M-1 on ESPN?

Over on his site, Russian MMA has posted some "insider information" about new developments for M-1. Among these is a potential deal which, if true, would absolutely change the face of US MMA:

Journalists have been talking about a marketing aspect of hyping Fedor and M-1's dominance on the American market. They have been whining about how difficult it would be to get Fedor's face recognized by the general public, even with HBO, Showtime or with Mark Cuban's HDNet. Only these three channels were mentioned in the articles, and journalists were concentrating on them. But the surprise is that there is also other alternatives... Are you ready to hear it? Ok, here I go: ESPN! According to the source, ESPN "are in". I won't bet my head for 100%, because it can also mean that they only are in the negotiation process, but I am pretty sure that it was about a real contract! Can you imagine the opportunities this brings? A channel which is available in over 100 million homes in the United States and over 150 countries and territories via ESPN International!.. Introducing Fedor Emelianenko and to get people to know him will happen, exaggeratively speaking, in no time! First, thanks for the shout-out on my whining, Russian MMA. Second, if you're talking about the ESPN familiar to American fans, I still think this is hard to believe. ESPN, is yet to acknowledge the existence of any MMA other than the UFC here in the United States or on their "ESPN Deportes" channel that is broadcast here and in most of Latin America. South American versions of ESPN (such as ESPN Brasil) also haven't had any MMA content as of yet.

So, what are the possibilities? Could this be one of the many international versions of ESPN? I think this is the most likely source of Russian MMA's rumor. It's important to note that coverage on one of the ESPN family of networks does not imply coverage on all of ESPN's networks across the globe. Most air programming unique to their own country or region, with the US version being the most notable example of this.

With the popularity of Fedor in Asia, specifically Japan and Korea, it's possible that Russian MMA's sources are referring to a deal with MBC-ESPN, ESPN's South Korea outlet. Similarly ESPN Star, which broadcasts across multiple countries in Asia and already has a coverage agreement with TNA Wrestling of the USA, could be a potential suitor.

Whatever the source of this story, a potential arrangement with any of the ESPN international networks would certainly be a boon for M-1 Global's ex-US prospects.

For any exposure in the US, however, it's going to take more than deals with HDNet, HBO or Showtime. Over-the-air or free cable TV is still the only answer for an MMA promotion in the United States.