Amoussou on TUF a sign of warming relations between UFC and M-1?

amoussou getting cut by SF came from out of nowhere(and not even reported), and came not too long after the whole "Fedor's future with SF could be finalized today", which of coarse didn't produced anything. Figuring Amoussou is still with M-1, maybe this does add up.


http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/11/5/1796683/m-1s-prized-prospect-trying-out-for-ufc-the-plot-thickens

Tryouts have began for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas. Nick Thomas has already covered the subject here. There were some notable names grappling on the mats in front of UFC brass. There was one fighter trying out for the new season that made me do a double take; prized M-1 prospect Karl Amoussou.

Star-divide

For those of who aren't familiar with Karl "Psycho" Amoussou; he is a 24 year old French middleweight fighter signed to M-1 with a record of 11-3-2. He is a fighter who started his career with impressive submission skills and has shown flashes of blinding knockout power. You can catch some highlights from his career here. His budding potential was brought along inside M-1's organization and he was the nascent oranization's first real prospect. He is a terrific finisher, though wild at times, and only recently has shown weakness in his ground game as he was smothered by larger Kazuhiro Nakamura at Dream 15. His previous fight ended in a draw against Trevor Prangley due to a thumb to the eye. Those two fights were part of a four fight deal "Psycho" signed with Strikeforce/Dream, and they are the last with both organizations as Scott Coker cut the talented, yet raw Frenchman, half way through his deal. The question I have is does this signal further cooling of the relationship between M-1 and Strikeforce? To dig deeper does it mean a warming between M-1 and UFC?

Personally, I would be shocked if Amoussou didn't make it on to the show. He has tremendous talent, great personality, the right look. With intense work on his ground game he could be a star. I would imagine that M-1 has had talks with UFC regarding his participation in TUF. That alone interests me. There are no special concessions made for TUF tryouts. If Amoussou wins he would become an M-1 managed fighter with an UFC contract. In the past I opined that M-1 could be a great feeder for both UFC's TUF shows and international events as well. They have an interesting stable of up and coming talent from around the world. The Challenge series is designed just for that purpose. UFC can promote like nobody else in this business but they lack the ability to identify prospects and build their own stars. They are simply too busy putting on the big shows to develop talent. I think M-1 is shifting their business model under Evgeni Kogan. This year the M-1 Challenge events did quite well and provided some solid MMA entertainment. It is becoming clear that promoting these events is the focus of the company going forward. Fedor is about to negotiate what will likely be his last contract. He, as a fighter, is not the future of M-1. The company needs to use whatever management commissions they get from that last contract to help grow the company. I think it is interesting that they are negotiating directly with SHO and not Strikeforce. Knowing SHO, I don't think those negotiations will yield anything for M-1.

Does Coker cutting this well known M-1 prospect signal that the future with M-1 is bleak? Especially since their middleweight division is one of their thinnest in talent? I think it does. M-1 is coming to NYC for the MMA World Expo in the middle of November. Most of SHO's sports division is located in Manhattan and my guess is will be the last round of negotiations with the premium cable outlet and soon after we will hear about Fedor's future. SHO does not have the bandwidth or the budget to take on another MMA organization's product. Strikeforce probably does not have the money to afford Fedor anymore on their own. EA Sports is the only other player that could bridge a gap but they might be better off having Fedor in UFC. The best thing both organizations can do is build a big PPV with Fedor facing off against Werdum or Overeem and load up the card with a circus show fight, like Bautista vs either Lashley or Walker, bring Gina back, and highlight the best fighters they have. Then, move on.

For M-1, the best thing they could do is sign a 4-6 fight deal for Fedor to fight in the UFC and work out some kind of arrangement that gives the Challenge series some heat, even if it is only in the international markets. M-1 dropped their demands for co-promotion, they need to protect their core business going forward. If they continue to succeed, and have any UFC muscle behind it at all, the Challenge series will get US TV distribution eventually, either on their own or with UFC. The international television licensing would get a huge boost as well.There is a real business model there, albeit not the pipe dream of the past, but a solid, sustainable business model that, with a partner like UFC, could blossom.

For UFC, this deal makes sense as well. Dana, after UFC 121, reiterated what we all know; the heavyweight division is the straw that stirs the drink. Right now that division is about as thin as it has been in a long time. Fedor's aura has taken a hit, but a win against either Werdum or Overeem would change that dramatically. There are so many dream matches in UFC with Fedor in the mix. Even moreso, by Dana signing Fedor he delivers a huge blow to Strikeforce's heavyweight division, which many could debate is on par with UFC's division. Strikeforce is not a threat to UFC, but if they ever got their heavyweight division in order they could create some heat. Dana knows it is better to nip something like that in the bud rather than give it a chance to grow. He has that killer instinct in his business dealings. He gets to bolster his most prized division while weakening his competitor. Always a good move. If all he has to do is give the Challenge series some heat, somehow, he basically has a solid international feeder league that he can toy around with for the duration of Fedor's contract.

I know what some of you are thinking, the horse is dead. But, as time goes on I am seeing little signs that Fedor in the UFC is not impossible and actually is starting to become probable. M-1 has displayed a certain level of arrogance in the past that was unpalatable and Vadim will always be Vadim. But, the company is clearly taking a new direction. I find a certain amount of humility displayed in having one of their vaunted prospects rolling around with a bunch of other fighters for a shot to get on The Ultimate Fighter. If Amoussou winds up on the show I think the chances increase of a much more storied M-1 fighter joining UFC's roster.

I never heard anything about Strikeforce cutting Amoussou...or DREAM cutting Amoussou.

That article or blog is garbage. It reads way too much into a fighter who probably went to the tryouts on his own. I doubt there was any communications with UFC and M-1 to get friggin Karl Amoussou on the tryouts...just like there was no communication with UFC and Strikeforce for Andre Galvao to be at the tryouts. It's a tryout. Guys show up. Justin Wilcox(Koscheck protege) went to these last TUF tryouts even though he was under contract to SF. There was reports he was even selected to be on the show. 15 days from now he's fighting in SF as a headliner because the UFC probably did not let him on the show because of his contract and he could not get out of it like he probably expected being seldom used on prelims and Challenger shows. I don't expect to see Karl or Galvao on TUF next season.

UFC has also signed plenty of M-1 veterans and prospects without some silly fan made article to follow. They have not even signed Amoussou or accepted them on their show. 2009 called, it wants it's ridiculous M-1/UFC are having behind the scene discussions about Fedor wet dream back.

Whats even more ridiculous is the thought that UFC still looking to have any negotiations with M-1 at all. M-1 is relevant for one more event and then Fedor will have to talk to the american promoters by himself, or M-1 will have to act simply as a managing part because the days of the co-promoting card are over as soon as Fedor next fight ends.

I don't think dude is even managed by M-1 anymore.

Supposedly SF did say that both Amoussou and Galvao were cut.

Ya, welcome to last week.

The UFC will probably avoid adding these guys to TUF though. I just have that feeling. The big names with respectful English as a second language personalities and dynamite skills rarely make it through the trials.

Wolfgangsta wrote:

Ya, welcome to last week.

The UFC will probably avoid adding these guys to TUF though. I just have that feeling. The big names with respectful English as a second language personalities and dynamite skills rarely make it through the trials.

Amoussou and Galvao just don't fit that show even though they'll be better than almost all of them save 1-2 guys. That show is not about finding all the best fighters they can. It's a gay little reality show. If they like Amoussou and Galvao they'll sign them outright but both coming off losses...and in Galvao's case an embarrasingly one sided one we won't see these guys on TUF because they don't fit and we won't see them in UFC because they both are fairly mediocre. Karl has a lot of talent but he still has not got over the hump into being atleast a middle of the pack fighter, he's lost to every decent talent he's faced.

May not fit the show's non-MMA entertainment focus, but I think they'll be on the show, and think this is where TUF is headed, e.i. better more proven fighters.