Anything MMA, except thumb wrestling

[Sebowski]

and...

http://mmaxclusive.com/2009/07/27/josh-barnett-m-getting-punished-for-something-i-didnt-do/

Former UFC champion Josh Barnett was sidelined in his scheduled bout against the widely regarded number one heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko when he failed to pass his pre-fight drug test carried out by the CSAC, subsequently causing the Affliction Trilogy card to be cancelled.

Barnett himself however denied any wrong doing, “I’m getting punished for something I didn’t do, I know I didn’t take a banned substance, they can say whatever they want but sooner or later the truth will come out” said Barnett. Many spectators of the sport blamed Barnett for the collapse of Affliction but Barnett is adamant that he has nothing to apologize for “apologize for what?” asked Barnett “that’s what a guilty person would do, if anyone is to blame it’s the commission”

[Sebowski]

sports radio host Carmichael Dave is reporting that the UFC offered a 6-fight 30 million dollar contract with a cut of the Lesnar ppv, and no sambo restrictions.

[StillUnknown]

sports radio host Carmichael Dave is reporting that the UFC offered a 6-fight 30 million dollar contract with a cut of the Lesnar ppv, and no sambo restrictions.

damn thats a ****load of money for MMA, although Fedor has never struck me as the type where money would be the main issue

part of me wonders how the contract is structured though. almost all of UFC contracts have a clause that states a fighter can be released after a loss.

[Opiate-Zeo]

wow...he fails a drug test 3 times in his career and expects us to believe he didn't do anything wrong.

[Opiate-Zeo]

Damn, that is a ton of money. In UFC terms that's like a 3 year deal at 10mil a year, not including the cut and endorsement deals. If that is the actual offer, I'd be very surprised if he doesn't take it.

[StillUnknown]

http://mmajunkie.com/news/15682/mitsuhiro-ishida-replaces-josh-thomson-meets-gilbert-melendez-at-aug-15-strikeforce-event.mma

Earlier this week MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) conducted an interview with Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson in which we learned the fighter's lingering leg injury could cost him an Aug. 15 fight interim champ Gilbert Melendez.

Despite subsequent reports stating that Thomson (16-2) wouldn't be pulled from the card, a source close to the negotiations today told MMAjunkie.com he hasn't been medically cleared for the fight, and Melendez (15-2) will instead meet Mitsuhiro Ishida (18-5-1).

According to the source, the bout will remain a five-round title fight, presumedly with Melendez's interim belt up for grabs.

"Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg," headlined by Gina Carano vs. Cris "Cyborg" Santos (for Strikeforce's first-ever 145-pound women's title), takes place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., and airs on Showtime.

A message left with a Strikeforce official was not immediately returned.

Thomson, who defeated Melendez for the title in mid-2008, initially was slated to rematch his former training partner earlier this year. However, Thomson broke his leg during a training session in April, which forced the cancellation of the bout and prompted a new booking of Melendez vs. Rodrigo Damm for the interim belt. Melendez won the April fight via second-round knockout.

"I broke it right at the ankle, so I had to have some plates put in with some screws," Thomson told MMAjunkie.com Radio earlier this week. "It was a double break in the fibia. I had a break in the lower part of the bone and a break in the upper part of the bone. I got eight screws and a plate put in.

"It was kind of a nasty break. The good thing is it wasn't a jagged break. There was no compound fracture."

Thomson said the leg wasn't 100 percent, but he felt he could still continue. However, he was supposed to meet with a doctor this week to get final approval for the Aug. 15 bout. It appears it didn't come through.

Taking his place is Ishida, a former PRIDE fighter who signed a non-exclusive deal with Strikeforce in 2008. Ishida's lone Strikeforce appearance came in September 2008 at "Strikeforce at the Mansion II," where he defeated rising prospect Justin Wilcox via quick first-round submission. However, after putting together four wins in five fights, Ishida recently suffered a TKO loss to Mizuto Hirota at a May Shooto event.

The Ishida vs. Melendez bout is actually a rematch from their first meeting in December 2007. Melendez, undefeated at the time, suffered his first career loss when Ishida scored a controversial unanimous-decision win at the Yarennoka! New Year's Eve 2007 event in Japan.

pretty good replacement. the 1st Melenedez/Ishida fight was pretty good and ended in a close decision

[StillUnknown]

http://sherdog.com/news/news/m-1-fedor-not-offered-30-million-18816

M-1 Global is denying a report that Fedor Emelianenko turned down a six-fight $30-million deal this week to join the UFC’s heavyweight ranks.

CBS Radio host Carmichael Dave reported Wednesday that Emelianenko had turned down an agreement that would have paid him $5 million per fight. However, Joost Raimond, CEO for M-1 Global, called the report “completely ludicrous” and said negotiations never even reached the point where the number of fights contracted for Emelianenko was decided.

“I can say that the guaranteed -- and the word ‘guaranteed’ is of great importance here -- the guaranteed offer made by the UFC is less than what Fedor made before,” Raimond said. “The five-million (per fight) is way, way, way out of range. Half of that is even way out of range of what they offered.”

Raimond was not present at the meeting that took place between UFC and M-1 management in Los Angeles earlier this week, but he said he was debriefed shortly afterward. M-1 and UFC officials, including president Dana White, reconvened the next day via teleconference call, where M-1 presented a counteroffer that included co-promotion. No written contact was ever presented.

M-1 President Vadim Finkelstein and Emelianenko were en route to Russia Thursday and could not be reached for comment. UFC officials told Sherdog.com that White is also traveling and their earliest comment would come Friday during a media conference call.

Raimond confirmed that M-1 Global had been presented with the possibility to receive a cut of pay-per-view profits in addition to Emelianenko’s guaranteed pay, but he said no other profit-sharing incentives were presented.

“And there were a number of provisions attached to that offer that made it very much less interesting,” Raimond said.

Many of those provisions involved the branding of M-1 within the UFC organization, according to Raimond.

“We made it clear that Fedor, now and forever is part, even part owner, of M-1 and those two cannot be separated,” Raimond said. “If the rest of M-1 is excluded from any kind of deal, it makes the deal difficult.”

Raimond said a title shot against heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar –- in Emelianenko’s first fight or otherwise -- was not specified during the talks. (UFC President Dana White has publicly stated the Russian would challenge for the title in his first bout with the promotion, though.) Raimond also confirmed that the UFC conceded to allow Emelianenko to continue to compete in sambo, of which he is a national champion and spokesman, and noted during the meeting that the fighter was free to wear M-1 clothing.

“That’s like telling someone they’re allowed to eat,” said Raimond, suggesting it wasn’t a significant concession.

Raimond noted that the M-1 team was disheartened to learn that “unsubstantiated rumors” had been disseminated, and that Internet readers were willing to believe them at face value.

“Sometimes the fans don’t realize that there is a business to run and all these statements, ‘These M-1 idiots, why don’t they just give Fedor to the UFC because they’ve offered him the best money?’ This is a completely unsubstantiated rumor that the UFC has offered the best money for Fedor ever. This is just not the case.”

Raimond emphasized that negotiations with the UFC had been fruitful, even though the fundamental disagreement over co-promotion between the two organizations remains.

“We had a very professional, productive and respectful meeting with the UFC,” Raimond said. “I think both parties walked away (knowing) even though a deal wasn’t made, that a very decent meeting was had.”

i think most were suspicious at that 30mil figure. seem closer to how the NFL contracts are set up where the announced # is not an accurate depiction of the contract

Edited July 31, 2009 by StillUnknown

[Sebowski]

http://sherdog.com/news/news/m-1-fedor-not-offered-30-million-18816

i think most were suspicious at that 30mil figure. seem closer to how the NFL contracts are set up where the announced # is not an accurate depiction of the contract

All that matters is that Fedor will not budge on his co-promotion so he will never fight in the UFC. He will fight Barnett in Japan, Overeem, Rogers, and Antonio Silva. Maybe he'll get to mix in fighters the UFC will eventually cut, but that is it. Those are Fedor's fights for the next two years. His legacy will always be controversial. He can not be the Jordan or Tiger without winning in a cage for the UFC, and he never will. The only chance is if M-1 goes bankrupt. Maybe they'll try to sign Fedor themselves and it will drive them out of business too.

[StillUnknown]

All that matters is that Fedor will not budge on his co-promotion so he will never fight in the UFC. He will fight Barnett in Japan, Overeem, Rogers, and Antonio Silva. Maybe he'll get to mix in fighters the UFC will eventually cut, but that is it. Those are Fedor's fights for the next two years. His legacy will always be controversial. He can not be the Jordan or Tiger without winning in a cage for the UFC, and he never will. The only chance is if M-1 goes bankrupt. Maybe they'll try to sign Fedor themselves and it will drive them out of business too.

his legacy is already secure in my book

if fedor never fights against he's undisputedly the best HW fighter ever

and top 3 mma fighter of all time with a strong argument for best ever

i could see the argument if there were absolutely no credible HW's outside the UFC, but thats not the case. there are still credible opponents outside the UFC

[Sebowski]

his legacy is already secure in my book

if fedor never fights against he's undisputedly the best HW fighter ever

and top 3 mma fighter of all time with a strong argument for best ever

i could see the argument if there were absolutely no credible HW's outside the UFC, but thats not the case. there are still credible opponents outside the UFC

Credible, sure, but not elite. Not after Barnett.

The other thing that hurts Fedor is that has no big fights in a cage. None with the elbows rule either. The UFC is a different game. When it is all said and done these things will tarnish his legacy in history. A few hardcore people will always stick up for him, but he will never be Jordan, Tiger, Gretzky, Ali, unless he fights in the UFC. The UFC is exploding right now. He needs to be a part of this to go down as the best.

[StillUnknown]

Credible, sure, but not elite. Not after Barnett.

The other thing that hurts Fedor is that has no big fights in a cage. None with the elbows rule either. The UFC is a different game. When it is all said and done these things will tarnish his legacy in history. A few hardcore people will always stick up for him, but he will never be Jordan, Tiger, Gretzky, Ali, unless he fights in the UFC. The UFC is exploding right now. He needs to be a part of this to go down as the best.

the cage/ring debate is a different issue.

the ufc may be exploding "right now" but when Fedor was dominating, he was in the organization with the top competition at his weight class at the time.

you can argue his status all time, although i dont see him ever being ranked any lower than 3. his spot as the best of the HW all time is not really debatable and probably wont be for the foreseeable future.

[#98QBKiller]

Credible, sure, but not elite. Not after Barnett.

The other thing that hurts Fedor is that has no big fights in a cage. None with the elbows rule either. The UFC is a different game. When it is all said and done these things will tarnish his legacy in history. A few hardcore people will always stick up for him, but he will never be Jordan, Tiger, Gretzky, Ali, unless he fights in the UFC. The UFC is exploding right now. He needs to be a part of this to go down as the best.

If he retires today, he's elite. The Pride HW division was the best in the sport from about 2003-2007...better than the UFC's HW division is now and he cleared it out.

The cage/elbow thing is overrated. He's fought most of his fights in matches that allow stomps to a downed opponent. No one will question Liddell, Hughes or Couture's legacy for fighting mostly where stomps were illegal.

He has no legitimate loss on his record and he's consistently fought the best in his weight class for nearly all of his career. You can't say that about any other elite fighter in the sport.

[StillUnknown]

[Sebowski]

If he retires today, he's elite. The Pride HW division was the best in the sport from about 2003-2007...better than the UFC's HW division is now and he cleared it out.

The cage/elbow thing is overrated. He's fought most of his fights in matches that allow stomps to a downed opponent. No one will question Liddell, Hughes or Couture's legacy for fighting mostly where stomps were illegal.

He has no legitimate loss on his record and he's consistently fought the best in his weight class for nearly all of his career. You can't say that about any other elite fighter in the sport.

My point is that he hasn't fought with UFC rules, and it is the UFC that is taking over the world right now. There will always be a question of how he performs in the cage. Cro Cop was suppose to walk right through everyone in the UFC. It didn't happen.

For the record, I think Fedor is probably the best p4p fighter in the world. I am just looking at this from a historical perspective and playing devil's advocate. He may have 6 wins over fighters that at one time held the UFC HW title, but his critics will always be able to say that he may have dominating the Pride HWs, but the only elite HWs he beat while the were elite were Nog and Cro Cop. The more time that goes by, the better the UFC HWs get, and the bigger the UFC gets, the worse Fedor's resume will look in the history books. After he fights Barnett, Fedor needs the UFC much more than the UFC needs Fedor.

[Sebowski]

That is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Thanks, SU.

[StillUnknown]

My point is that he hasn't fought with UFC rules, and it is the UFC that is taking over the world right now. There will always be a question of how he performs in the cage. Cro Cop was suppose to walk right through everyone in the UFC. It didn't happen.

For the record, I think Fedor is probably the best p4p fighter in the world. I am just looking at this from a historical perspective and playing devil's advocate. He may have 6 wins over fighters that at one time held the UFC HW title, but his critics will always be able to say that he may have dominating the Pride HWs, but the only elite HWs he beat while the were elite were Nog and Cro Cop. The more time that goes by, the better the UFC HWs get, and the bigger the UFC gets, the worse Fedor's resume will look in the history books. After he fights Barnett, Fedor needs the UFC much more than the UFC needs Fedor.

you raise valid points and history should consider those factors. i would only argue that you can do the same for any champ or any other highly regarded fighter.

for example, critics could say that Chuck was fed wrestlers that allowed

him to showcase his style.

to me the sport of MMA is so new you can only judge fighters based on the era they are in now. you cant account for future generations that will undoubtedly be more talented. we dont hold it against Royce Gracie's legacy or someone like Mark Coleman. we judge them based on their era because what they did at the time was revolutionary. 20yrs from now we may look back on the current crop of fighters much like we look at fighters who fought at UFC 1

i just think that Fedor has done already, his legacy is secure. the most impressive thing about his resume to me is that in 31 professional fights, and in a sport where everybody loses, he does not have a legitimate loss.

we've seen other top fighters, face fighters who were not on their level and lose (GSP losing to Serra, CroCop losing to Gonzaga, Dos Santos beating Werdum). the fact that Fedor hasn't stands out in a major way to me

legacies are not just made up of who u beat, its how you perform under adversity. we've seen Fedor close to losing in a fight (the Randleman slam that would've ended most other fighters night & the fujita punch that turned his legs to jello) yet he perservered. thats why his legacy is secure in my book.

[Sebowski]

you raise valid points and history should consider those factors. i would only argue that you can do the same for any champ or any other highly regarded fighter.

for example, critics could say that Chuck was fed wrestlers that allowed

him to showcase his style.

to me the sport of MMA is so new you can only judge fighters based on the era they are in now. you cant account for future generations that will undoubtedly be more talented. we dont hold it against Royce Gracie's legacy or someone like Mark Coleman. we judge them based on their era because what they did at the time was revolutionary. 20yrs from now we may look back on the current crop of fighters much like we look at fighters who fought at UFC 1

i just think that Fedor has done already, his legacy is secure. the most impressive thing about his resume to me is that in 31 professional fights, and in a sport where everybody loses, he does not have a legitimate loss.

we've seen other top fighters, face fighters who were not on their level and lose (GSP losing to Serra, CroCop losing to Gonzaga, Dos Santos beating Werdum). the fact that Fedor hasn't stands out in a major way to me

legacies are not just made up of who u beat, its how you perform under adversity. we've seen Fedor close to losing in a fight (the Randleman slam that would've ended most other fighters night & the fujita punch that turned his legs to jello) yet he perservered. thats why his legacy is secure in my book.

I can't argue with that, but.....

How much greater would it be if he walked into the cage and beat Brock, and the next two top guys whoever they are after a Brock fight (Mir, Carwin, Brock again, Gonzaga, Cain, Kongo). That would put him in logo making territory.

I am just getting more upset that the UFC is offering him 3 times more than they pay GSP, Anderson, BJ, Brock, ect..., and it still isn't good enough for him. Even if he condsiders himself better than those guys, is he 3 times better? What about the fact that he can not sell a ppv to save his life? He has less than half the drawing power of the guys I mentioned, yet he wants 3 times the money, AND special considerations?

:bsflag:

I won't blame the UFC at all if they not only stop negotiating, but actually lower their offer.

They should tell Fedor: The only way you are getting in the UFC is if you win TUF" :hysterical:

Speaking of reality shows, what ever happend to that fight Fedor contest/show M-1 was trying to do? Have they ever pulled anything off on their own, ever?

:soapbox:

/rant

So everyone taking BJ and Anderson next week? I'll actually be able to watch live for the first time in months.

[lovetoaster]

Dana press conference notes:

Tito is back...no specific fight mentioned. EDIT: Tito's first fight likely against Mark Coleman in Nov. or Dec.

Belfort is back, replacing Hendo in the main event at 103 against Franklin.

Hendo to get next crack at A. Silva for the MW belt.

No Fedor news yet.

No network deal yet.

They are updating it here:

http://insidefights.com/2009/07/30/dana-white-conference-call-live-updates/

EDIT: Belfort-Franklin fight will be at 205 and Dana says Belfort would like to fight at HW at some point. I have no idea why...I thought he looked great at MW in Affliction...

Edited July 31, 2009 by lovetoaster

[Chachie]

Dana press conference notes:

Tito is back...no specific fight mentioned. EDIT: Tito's first fight likely against Mark Coleman in Nov. or Dec.

Belfort is back, replacing Hendo in the main event at 103 against Franklin.

Hendo to get next crack at A. Silva for the MW belt.

Wow, Rich versus Vitor? Wow. Nice recovery from the Hendo-Franklin rematch scenario! This will be very interesting.

[lovetoaster]

Wow, Rich versus Vitor? Wow. Nice recovery from the Hendo-Franklin rematch scenario! This will be very interesting.

Yeah, for some reason I did not even think about that scenario. That is an interesting fight. I am initially taking Vitor.

Dana is asked what co-promotion means. Dana says “how the hell are they going to co-promote?” Basically says M-1 wants half of their business for the best heavyweight in the world. Says that crap might work in Russia but not here.

:hysterical:

[StillUnknown]

dana's press conferences tend to be letdowns

vitor/tito/ & others joining the fold are nice, but i was hoping for new TV deal with ESPN/ABC or something

[lovetoaster]

dana's press conferences tend to be letdowns

vitor/tito/ & others joining the fold are nice, but i was hoping for new TV deal with ESPN/ABC or something

True, but I think he had really planned to have Fedor announced at this presser. But unfortunately his management team is ridiculously unreasonable. I think Brock is going to have to fight him on a frozen pond in Siberia at this point, because I don't see him in the UFC anytime soon.

Meltzer asks about the battle over production control. Dana says it’s not an issue anymore. They have multiple suitors for a major television deal. He is confident they are going to have a deal very, very soon.

Dana says there is no compromise on the co-promotion. Says again that they did everything that they could possibly do and that the deal they offered was insane. Asks why the hell he would let anyone else co-promote with them. I would say the exact same thing. White mentions the Fertitta’s gaming license and that they cannot do business with people from other countries in the way M-1 wants to do it. Dana was miserable that they couldn’t get the deal done with Fedor and were willing to do it at any cost except co-promotion. Says again that they don’t want to make a deal with UFC.

- They bent on everything except co-promotion.

- Dana says he was the nicest version of himself ever during the negotiations.

- Dana says Vadim didn’t care at all about anything they had to offer.

Edited July 31, 2009 by lovetoaster

[StillUnknown]

Tito says if he dominates the light heavyweight division he would like to move up and face Brock Lesnar, but concedes that Lesnar would be a giant test.

good to see Tito as delusional as ever

[lovetoaster]

good to see Tito as delusional as ever

Yeah, but in a weird way, I kinda missed it.

More Tito and Fedor stuff...

- Dana says the best in the world are the people who constantly challenge themselves three times a year with fights against other top fighters. Fedor doesn’t callenge himself and is proving that he doesn’t care about challenging himself.

- Dana has a standing offer out to Fedor and it will continue to be open. The fans want to see Fedor vs. Brock and he desperately wants to make it happen. Says he is always available. Says Fedor will not fight the best in the world and thus cannot be considered the best in the world.

- He and Tito sat down in Tito’s home and worked out the emotional stuff, and then made a deal.

- Dana says he doesn’t want to talk about Fedor anymore. Says they offered him a “f*cking assload” of money. It sounds like the original deal that was floated by Carmichael Dave was actually correct.

- Dana says Tito is very important to the history of the company.

- Tito says he was very close to a deal with Strikeforce, but it came down to competition. Says again that he would kill Babalu and Frank Shamrock and perhaps even Cung Le. Says he’s going to get the belt back.

Edited July 31, 2009 by lovetoaster

[StillUnknown]

press conference is over

no new tv deal & no fedor (although still working on both apparently)

vitor, tito, paul "semtex" daley, and handful of unnamed fighters announced

still not that huge a deal

dana should stop scheduling these "huge" press conferences unless he has signed contract of a tv deal or Fedor. lol