M1 fighters on the cards, were things that have been in the contract from the get go. If this really is the case, I really have to question what Scott Coker was thinking.
I know…Coker doesn’t seem to be addressing what M-1 claims is part of there contract. Which only leads to more speculation
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Scott Coker's Negotiating tactics are probably similar to Peter Griffin's
Peter: I’ll give you $40 for that coffin.
Store Owner: Sir, this casket is $1,000.
Peter: I’ll give you $2,000.
Store Owner: Sir, that’s double what it costs.
Peter: $60.
Brian (to the store owner): He doesn’t know how to haggle
by PM23 on Apr 22, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 13 recs
LOL!
That can’t be far from the truth
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I love how everyone talks about Fedor as if he is a huge draw. I think he is for dedicated fans; but for the most part I would give a lot of credit to that card for having Hershel Walker on it more than Fedor. I wouldn’t hang my hat only on him as the big draw; he needs more exposure in the US.
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"expect us to take you seriously or think you’re even remotely intelligent?" - Luke Thomas
Herschel Walker and Fedor were never on the same card.
by Polyhedron on Apr 22, 2010 3:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
huh? Hershel Walker and Fedor were both on the card I watched on CBS
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"expect us to take you seriously or think you’re even remotely intelligent?" - Luke Thomas
No they weren't
Hershel was on a showtime card.. not a CBS card..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
I'm afraid not
Herschel Walker has fought on MMA fight and it aired on Showtime. Fedor was not on that card.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Beat ya to it.. :)
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
Whoa, you just blew my mind. Well, I don’t have showtime; so I don’t even know how I saw it then. (Maybe I watched it online) So I always thought that he was on the only Strikeforce card I ever watched on TV.
My blah blah blah
My photography site
"expect us to take you seriously or think you’re even remotely intelligent?" - Luke Thomas
Showtime was airing a free preview
by bigc4277 on Apr 22, 2010 3:39 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
the numbers for Fedor's sole CBS appearance
were solid and grew dramatically during his fight. He had primed the pump for a break out moment on U.S. network television but they blew it by holding out.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
well, there goes my thoughts about Hershel. I thought him being on the card helped get attention for it. Just seemed like more talk about that show than there was about the last one that was just on; and you hardly ever see Fedor on TV.
My blah blah blah
My photography site
"expect us to take you seriously or think you’re even remotely intelligent?" - Luke Thomas
"As a hardcore fan, I loved the show"
To me it kind of sounds like he’s saying that hardcore MMA fans should have liked this show.
I consider myself much more than a casual MMA fan and I thought the show was horrendous. I’ll enjoy watching technical ground MMA but those fights were just boring and hard to watch.
Confucius says:
"Baseball is wrong; man with four balls cannot walk."
I actually found them all pretty fun
except for Aoki vs Melendez, and even that one had a moment where it looked like Aoki might win. The others both had serious pendulum swings and serious action.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I'm with you
Mousasi/King Mo and Hendo/Shields were maybe more fun because they were so…unexpected (Mousasi’s passivity and Shields making Hendo’s wrestling look bad), but Melendez/Aoki was just a cool fight and I thought it was a very neat, watchable fight card.
Like being disappointed? Sweet! Follow @teddwelch on Twitter!
Aoki/Melendez was my favorite. A finish would have been nice, but seeing Aoki get his ass beat for five rounds was good by me. King Mo/Mousasi was by far the worst, sloppiest fight that aired.
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
true both fighters gassed badly
but i was a text book display of double leg takedowns, striking from the guard (on Mousasi’s part) and very nearly how to come back for a dramatic win.
I think neither fighter was ready for the championship rounds.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
i’m going to have to watch that fight again, because what I remember most (re:takedowns) was that Mo just leaned down, slowly reached out his arm, grabbed a leg and took Mousasi down. The first couple of takedowns I was thinking ‘What the hell Mousasi! You’re getting taken down by a zombie shot.’ Maybe they clouded my view of the rest of the fight.
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
He had one or two power doubles, but there were a few lazy muscle takedowns also.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 22, 2010 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, a number of his takedown attempts werre really sloopy. The fact that they worked has cauused me to seriously question Mousasi. Would he be able to beat Phil Davis? I don’t know anymore. That doesn’t sound like a top 10 LHW to me.
they both gassed really hard
I wouldn’t consider anything after the first 1/2 of the first indicative of Mo’s skill level or anything past the end of the second indicative of Mousasi’s level.
From there it was all heart and will.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
why are so many people saying that mousasi couldn't stop the take down...
when all we saw in that fight was that mousasi didn’t try to stop the takedown — he didn’t mind fighting off his back
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
Exactly
First off, it’s not like King Mo isn’t a great wrestler or anything?
Secondly, Mousasi and Mo both new this was how the fight was going to play out. Before the fight, Mousasi repeatedly said in interviews he planned to be taken down and was working on fighting off his back. And he looked pretty good at it too. I was actually really impressed by the fight IQ of both fighters. That was the first time that I’ve listened to two fighters described their opponents weaknesses, what they planned to do, and then see a fight unfold exactly as they said it would.
If he was so resigned to allow it to go to the floor, and not even attempt to defend the takedown, then he should have just flopped straight down on his back as soon as the round started. At least Mo wouldn’t have gotten credited with the takedown.
Of course that’s ridiculous, but so is giving away points and position (that he’s not likely to regain under Mo’s top control) so you can try to strike from the bottom. Mousasi’s gameplan was bizarre. And his conditioning was abysmal.
Hey Pete
R.I.P.
good point
I think the UFC is going to change its name to the Ultimate Wrestling Championship. I think that people are failing to grasp the concept that top position isn’t an advantageous position for a fighter if it primarily results in that fighter getting repeatedly punched in the face — American scoring, however, seems to indicate that it is.
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
for all the bitching about that decision
the 2nd round was the only one that Mousasi won off his back — he won the first on his feet.
Mo won the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds both on the ground and on his feet. He landed the better blows and clearly had more left in the tank.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I agree.
It was a fun show… Too bad it was a disaster for SF.
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 23, 2010 1:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I have to admit the Shields/Henderson fight was somewhat entertaining
The King Mo /Mousasi fight I did not enjoy. Maybe I was just so disappointed with Mousasi’s takedown defense and inability to pull off a submission when he had several oppurtunities. King Mo did absolutely nothing but lay on him the entire fight.
The Aoki/Melendez fight was a clinic on how not to engage your opponent. Aoki looked terrible and Melendez looked content wining a decision by “octagon control” or whatever they call it in Strikeforce.
I watched this with a group of 9 people, only 3 of which had watched MMA before. I would have loved them to have seen a great technical submission or knockout. Instead they watched 3 very long fights and they all found the post fight brawl the best part of the show.
Confucius says:
"Baseball is wrong; man with four balls cannot walk."
I drove from Augusta, Georgia to Nashville for the fight
And, with the exception of some decent quick fights on the undercard, it was horrendous. The undercard fights were good, and they went so quickly that we had about 45 minutes of sitting around before the live broadcast began. The audience enjoyed most of the Mousasi/King Mo fight. But the next few fights had almost the entire audience hurling out expletives and screaming at the fighters because of lack of action.
Guest Services at the arena did upgrade our tickets when we talked to them since there was a lot of empty seating down in the padded seat/bleacher area about 3 rows up from “press row”. So I still enjoyed the experience.
If it hadn’t been for the fight in the cage at the end though, everyone would have left that event severely disappointed. I consider myself a hardcore fan and I thought a lot of it sucked too…being a good wrestler is one thing, but mounting the crappy offense that King Mo and Jake Shields was pretty bush league. Not to mention the sheer boredom that ensued from Shinya Aoki’s reticence to fight. The lay and pray has become a common tactic…and it’s a sure way to win many times, but it sure doesn’t win over any fans. We had guys screaming at King Mo in the seating area behind the press throughout his fight. A guy next to us fell asleep during the main event (which led to some good pictures).
Anyway…I can understand the perspective of someone who considers themself hardcore and enjoyed those fights. I’m a pretty “hardcore” fan myself though, and I was close to developing narcolepsy during those main card fights.
by Paul Stan on Apr 22, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Great article Nate
And one that shares the sentiments with a growing fanbase. This issue is so frustrating to those of us that followed Fedors career since Rings had the best Heavies in the world.
Something that it would seem Fedor isn’t grasping is that the Brand will always be bigger than the Players, and spending the latter half of your career in and out of negotiations will do little to benefit you long term. A few big wins in Strikeforce on CBS would change all of that, just a match with Ubereem, but instead he will fade into obscurity I fear.
THREE MUSKATEERS BAR P4P BEST HALLOWEEN CANDY
by BloodbathAndBeyond on Apr 22, 2010 3:00 PM EDT reply actions
He was never going to go to the UFC..
For as good as he is/was..
He’s being replaced by a fresh breed of new HW’s already in the UFC.. I could care less if he hangs them up or sucks it up.. Either way, we’re still getting good quality competition amongst us already..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
Remember though
Don’t forget that Fedor is a part of M-1 Global. He’s said to own 10% of the organization. So Fedor is doing this to himself. But Fedor and M-1, I believe, have drastically overestimated Fedor’s value. Because of their strategy, Fedor has ended up making less money than he could have had he just signed with the ufc and dropped all the M-1 Global demands.
Imagine where Fedor would be now, had he signed with the UFC four years ago? Imagine if he had survived four years undefeated as the UFC Heavy Weight Champion. Fedor would be heading up cards drawing near 1,000,000 ppv buys. Now that is money!
Instead look where he is now.
by pwdminotauro on Apr 22, 2010 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I completely agree
I just wish Fedor had never become involved with them. They have kept him from a lot of money and exposure.
The shame of a nation
I’ll applaud Fedor and Vadim for their desire to further the careers of their fellow countrymen but they are deteriorating Fedors career in the process. They could come to an agreement with the UFC to hold a Russia Vs USA Ultimate Fighter (the thought of Fedor as a coach on TUF is already putting me to sleep). Let Fedor stack the whole team with his Red Devil Sport Club, let them train in Russia in a similarly secluded format. Air the American camp on Spike and air the Russian Camp in Russia with highlights of each on each others shows. I think it would do great ratings on spike and would bring the UFC straight into Russia.
Dreams are fantastic things when the real world lets you down.
Sorry for the double post, but this needs to be said.
I’m sorry Fedor, but I just can’t keep watching you do this. If you’re going to support this sort of business over fighting then you have lost my interest. I wish you the best of luck against Barnett or Overeem in should you meet them in Japan. Otherwise, I hope you live a long and happy life when you choose to retire. You brought us great memories, great highlights, and are the most dominant heavyweight to date. Godspeed sir. I’ll always remember you as you were.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
I think Fedor has the same mindset as Mousasi
Remember how Mousasi said he was fighting solely for money a few months back? The point he made was fighting someone like Dan Henderson didn’t make sense because he’d be paid as much for that bout as he would be to demolish a can. I guess Lashley thinks along the same lines, too.
Anyway, the point I’m making is: Fedor’s a hero in his home country. He’s had a ridiculous run at the top of a ridiculously brutal sport in the division where it’s hardest to go undefeated. Glory and challenge can’t realistically motivate him at this point, so his number one goal is money, and I guess he’s decided it’s more profitable to fight once or twice a year and remain undefeated than to go balls-out, fight regularly, and risk a defeat.
I’m not trying to blame Fedor here; it’s tough to fault a guy for wanting financial security and a foothold in the promotion business, which from all indications is the next phase of his career. I just don’t think he’s motivated by a desire to prove he’s the undisputed number one best of all time; “Been there, done that.”
This isn’t a case of M-1 ruining Fedor’s career, it’s a case of Fedor and M-1 stretching out Fedor’s remaining fights, undefeated legacy, and big paydays for as long as possible. It could be a good business decision, but it sucks as a fight fan.
Like being disappointed? Sweet! Follow @teddwelch on Twitter!
by Tedd Welch on Apr 22, 2010 3:05 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
He has the same problem Money has...
At a certain point, defending your legacy becomes ducking fights. That point is different for different people, which is why you have some fans of both fighters that still give them 100% support. Considering he’s never been the mainstream draw that Money was, I think it effects him a bit less as “hardcore” fans don’t often abandon the horse they attached their war wagon to.
With that said, he’s not scared of any of the fighters or anything like that. I think M1 and by proxy Fedor are just scared of their gravy train drying up. M1 has no fighters other than Fedor, so really all they can hope to do is build up the brand name as much as possible using Fedor as leverage.
Associate Writer - WindyCityGridiron.com
Anyone buying into the M-1 stuff needs a cold glass of water to the face. Let’s face reality: they have a blowup with everyone they do business with. Affliction? Litigation. UFC? impasse. Strikeforce? impasse. Every single group that does business with M-1 ends up at odds with them, and just about anybody should be able to figure out why.
by Michael Rome on Apr 22, 2010 3:09 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
M1: “As bent as the Soviet Sickle, and as hard as the hammer that crosses it”
"Justice is the whim of a judge, check his chest density
It leaves much room for error, and the rest left to destiny."
-Sage Francis
by DamnSevern on Apr 22, 2010 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
What everyone keeps overlooking...
As for M-1, if you will do a little google research you’ll find the what Vadim actually said about the contract “dispute” with Strikeforce concerns documents sent back (by M-1) with the contract…as if that somehow amends it and binds Strikeforce to those terms… THIS is the real issue, although for obvious reasons (not wanting to burn bridges with Fedor just yet), Strikeforce hasn’t publicly pointed this out yet…
by BigDNotDallas on Apr 22, 2010 4:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
OK I found this.
“The situation is completely in the court of Strikeforce. We’re just trying to get the go-ahead from them to continue on with the relationship in the way it was originally meant to be according to the documents that were attached to the agreement that we originally entered into.”
The attached documents sound like a standard rider which is common in contract deals. Whether they were indicated in the main contract or signed off on I can’t say. If there is an article that says more please point it out.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=mmajunkie-Emelianenko_available_in_June
In either case though it doesn’t sound like this is moving forward. A little arbitration action could be helpful to sort this out.
And, let me float this for a second: what is to stop M-1 from pulling the exact same extortion act with the UFC if Fedor ever went there? If Fedor signed a deal and then beat Brock, I’d put the odds at about 75% that M-1 holds Fedor out for a bigger payday and pulls the same act.
After Fedor’s first fight in Affliction, they held out and demanded a new deal for Fedor to keep fighting again. You can’t have a “contract” with people who believe that contracts mean nothing.
by Michael Rome on Apr 22, 2010 3:12 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
which makes me questions the wisdom of the UFC getting in bed with the
regime in Abu Dhabi. M-1 is linked to the Putin regime. Abu Dhabi is likewise a dictatorship, which is by definition a criminal regime accountable to no one. If Zuffa has a serious dispute with the emirs, I wouldn’t want to be the business representative they send over to work things out, they might end up on youtube being run over by a sheik in an SUV.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Ha. Well, I think there are distinctions among dictatorships, which I’m sure you’d acknowledge. Abu Dhabi is essentially an oil-rich playground for Europeans doing business in the middle east. More importantly, Flash in particular has a good business reputation. M-1’s reputation is horrible, they come off as the classic Russian mob of the 90’s turned tycoons with no respect at all for the concept of a contract.
I have some questions about the Flash deal too.
by Michael Rome on Apr 22, 2010 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
yeah
if I had to choose a dictatorial regime to get in bed with, Abu Dhabi would be very near the top and Putin would be close to the bottom, but still…
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Nate Wilcox on Apr 22, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I guess you're not too familiar with the "Ferttitas" then.. lol
Their roots run deep…
Side note fact:
The movie Casino staring De Nero, Pesci and Sharon Stone was actually based on the true story of the Fertittas father..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
From wiki:
“Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, based on the real-life mob enforcer Anthony “Tony the Ant” Spilotro."
Nice try!
I was ready to believe him; damn, I’m going to take a nap, my brain is not working today
My blah blah blah
My photography site
"expect us to take you seriously or think you’re even remotely intelligent?" - Luke Thomas
LOL.. says the guy using wiki as a fact finder..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
Here's another dubious "fact" from a wiki...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedor_Emelianenko#Mixed_martial_arts_record
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
Using a vandalism that everyone knows is fake does not prove that Wiki is not reliable. Wikipedia is reliable, regardless of the vandalism that occurs.
there was a study of the Encyclopedia Brittanica
and Wikipedia that found Wikipedia to be equally reliable.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Reliable ??
Sure..
A legit source finder ??
Nope..
A wiki is an open platform interchange between it’s users. It was originally designed for user to access and exchange ideas on topic of interest and research in a simple and easy manner, limiting the technical knowledge base for it’s users and simplifying it so they can edit, alter, and update pages on the Internet.
Wiki is not considered a “reliable source” according to academic standards today. It’s actually frowned upon. Although it can be used in “conjunction” with original source points to help support the evidence or credibility of information. Basically, Wikipedia is not the "sole source for information housing and relies on it’s user to create, edit and maintain it’s authenticity. Well since the moderation and authenticity reviews are lacking, it’s not deemed “reliable” by academic standards yet. It’s too new a concept and is under utilized at this point.
This is not to say Wikipedia, or any wiki for that matter is not correct or reliable, just that there are far better and more reliable source platforms that will offer additional content to that which you’re researching and save valuable time in the fact checking portion of your research..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
wikipedia isn’t used by academics because it isn’t peer reviewed.
simple as that.
it is however an accurate source of information (in relation to other sources, just like Kid Nate said)
LOL
I guess you missed the point of my post.. :)
That’s exactly what I just said..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
dissing someone who's getting their info from wikipedia
on a blog comment section is pretty asinine. We’re not writing academic papers here.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
No but trying to imply I'm wrong .. and using it as your only defense is even more asinine..
:)
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
by MMAuthority on Apr 22, 2010 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
That shit is annoying. knock it off
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 22, 2010 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Here ya go.. :)
http://unlimitedfightnews.com/wordpress/?p=2464
The concept of the story revolves around the mob skimming that took place in the 70’s and how some of the actual “players (including Feritta Jr.)” was based on a real life story..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the wiki vandalism thing. it’s fucking obnoxious. I know if isn’t YOU. I’m just saying in general that people need to knock it off.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Apr 22, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Just to illustrate for those not interested in reading the article..
Excerpt taken from the article:
Frank Junior got his big break in 1976 when he bought a place aptly named "The Casino" (quickly re-named Bingo Palace) with a partner, Carl Thomas. The Bingo Palace later became known as Palace Station. Thomas was at that time already the chief executive officer of four casinos owned by the Argent Corporation. The movie "Casino" starring Joe Pesci (playing Tony "The Ant" Spilotro) and Robert Deniro (playing Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal) is one of the best illustrations of the skimming operation Thomas masterminded for the Mafia. Rosenthal would later report, "Carl [Thomas] introduced me to Frank Fertitta, as ‘my main guy,’ and his right-hand man. Frank became the President of Allen Glick’s Fremont Hotel Casino at the recommendation of Carl Thomas during my temporary absence from the industry while I was awaiting the outcome my appeal versus the Nevada Gaming Commission. When I regained my former position as the CEO of all properties under the "Argent" (Allen R. Glick Enterprises) umbrella, Frank and I became more interactive. Frank had gained a solid reputation as a top-notch casino executive who understood the games with a high degree of professionalism. After several private meetings and close personal observation I too agreed that Frank was well suited to operate the second largest Casino in the downtown area."
Source:
http://frankrosenthal.com/feature_story/index.php?id=34
Paragraph 4
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
ok
that I can’t really argue with. Gambling is what it is, but the Fertittas survived the transition from mob control to corporate control without a hitch.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
There is a term used in mob business now known as "clean money"
While there is far less murder and mayhem in today’s mob world. The business is still run as it was prior too. The only real difference is how the business is conducted and controlled. It’s just as cut-throat as it once was, just far less visible and blatant to the public eye..
No more open hits and killing people off.. Now they chase the “clean money” and freeze people out..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
:)
I’m all good.. I made a factual statement and then a guy uses Wiki to try and discredit my statement and I made a joke of it.. I appologize..
But the statement still remains a fact the movie was based around the concept of what the Ferititas starting with the Civella crime family.. The characters portrayed in the actual movie were from accounts of those “after” the skimming process started and how certain guys story lines played out..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
The Fertittas father
was a legit businessman. It was their grandfathers who were involved in gambling before it was legal in Galveston, TX according to Total MMA by Jonathan Snowden.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Sure he was legit ..
But he was still tied to mob connections and directly linked to the Civella crime family.
If you read the article or the story on Frank Fertitta Jr. (the father), he was never brought up on charges, although the FBI has plenty of surveillance with him in discussions about the skimming and mob dealing with the La Costra Nostra (Civella crime famiy from Kansas City).
The actual story of the movie Casino was based on the story of Frank Fertitta Jr and Carl Thomas. Both whom started the skimming scandal of the 70’s with mob agenda ties. They just took the movie and based it on the characters that De Niro and Pesci play to give it more entertainment. But if you’ve ever read the book or listened to the interviews by Nicholas Pileggi, who authored the book "Casino," There is quite a bit of detail in there about how they got their start in the Casino business through mob ties..
Frank Fertitta JR. actually bought Station Casinos (formerly Bingo Palace) for $1.00.. lol De Niro’s charater in the movie is a blend between both Franks real life stories.
Fertitta and Rosenthal both played the same role at one time as Fertitta filled in place for Rosenthal when he was under review by the gaming commission.
Just because they never proved “illegal” activity doesn’t negate that to which he had ties too and exactly who he was working “for and with.”
:)
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
,,,that wouldn’t work with the UFC. It worked with those fly-by-night promotions b/c they had little experience.
I dare them to try that with any established promotion. The contract will be tight
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
This is why the UFC didn’t want to play any of this co-promotion nonsense.
They wanted to sign fedor for x fights at $y per fight. All this co-promotion stuff can lead to gray areas, and make it a lot easier for them to find excuses to pull out. and stuff.
A regular fighter contract is harder to play games with, and makes it a lot easier for the UFC to control the story if M-1 tries to pull any shit.
yep…
This SF/M1 debacle has just become too messy. SF fault
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions
uh oh
by Rocejize on Apr 22, 2010 3:14 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs
Rec's for wiki usage !!!
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
i have a blue belt
in wiki usage, under Gus Johnson.
by Rocejize on Apr 22, 2010 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
LOL!!!!!!!!
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:21 PM EDT up reply actions
to the brave soul
who reinstated Fedor’s shameful loss to M-1 via verbal submission due to liver punch. i commend you, it takes a man to admit his losses, it takes a semi-undefeated legend to hide in another country and slowly accept defeat.
…b/c M-1 has delusions of grandeur.
They are living in a fantasy world with their requirements. But SF is to blame for entertaining them
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:14 PM EDT reply actions
I dont know man, I still have hopes. If there are no other alternatives but the UFC deal, I think m1will be forced to let Fedor fight in the octagon. Better than nothing idea.
They are businessmen after all.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
LOL@ them being businessmen
If they had half a brain they’d have signed with the UFC 4 years ago and made twice as much money in that timespan than they have. Of course this would require Fedor to fight more than once a year.
by ufc4 on Apr 22, 2010 3:57 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I dont necessarily agree.
There are no definite numbers on how much Fedor & M1 would have made w/ the UFC to make that conclusion.
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
If I remember right Fedor still has 2 fights in his deal with Dream. One should be the winner of Barnett v Overeem at Dynamite but they can also put another fight together in the mean time if Dream is up for it. That would keep him busy through the end of the year. I don’t know if Dream can afford him other than Dynamite right now though. If he just wants to stay active he can always go do Sambo as well.
I hope some thing gets worked out but I don’t want Strikeforce to damage their company to get Fedor fighting again. The bottom line is if the only way they can draw crowds is with Fedor then they are in as much trouble as EliteXC with Kimbo. I don’t believe that is the case but they need to get Lawler, Manhoef, Smith and guys like that in the rotation more until they get their footing back.
If Fedor was to retire now, he would still go down as the best MMA fighter ever.
So this whole thing is about getting M-1 fighters more exposure right?
and they wont work with Strikeforce because Strikeforce wont give M-1 fighters slots but yet they are going to go work with Dream.
Is Dream going to give up half the slots for M-1 fighters? If not then they are in the same position as Strikeforce.
And if Fedor/M-1 dont require Dream to give up slots for M-1 fighters but do for Strikeforce then they dont really want to work with Strikeforce do they?
I dare M1 to try [co-promotion demands] that in Japan. they’d get thrown out the country lol
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Vadim wants more money without actually saying that he wants more money… when he says that M1 invested more in the last deal than shitfarce what he is doing is valuing fedor somewhere around 5 to 6 million dollars… so if you split the revenue 50-50 (gate, tv fee, etc..) minus costs… in his eyes and his valuation of Fedor M1 invested way more than shitfarce. Essentially he is now saying they didnt split the “costs” like it was intended 50-50… in his words: “true copromotion”. Essentially he wants 2 million more per fight without saying he wants 2 million more per fight. .
I know it’s crazy, but welcome to how business is done with the Fink and his ilk.
With the ratings disaster there’s no way he’s gonna budge. The contract they have with shitfarce expires at a certain date… and he can negotiate a fight in japan with Barnett (unlikely unless someone covers johs’s high purse demands) or even big foot (he is not exclusive to shitfarce and can fight in japan so this is more likely).
If he signs with the UFC m1 will have to basically cash out of the Fedor business and that may be the smartest thing to do but they dont do smart.
by mmalogic on Apr 22, 2010 3:23 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs
Blahblahshitfarce
Please stop using that word, it’s annoying.
Get rid of the ramp!
by ihateemo on Apr 22, 2010 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Sadly...
My views of Fedor Emelianenko have changed over the past year. He doesn’t seem as explosive, and he is now entering an era at heavyweight with monstrous fighters who dwarf him in size. Sure, he’s the great Fedor, and he will go down in history as one of the best to have ever fought in this sport. With that said, I’d pick Overeem and Lesnar over him even though he is by far one of my favorite fighters of all-time.
Within the article’s context, M-1 and Fedor will never split, and M-1 trying to leverage unknown M-1 fighters to battle on CBS or Showtime is absurd. Conceding would probably sink the CBS-Strikeforce deal, so Coker is really in a no-win situation. As Rome pointed out, M-1 can just stand around and do nothing right now… and Strikeforce really has noone to sue. They can’t force him to fight. M-1 has all the power with Fedor, and unfortunately — CBS thinks Fedor is the end all in this scenario. Strikeforce can’t win.
Just kick the can already. Strikeforce will probably need to sink back to a regional type of promotion with cards on Showtime. Fedor gets released. M-1 tries to get the UFC to put M-1 fighters on the cards. Dana either succumbs and gets every M-1 guy pummeled to oblivion, and Fedor loses to Lesnar. The mystery ends, and we finally have closure to the whole debate. It’s either that or Fedor roams off into obscurity. In any case, I’m fucking done thinking about it.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 22, 2010 3:24 PM EDT reply actions 9 recs
Fedor's resignation
is the best route to take, IMO. Solves everything.,
I am. I think. I will. - Ayn Rand
ban!
:)
"Justice is the whim of a judge, check his chest density
It leaves much room for error, and the rest left to destiny."
-Sage Francis
by DamnSevern on Apr 22, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It is funny to read comments now
I remember people saying that Dana White was Sauron for not buckling under and “co-promoting” with M-1 Global and it was unfair to call Vadim F. a cheap russian gangster.
Having done business with Russians I could see this coming a 10 miles away
it could have been an xmen reference
The savage land is a rough place
"When i get in there, in his face ,pressin the action,I'm RUFF NECKIN'EM,I'm throwin him around,I'm punchin him,hes punchin me, I'm eatin his shots and I'm Blastin him back in the face he's not goin to be able to handle it ." - Chris Leben on how his fight with Anderson Silva is gonna go.
by Rayce. on Apr 22, 2010 4:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Fair enough. I’m not a big comic book guy so I wasn’t aware of that there were other Saurons out there!
by PM23 on Apr 22, 2010 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
"Crazy Russians" doesn't sound so over the top now does it?
M-1/Fedor might be trying to strech out Fedor’s career to earn more cash but they’re losing fans in the process. I can already see the change in people’s opinions of him and his management. People are just fed up with all the sideshow drama.
by snakecharmer1340 on Apr 22, 2010 3:45 PM EDT reply actions
It's too early to write off fedor...
Before I can give up on fedor I need to see 3 fights to determine who fedor’s replacement will be:
1. Overeem vs. Rogers — and if overeem wins in spectacular fashion, I’ll have to see overeem fight fedor (that isn’t unlikely, unless ubereem is still juicing)
2. Lesnar vs. Carwin
3. The winner of that vs. Velasquez (assuming cane doesn’t lose first)
I just have to be more sure that fedor really isn’t the best — even if he can’t fight the best
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
by mma_dude on Apr 22, 2010 3:48 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Fedor is the best HW of his era but his era will probably end in the next couple of years.
by snakecharmer1340 on Apr 22, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Lesnar, Dos Santos, Carwin, and Cain have brought that era to a close.
Randy, Nog, Mir, Werdum, Herring, and Cro Cop were all destroyed by one or more of these guys. I don’t think anyone believes Arlovski or Sylvia would beat any one of the four, and no one really cares about Barnett anymore because of the steroid issue. Aleks is done due to medical issues, and who knows what’s going on with Kharitonov at this point. That’s pretty much all the top HW’s from Fedor’s era.
It’s now a question of whether or not Fedor can hang in the current era.
I really want to agree with you, and I think I’m probably gonna agree with you in the future — but right now it’s too early. Just look at who those guys have beaten and you’ll see that they haven’t beaten anyone yet — I mean NO ONE.
Lesnar has beaten Mir and couture and that’s it. I’m pretty sure Fedor could handle either of those guysl.
JDS has beaten werdum, cro cop, gonzaga. I’d like to see what happens with Fedor/werdum before I make any crazy decisions.
Carwin has beaten only Mir and Gonzaga. Doesn’t really tell us much about Fedor (Gonzaga beat CroCop, but so did fedor)
Velasquez has beaten Nogueira (as has fedor), rothwell and Kongo. I’d take fedor over those guys as well.
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
I actually think Fedor can hang with those guys. If he fought all four of them, I think he’d lose at least once, but he definitely wouldn’t go 0-4. I also 100% believe that he’s the best HW of all time.
The point I was trying to make was that those four guys now represent the top HW’s in the world, aside from Fedor. I don’t think anyone can argue that anymore. For the first time in who knows how long, the UFC has the premiere HW division in MMA.
The new HW era is already here, and if Fedor wants to prove that he truly belongs at the top right now, he needs to fight one of the big four.
And by the way, if wins like Mir, Couture, Nog, Herring, Gonzaga, Cro Cop, Werdum, and Rothwell (who was a consensus top ten HW not that long ago) aren’t considered legitimate HW wins, then who the hell do these guys have to beat to earn your respect?!
are you trying to bait me for a response?
WHO has all those wins? If you add up all the wins of the UFC HW division and THEN compare it to Fedor, I admit, it sounds impressive (its sounds equal). But, we’re not talking about the greatest organization, we’re talking about the greatest fighter. Fedor stands out as the greatest fighter, despite the fact that he’s not in the greatest organization. Of course the UFC would welcome Fedor with open arms.
I’ve already said: ’If Lesnar can beat Carwin and Velasquez, and Fedor loses to Werdum or Overeem, then Lesnar is number 1." If they both win — then the UFC just has to pony up the dough to let those two guys fight.
Faber, Florian, Nick Diaz, 'Mayhem', Mousasi, Fedor
Not trying to bait you – sorry if I came across as an ass.
Maybe I misread your post, but it sounded like you were saying that none of those wins were legit when you said: “Just look at who those guys have beaten and you’ll see that they haven’t beaten anyone yet — I mean NO ONE.” That’s what I took issue with.
At least we still have Aleks...
He’ll come to the States and wreck everyone…once that whole nasty blood disease thing gets worked out.
I don’t think they even have a dollar invested.
SF should just leave Fedor in limbo, refuse to re-negotiate w/ M1 and refuse to put him on another card.
But Coke doesn’t have enough balls to do that. SF survival likely depends on Fedor fighting on a few of their events.
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
he may not need balls to do that. He may be unable to meet the demands. Then he just has to hold on and pray that he doesn’t lose a breach of contract lawsuit (which they will have home court advantage in).
They can make money on Showtime or without showtime without Fedor, just like they did before.
What would you value M-1 at?
How much would they ask for? Probably way too much.
by snakecharmer1340 on Apr 22, 2010 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions
sans Fedor, M1 is worth nada, nothing, rien!
"I'm Nobody's FanBoy" - higgledy-piggledy
by higgledy-piggledy on Apr 22, 2010 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
How can you buy something that is worthless?
Keep Firing, Assholes!
The world on a string doesn't mean a thing.
It's only real in the way that I feel from day to day.
You haven’t studied much of what caused the US’s economic problems, have you?
If you're not watching Treme, you're a bad person.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Apr 22, 2010 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions
So it ends with a wimper...
I have to agree, at this point Fedor & his M-1 cohorts are simply trying to maximize profits – an understandable motive.
As for his skills, for an extended period of time, Fedor was clearly the best HW in the world. He is probably still the best HW in the world when fighting under PRIDE/DREAM rules. Of all those out there, probably only Machida, A. Silva, perhaps JDS (if he really can roll like claimed) and maybe Overeem would have a decent chance under their rules.
Fedor is also arguably the best under SF rules (cage, no elbows to head, no knees/kicks to head of downed opponent), although there are several others at this point in his career who could legitimately challenge him there with a fair probability of victory. These include those above as well as Carwin, Velasquez and Lesner.
However, fighting in the UFC is a completely different animal than even SF because of the elbows. Although Fedor would likely be a fan favorite against anyone, he would not be favored by much, if at all against several of these fighters.
MMA is all about match-ups and styles, there is no “A beat B and B beat C so A will beat C”)… More importantly, its just too different going from PRIDE/DREAM rules to UFC rules (or the reverse) unless the fighter has trained extensively in both. No one who has dominated in one has gone on to dominate in the other, they are just too different from one another.
The real question is could the Fedor of 2006 could beat the Lesner/Carwin of 2010? Under PRIDE rules, yes, probably rather easily. Under SF rules, perhaps, about 60-40 in Fedor’s favor. Under UFC rules, highly unlikely – probably 25-75 against Fedor vs Lesner, maybe 45-55 against Fedor for Carwin.
Simply think of it as PRIDE/DREAM is apples to UFC (and SF somewhat) as oranges. I know all of the Fedor worshipers will argue & cry forever about it, but unless Fedor (circa 2006) committed a year or more to adapting to and training under the UFC rules and format, that’s the reality of the situation.
by BigDNotDallas on Apr 22, 2010 4:01 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs
Can anyone really argue that working with M-1 is a crippling thing to do if you’re a promotion? Back when Fedor was a free agent I felt like if he went with Strikeforce Coker would be getting jerked around constantly, and now Strikeforce is in need of his drawing power (Fedor? Drawing Power? Can’t believe I said that) and M-1 has them by the balls.
Coker needs to nut up and leave them in limbo, and get back to what he does good. If the CBS deal gets trashed, it’s time to stay in California, build up some more stars, and move slowly, rather than going from Regional to National overnight. Fedor is getting older, and he’s a small man compared to some of the hulks at heavyweight now.
This is sad.
"The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things." - Miyamoto Musashi
The REAL (and overlooked) issues here...
Got off on a separate issue in my previous post…
Regarding M-1, if you will do a little google research you’ll find the what Vadim actually said about the contract “dispute” with Strikeforce concerns documents sent back (by M-1) with the contract…as if that somehow amends it and binds Strikeforce to those terms…
THIS, combined with their “costs” associated with Fedor (also mentioned elsewhere above) are the real issues, although for obvious reasons (not wanting to burn bridges with Fedor just yet), Strikeforce hasn’t publicly pointed this out yet…
by BigDNotDallas on Apr 22, 2010 4:34 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I’m worried about what’s going to happen to Fedor when he’s no longer of value to M1 – that he’s going to end up one of those athletes that make millions of dollars, yet wind up broke thanks to the malfeasance of their management. I know that people are going to come with the argument that it’s all good because Fedor owns 20% of M1 or whatever, but that argument never held much water for me, because if you control a company you can pretty much screw over the minority owners. For example, let’s pretend I own 80% of a company and you own 20%-
Let’s have a board of directors meeting for our imaginary company:
1. Motion to make my wife a vice president of the company with a 500K a year salary. You vote no, I vote yes – motion passed.
2. Motion to pay my cousin Boris 50K a month to be a consultant. You vote no, I vote yes – motion passed.
3. Motion to put our offices in a building I own for rent of 30K a month. You vote no, I vote yes – motion passed.
4. Motion to use an area owned by my brother Vladimir for our next show for a 100K fee. You vote no, I vote yes – motion passed.
I've often wondered...
What does Fedor do with all the money he gets from fighting? He seems like a simple man living a simple existence. Anybody’s(especially staff) imput is welcome :)
Google Ron Paul!
Why is Boy II Men's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" playing in my head?
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
by Damon O. on Apr 22, 2010 4:45 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Probably because you’re black. Mine is “November Rain” because I’m white.
by MMAInFeRioRiTy on Apr 22, 2010 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I couldn't help but laugh at this.
Walking the line between intelligence and ignorance since 1985
@deowade
Normally I'm in the comments to respectfully disagree with Kid Nate...
But this is spot on. At least Strikeforce has SOME semi-viable competition, but it seems apparent that M-1 is intent on burning all of their bridges in the American market.
It’s really, really sad.
Just Making Observations...
Dana on the UG:
i have NEVER posted on shitdog
mmalogic on BE:
he is not exclusive to shitfarce and can fight in japan so this is more likely
Imjussayin
=)
if that’s actually true, i find that i am very often in agreement with Dana, lol… I would love to see fedor in the UFC, I think with his hands he would have a shot against the UFC’s big 4 but I would love to bet heavy on lesnar (assuming a complete recovery) and carwin against him… unfortunately the oddsmakers wouldn’t favor him like his fanboys and he would be the underdog, but probably just a small dog.
He's not Dana, but this is true.
logic was there a few months, and according to him he was getting tired of “jerking off camels”
by Anton Tabuena on Apr 23, 2010 1:49 AM EDT up reply actions
“…see the greatest martial artist in the sport’s young history fight this year.”
STFU. Seriously he hasn’t fought anyone that I would consider top 5 in years. Brett Rogers while impressive is a very green fighter. He beat Arlovski who got blasted by Rogers. Tim Sylvia…. hahaha he falls into the Wes Simms category of fighter more so than a top 10 force.
The Fedor era is over. His fights against quality opponents are to few and far between to even judge where he’s at. He and his management have nickel and dimed their way out of creating a star in the US and they’ve left a wake of bad taste in even the most ardent fan’s mouth.
So Dana White isn't the only one who has issues with Loretta's "reporting"
Guess there must be something to it …
God I hate Vadim and m-1, a bunch of scam artists trying to strong arm promoters in doing stupid deals with them, werdum vs fedor could have saved this card. m-1 is not looking out for fedors carreer, they are looking out for their own brand, that’s why mousasi left them after he found out he was lied to regarding the UFC offer.
The UFC has their chance now to co-promote and share the market, because it will soon be gone. M-1 is going to be huge soon, they are consolidating their energy right now and keeping costs down but they haven’t shown 1/1000th of their full weight yet.
Their niche into the USA will be Strikeforce and theres not a damn thing the UFC can do about it. Dana White and the UFC crew have severely underestimated them. They are far more ambitious than the UFC is or has ever been in the past and its just a matter of time before they become massive. In a few years they will have the biggest and most impressive roster of any MMA organization on the planet.
People buy into the hype and drama too much and don’t think it out for themselves. Thats why practically everyone is blind to whats happening.
by Daniel Draper on Apr 22, 2010 6:16 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
I can’t tell if this is sarcastic or serious, but either way it’s brilliant stuff.
Keep Firing, Assholes!
The world on a string doesn't mean a thing.
It's only real in the way that I feel from day to day.
Bahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
Finally, some levity added to this post…seriously, that’s got to be the single funniest thing I’ve read all week… Whatever you’re drinking, give me 3 of them!
by BigDNotDallas on Apr 22, 2010 6:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Hi Vadim.
How are the perogies?
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Apr 22, 2010 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions
This doesn't make sense
I get using the #1 fighter in the world to gain as much leverage as possible. Blaming Fedor and m-1 for that would be the same as saying Dana was a loser for having to go to the Fertillasto because he didn’t have enough money to buy the UFC. But this? I can’t understand what they’re trying to do?
OK, they want to have more m-1 fighters on the broadcast. Makes sense that they’d want to promote some of their own fighters. And since they also manage these fighters why not get your guys a good payday and a hefty cut of it, but they have to know it isn’t going to happen. If they had Mousasi and Amoussou maybe, but Strikeforce/CBS isn’t going to put on a card with fighters no one has heard of and that no one wants to see. So why even ask for this? Negotiating tool so they can settle on throwing that out in return for more money? Maybe, but they have to know Strikeforce/CBS are on the ropes and if they turn into too big of headache they’ll just dump the whole deal. Maybe that’s what they want; either Strikeforce/Showtime/CBS dumps a shitload of money on their laps or they’re free to go to the UFC (basically the only other show left). But even then, they’d have been better off waiting until after another fight, when Fedor had been exposed to network audiences for a second time.
If it really is to get their fighters exposure, here’s my compromise: put together an m-1 Global/Strikeforce co-pormoted card for Showtime. There, your fighters are on American tv, the m1 global logo is present, and you got your guys healthy purses. But somehow I don’t think that’s the rule hitch in negotiations.
In business.. this is known as a classic example of "Conflict of interest"..
It’s actually illegal in some businesses and totally unethical and violates plenty of principle in the process..
They need to simply decide to which do they prefer to expand on in their business and set the other aside until they can do it all on their own.
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
I guess
Usually, no matter how silly or mean-spirited or asinine or reckless, I can decipher the motivations behind someone’s actions. But not here. Either m-1 is playing 4th dimensional chess or this is pure insanity.
Bodog, Affliction, Stikeforce. What do they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?
by Phildo on Apr 22, 2010 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
well
fedor has said on multiple occasions that he honestly doesnt care too much for the sport of mma, he fights for his family.
he is already set for really, really long time.
he is just enjoying some time off and proly liking it alot more with the current situation.
but he is always ready for a fight and couple extra million dorraz
by TobikanJudan 6 6 6 on Apr 22, 2010 7:23 PM EDT reply actions
Strikeforce with CBS
As Nate says, Strikeforce without CBD is basically finished, hell can they even afford Hendo’s salery. Shame that one of the greatest fighters in modern times will go down as a foot note in history to the public.
If M-1 have any sense then drop any notion of co-promo and take the biggest payday that you can get. I am guessing a 4 fight deal with UFC with PPV cut and assume that he keeps winning (which there is no garantte off) could be worth around $20m to $25m ?
Plus proper promotion of Fedor in the US plus getting M-1 branding on screen. And I am sure that Dana would agree to give other M-1 fighters a chance on fight night cards or undercards. Hell if any of them turned out to be half way decent then they have a chance for broadcast fights. The other revenue of exposure with be on TUF some how, maybe the Abu Dabi one.
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