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SUNSTONE

By SUNSTONE
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#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

Posted
Posted

This Fedor fight is being pushed back so much it's getting ridiculous. He was originally supposed to fight in April, then it was May, now it's June or July. WTH Fedor?

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Strikeforce-M-1-Deal-Close-Fedor-Back-in-June-23111

Strikeforce, M-1 Deal Close; Fedor Back in June

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

by Loretta Hunt (lhunt@sherdog.com)

23111

Strikeforce and M-1 Global are in the final stages of signing off on a revised deal that will see the two organizations co-promote additional events together in the U.S. in 2010.

When finalized, the re-bolstered business relationship will also signal the return of Fedor Emelianenko, the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight and M-1 represented fighter, to the Strikeforce cage as early as June, both organizations told Sherdog.com over the weekend.

“I think June, July is realistic (for Emelianenko’s return),” said Evgeni Kogan, M-1 Global’s Director of Operations. “It’s not 100 percent. Don’t take this as a fight announcement, but I think during the summer.”

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said Monday that a June event headlined by Emelianenko was entirely possible. Emelianenko is expected to face Fabricio Werdum, a former top-five UFC heavyweight who earned a victory over Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva last November.

M-1 Global, a promotional and management company based out of Holland and Russia, approached Strikeforce at least two months ago to revise a three-event contract they’d signed with the American promotion in August. The two organizations held a successful event together last November outside Chicago that featured Emelianenko as the main attraction. The event was televised live on CBS to over four million viewers and also had international distribution.

“We were renegotiating. I think we’re pretty much at the end of that road,” said Kogan. “After the CBS show, we thought that the terms needed a little bit tweaking -- nothing major, just a little bit of tweaking. So, we had a round of negotiations with Strikeforce. Everything went positively. We’re pretty much at the end.”

Among M-1’s concerns in the re-negotiations, said Kogan, was the company’s ability to market its brand through the partnership.

“Obviously, we are much more than the management company for Fedor,” said Kogan. “For us, it’s really important that the M-1 Global brand is acknowledged on these co-promotion events. As much as the partners made a lot of effort to acknowledge the co-branding, the media basically picked up on the fact that it was Strikeforce and kind of forgot about everything else, which wasn’t the most ideal for us.”

Kogan wouldn’t elaborate on other provisions re-tooled in the newest round of talks, though multiple sources have told Sherdog.com that monetary specifics of the deal were at least broached.

Kogan, who left one of the top four law and business accounting firms in Europe to join M-1 Global this year, said the organization hasn’t communicated with the UFC during this time, as was rumored after the re-negotiations were first reported on Feb. 26 by Sherdog.com.

“There is no truth to that. No one met with the UFC,” said Kogan. “We have been re-checking the contract with Strikeforce, but there has been no negotiations with anyone else.”

Kogan also questioned reports which suggested that M-1 Global’s president, Vadim Finkelchstein, stated that Strikeforce had somehow not upheld or violated their obligations of the joint agreement.

“I’m not aware who with M-1 would have made such a statement,” said Kogan. “As far as I know, Vadim didn’t make statements like that.”

Reports that M-1 Global has undergone a recent personnel re-structuring were also coupled with Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi’s decision to end his five-year relationship with the organization. Mousasi, viewed as M-1’s second most-talented fighter behind Emelianenko, was never signed to M-1 Global, though he was represented by one of its executives, Apy Echteld, until recently.

“There’s no interior struggles (within M-1),” said Kogan. “The president is and has always been Vadim. The investors remain the same and the staff hasn’t changed other than myself coming on. Again, it’s just more tweaking.”

M-1 Global has mapped out an ambitious 2010 schedule, which will likely include its co-promoted events with Strikeforce, as well as its own internationally-cast “Challenge” and “Selection” shows throughout Europe and the U.S. The “Selection” events, which are streaming live on Sherdog.com, audition fighters to fill the geographic “Challenge” teams, who meet later in a round-robin tournament format.

“Everyone else is still onboard -- nothing else, in that respect, has changed,” said Kogan. “We’re working less with Jerry (Millen) than we were. Jerry is producing the Challenge shows for us, but not the Selection events.”

Emelianenko, the crown jewel of M-1’s fighter management efforts, was rumored to have re-injured his left hand in a Sambo competition a few weeks ago, though Kogan said those reports are false. Emelianenko is healed from his November bout against Brett Rogers and is back in full-time training, said Kogan. The M-1 rep said the national sambo champion didn’t re-agitate the hand he broke in the Rogers’ bout, but instead voluntarily withdrew from the tournament so he wouldn’t have to face his brother Aleksander, who was also competing.

“(M-1 teammate) Kirill (Sidelnikov) won one of the titles and Aleksander won the other, so (Fedor) was just helping him get through the tournament,” said Kogan. “They said they would never fight each other.”

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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Posted

http://www.fighthype.com/pages/content7110.html

"If they think I'm going to go in there and get choked out or lay down and get my armbarred and all that, they got another thing coming to 'em, you know what I'm saying? Like I said, yeah, you're right, MMA is not like boxing because boxing is tougher, you know what I'm saying? I look at it like this, if a guy get in there and try to take me to the ground, he might see his head go into orbit. The head is going into orbit, for real. These guys in MMA, they good wrestlers and good grapplers and good kickers, like girls, but, you know, when it comes to throwing them blows, they ain't got a chance in hell, you know what I'm saying? Then they say I don't got a chance if I go to the floor. Hey, the only way you gonna know is if you tune in and watch. And that's what I want you to do. Pay your $54.95, come see James Toney. If you hate me, come see me try to get beat, if you love me, you enjoy the ride, have a good time and eat your popcorn."

"Hey, they gonna see a whole arsenal. They gonna see kicks, they gonna see experience and everything. And my forte right now is slamming

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d0ublestr0ker0ll

d0ublestr0ker0ll

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Kicks and wrestling are for girls? Boxing is tougher? Good thing he isn't biased, that's incredibly insightful stuff there.

I hope he gets kicked like a kangaroo, truthfully. He comes off as an ignorant thug. Great boxer but a blockhead for sure. Boxing for MMA is quite different, I think he'll get subbed and start talking about how gay and girlie his opponent was. Definitely doesn't look like he'll be a good ambassador for the sport.

Edited by d0ublestr0ker0ll
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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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Posted
Kicks and wrestling are for girls? Boxing is tougher? Good thing he isn't biased, that's incredibly insightful stuff there.

I hope he gets kicked like a kangaroo, truthfully. He comes off as an ignorant thug. Great boxer but a blockhead for sure. Boxing for MMA is quite different, I think he'll get subbed and start talking about how gay and girlie his opponent was. Definitely doesn't look like he'll be a good ambassador for the sport.

Toney is one of the biggest **** talkers i've seen in boxing

this is strictly a money move, which is why i dont like it. he's not getting any credible fights in boxing because he's not competitive anymore, so he's looking to MMA to cash in on his name

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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http://mmajunkie.com/news/18262/roger-gracie-slated-for-may-15-strikeforce-event-could-meet-kevin-randleman.mma

Roger Gracie (2-0 MMA, 0-0 SF), a 2005 ADCC champion, finally is set to make his Strikeforce debut on May 15.

Sources close to the event told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman (17-14 MMA, 0-1 SF) is the leading candidate to face the grappling ace at the as-yet-unannounced show, which is likely to be hosted by the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., and air live on Showtime.

Randleman, however, is not confirmed as an opponent, and PRIDE and UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokodjou (7-6 MMA, 0-1 SF) is also under consideration should the original matchup fizzle.

Gracie, a second-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Carlos Gracie Jr., announced he had signed with Strikeforce this past December at "Strikeforce: Evolution," though his promotional debut was rumored and did not materialize on two fall 2009 cards.

Gracie, 32, is one of the most decorated grapplers to transition into MMA and made his fighting debut in December 2006 with a submission victory over Ron Waterman. He has appeared only once since then and posted a submission victory over Japanese veteran Yuki Kondo in May 2008 at World Victory Road's Sengoku Second Battle.

Randleman returned to active competition in May 2008 after a year-plus layoff due to injuries and personal problems. He fell short in his two most recent appearances: a unanimous-decision loss to Mike Whitehead this past June at "Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields" and a split0decision loss to Stanislav Nedkov at Sengoku 11th Battle this past November.

Sokodjou, meanwhile, is also on a two-fight slide with TKO losses to Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (in a non-title fight) at at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers" and Ikuhisa Minowa at "K-1 Dynamite!! 2009."

The May 15 Strikeforce event is expected to feature the return of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem as he takes on the hard-hitting Brett Rogers. Another heavyweight match-up pitting Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski is also expected for the card.

Gracie’s debut is slated for the televised portion of the May 15 event.

gracie has won everything there is to win in bjj. there is nobody better on the ground

the gracie family needs a win in the cage pretty soon, its been awhile since they've had their hand raised in victory

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Patrick86L

Patrick86L

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The May 15 Strikeforce event is expected to feature the return of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem as he takes on the hard-hitting Brett Rogers.
UBEREEM is finally coming!

5nxXbCz1SAM

Although I give Rogers a puncher's chance since he does have heavy hands and Alistair's chin is suspect I find it funny that the majority of sherdog thinks Rogers will win this. IMO Alistair is superior in every aspect and his striking and defense have improved alot since fighting in K-1 but I don't even think he is going to bother using it. I think Alistair won't play around and take Rogers down and submit him or knee him into submission kind of like he did to Buentello. Either way it is going to be an really exciting fight to the finish one way or another.

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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http://mmajunkie.com/news/18299/rich-franklin-vs-chuck-liddell-in-the-works-for-ufc-115-not-rumored-april-show.mma

Light heavyweights Rich Franklin and Chuck Liddell are penciled in for a June showdown.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the promotion that the two have verbally agreed to face each other in June at UFC 115, though contracts have yet to be finalized.

The new matchup replaces a planned third meeting between Liddell and Tito Ortiz that had been expected for the promotion's first trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and may have been arranged as a result of Franklin's unexpected involvement in "TUF 11."

The Franklin vs. Liddell matchup was first reported by Fighters Only magazine, though the U.K.-based publication pinned the fight to a rumored April 17 UFC Fight Night card that now seems increasingly unlikely to occur.

Liddell and Ortiz were announced this past December as opposing coaches on the soon-to-debut "The Ultimate Fighter 11" series. At that time, the UFC also announced plans for the legendary figures to meet for a third time at the conclusion of the series.

It was later learned that the matchup was intended to headline the as-yet-unannounced UFC 115 card in June.

With Ortiz no longer in the plans, the former champion's next move is currently unknown.

In February, with "The Ultimate Fighter 11" still filming in Las Vegas, the "Hunting Beach Bad Boy" posted a series of cryptic messages on his Twitter account the led to many to speculate something had run afoul with his role as a coach on the Spike TV series.

"If things couldn't get worse, they just did!" Ortiz stated on Feb. 24. "[Expletive]! "I want to thank all my fans for your support!

"I guess business is business."

Three days later, additional Ortiz comments led to further speculation.

"Thanks for all the support," Ortiz stated. "Thinking that life couldn't get any harder? It just did! Another challenge that god has given me! Wow.

"Many things that challenge us in lives will make us stronger. One thing I can say is don't ever quit. I'm strong because of my family and fans!"

MMAjunkie.com has learned from additional sources that Ortiz was not able to complete the filming of "The Ultimate Fighter 11," though the reasoning behind his absence wasn't immediately known.

Those same sources suggested that Franklin was possibly brought in as a replacement coach to finish out the season's filming, and "Ace" now meets Liddell as an opposing "TUF" coach.

The original announcement of a third matchup between Liddell and Ortiz was met with little fanfare. Many MMA fans felt the matchup was unnecessary with the "Iceman" already owning a pair of wins over Ortiz – a 2004 second-round knockout and a 2006 third-round TKO.

that cracked skull must be flaring up again

Edited by StillUnknown
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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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http://mmajunkie.com/news/18306/bellator-calls-monday-press-conference-expected-to-announce-signing-of-roger-huerta.mma

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Roger Huerta (20-3-1 MMA, 0-0 Bellator) is set to test his mettle in Bellator Fighting Championships' season two eight-man lightweight tournament.

Sources close to the situation confirmed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the popular lightweight received his formal release from the UFC this week, which opened the door to finalize a deal with the upstart promotion.

Bellator has called a video press conference for Monday at 3 p.m. ET that will stream live at Bellator.com.

Huerta is the seventh 155-pound competitor added to Bellator’s second season, which kicks off April 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The twelve-week season airs live on FOX Sports Net affiliates on Thursday nights, and highlights packages air on NBC and Telemundo over the weekend. Tournament participants in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight classes battle for the right to face season one's tournament champions.

Huerta made headlines in January over a Twitter comment that hinted at negotiations and a possible signing with Strikeforce. Promotion officials later confirmed a meeting with the fighter but said it did not produce a fight contract.

Huerta shot to stardom in 2007 when he became the first mixed martial arts competitor to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine.

He later drew controversy in the buildup to a career-making fight against Kenny Florian at UFC 87 when he told FIGHT! magazine he was unhappy with the terms of his UFC contract. He lost to Florian by unanimous decision and afterward told reporters he respected the UFC and was merely looking out for his financial health.

Four months later, he turned down a new five-fight contract with the UFC and announced his intention to start an acting career. Huerta appeared in the martial arts film "Tekken," and inked a three-fight development deal with Lions Gate Films.

Huerta waited 13 months to fulfill the final fight on his UFC contract – leading many to speculate the promotion retaliated against him for the interview – and lost to Gray Maynard by decision at UFC Fight Night 19 this past September.

In his most recent silver screen role, Huerta appeared in "Circle of Pain," starring Dean Cain and UFC veterans Heath Herring and Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson.

Huerta's win over Clay Guida at "The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale" was a certain candidate for 2007 "Fight of the Year." After Guida nearly knocked him out in the second round, he staged a come-from-behind attack in the final frame and submitted the wild-haired fighter with a rear-naked choke.

Huerta made his UFC debut at UFC 63 and racked up six consecutive octagon wins before falling short to Florian.

Bellator's lucrative tournaments can earn each division's winner $100,000 over three fights and three months. Should Huerta made it through the promotion's eight-man tournament, he'll book a date with current Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.

Bellator is quietly assembling a nice stable of fighters

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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http://mmajunkie.com/news/18320/directv-and-versus-strike-deal-wecufc-events-returning-to-satellite-providers-lineup.mma

After more than a half-year blackout, the Versus channel is returning to DirecTV.

DirecTV and Comcast, owner of the all-sports Versus channel, today made the announcement stating, "Versus will return to the same DirecTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009."

Versus, home to World Extreme Cagefighting and now the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was dropped from the satellite-cable company's lineup on Sept. 1, 2009, after a dispute over carrier fees.

DirecTV boasts approximately 18 million subscribers and – thanks to some exclusive offerings such as the NFL Sunday Ticket – is popular with sports fans.

Terms of the new deal were not disclosed, though Versus has already been reinstated on the channel lineup.

"We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers," DirecTV executive Derek Chang stated.

A Versus executive echoed that sentiment while playing up the cable station's upcoming UFC on Versus 1 event, which airs this coming Sunday (March 21) live from Broomfield, Colo.

"We're excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts Versus back in millions of homes with DirecTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule," Versus president Jamie Davis stated. "We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more."

Versus began airing WEC events in June 2007 with WEC 28. Earlier this year, Zuffa LLC officials announced a few select UFC events also will air annually on Versus.

WEC ratings have had a noticeable dip since the loss of DirecTV homes. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported last week, this month's WEC 47 event drew just 370,000 viewers, the second-lowest WEC television audience in nearly two years. WEC and DirecTV officials had long maintained that a resolution with DirecTV was likely.

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