Was not co-promoting even an option? Fedor wasn't an "unrestricted free agent''?

According to M-1's website, there was no way Fedor could have signed any agreement to fight without negotiating with M-1 since he is already under contract with them. He still has a three-fight promotional contract with M-1 Global that he must fulfill before he is really a "free agent".

While it certainly sucks that Fedor doesn't get to trash Lesnar, are we really giving M-1 a fair shake in this?

I think we have demonized the wrong people when it's looking more and more like a Fedor deal couldn't have happened at all unless the UFC convinced M-1 to sell his contract, which it's hard to imagine them doing, especially considering the options M-1 eventually went with.

Maybe there are no bad guys. Maybe it's just business. Things sometimes get done and sometimes they don't.

Quote :

While many fans have adopted a pro-UFC policy and an anti-M-1 stance regarding Fedor Emelianenko’s current status, they are overlooking several key facts.

First, Fedor hold a significant ownership stake in M-1. As such, he’s not just a fighter, he’s also an owner. Additional, he is not a pure free agent. He has a three fight promotional agreement with M-1 and is not a pure free agent. Legally, any promotion wishing to do business with Fedor, must also negotiate with M-1. While there are pundits who feel it would be “crazy” for the UFC to co-promote with M-1, hopefully those same pundits can understand it would be “crazy” for M-1 to just suddenly release the number one fighter in the world from his contract.

Bringing some more sanity to the one-sided debate is SportsIllustrated.com’s Josh Gross. In a new article for SI, Gross recaps the recent turn of events between the UFC and M-1, correctly pointing out that reports claiming Fedor and M-1 turned down a six-fight, $30 million contract were completely erreneous.

Gross does additional reporting and reveals that the money guaranteed money that the UFC offered Fedor turned out to be less than the guarantee Fedor will make for each of his three remaining fights for M-1.

“Rumors of a six-fight, $30 million deal from the UFC were shot down by Emelianenko’s camp.” writes Gross, before continuing, “Sources inside M-1 Global told SI.com that the UFC offer was for half as many fights at a rate less than what Emelianenko currently receives from his promotional company.”

I like how this thread gets no responses.

It's like Sherdog. Everybody has selective reading and does not want to hear that the only way to get Fedor was through co-promtion to the company he in under contract to.

Saying he does not care about the fans or he's afriad of "hyped up fighter A and B" makes for much better discussion. Because if we looked at is as it truly was, UFC trying to sign a fighter under contract to another promotion and not giving the promotion any reason to let this happen it would be kind of a no deal and at the same time UFC's fault for even entering discussions with Fedor while ignoring the fact that the could not get him without doing the 1 thing they definetly would not do. They should have waited untill his M-1 contract was up instead of getting the fans all hyped and bring them down hard for something that had really no chance of happening because of the way UFC does business, not anybody else and only pure arrogance on the part of UFC made it seem like M-1 had no say other than whispering sweet nothings in Fedor's ear influencing him. They had all the say. M-1, those dirty motherfuckers, how dare they try to benifit from a fighter they have under contract for 4 fights? They should have just said "fuck us" and let Fedor sign to UFC and got nothing from it. A contract is a contract. He was definetly restricted.

Great fucking post.

The UFC has destroyed Fedor in this PR battle. The fat 30 million dollar contract lie, the perception that Fedor was able to negoiate a deal without M-1. MMA community hornswaggled.

If Fedor is the part owner why couldn't he decide to take the money the UFC was offering. M-1 is still getting a huge chunk of change. What is the problem?

Besides being part owner, he is also under a promotional contract with the company that apparently him being just part owner doesn't make him immune from.

Why doesn't he just talk to his other owners are say I'll finish the M-1 contract after we make our money from the UFC?

The numbers haven't been released I don't believe, but I find it hard to believe SF's offer was anything like the UFC's.

I doubt it was that simple. UFC probably wanted to eliminate M-1 from the picture completley just so they don't get the rub. Also, Fedor is a minority owner of M-1. He has little to no say when it comes to contracted fighters like himself because the majority always owns the minority They wanted co-promotion when Fedor fought, it's that simple. That's not how UFC does business and i don't have a problem with that at all, it's more money in their pockets but it is what M-1 wanted. I bet Fedor would have taken even less money from UFC than he did from Strikeforce if they were willing to do some co-promotion, they were not, so Fedor who works for M-1 declined. That is just the business side of the sport that not everybody is going to be happy with, but it is just that. It has nothing to do with the fans, legacy, or who everybody percieves to be the best fighters, it's still a business and UFC and M-1 did not come to terms while Strikeforce was willing to come to terms.

People keep going back to the money money money per fight and the alleged "best in the world" when it was all about co-promotion, and Strikeforce knew that they did not have to offer Fort Knox to get him in there. They had to offer US exposure to Fedor and M-1 Global and with Showtime and CBS they can do that. UFC came in with the "we got the big bucks, we claim we have the best fighters in the world, most believe us, and you have a legacy to protect. As far as the thing YOU guys wanted, fuck off because it does nothing for us" While Dana, it might of done something for you, it would have landed you the best HW in the world and your money matchup of Fedor vs. Brock. Let's see if Brock vs. Carwin/Cain or Nog vs. Couture will make UFC so much more money than they would have making 50% off a Fedor/Brock or Fedor/Couture fight, i doubt it will be much more if not even less. That's why im tired of the UFC HW division hype, where are the money matchups without Fedor? atleast Fedor is on for free with Strikeforce and gets exposure. Plus Fedor vs. Overeem is more compelling than any HW bout UFC is going to put on in a long long time, probaly exactly 1 year and 3 Fedor fights.

In response to farmer-

From what I have read - It's three million in guarantees, chunk of an up-coming PPV (which might actually do ok if pushed by CBS) Plus whatever he makes through M-1, which has always been rumored at 3 million a fight.

The UFC's contract depended on PPV heavily, but was still very lucrative. However the UFC couldn't directly sign Fedor. That has always been M-1s position from the beginning.

In 12 months, if Fedor gets his three fights, which I am sure he will with the investments of everyone, this could get a lot more interesting.

King, from what I've read (who knows if its right) UFC was willing to do a lot for M-1 but not co promote.

If you owned M-1 and Fedor had a contract with you, would you want to let it go for Fedor's legacy?

I do what gives me the most $$$ and gets my name put out there the most.

We don't know which one did that.

Maybe, but what could that have been though? We don't know any details on that, we just know M-1 wanted co-promotion and UFC did not. I don't blame the UFC for not wanting to do that, but i don't feel right blaming Fedor or even M-1 for it as so many are. I see it as two organizations protecting their interests and thus not being able to come to terms because both of their interests conflict with eachother. That's business sometimes. Maybe Fedor does not care about the fans, but who's to say guys like GSP,Penn, Spider, Rampage, Lesnar, etc. care about the fans? It's definetly not avoiding the best, because the guys he fought in Affliction were considered some of the best fighters in the world and Pride's HW division when he dominated is still the best HW class of all time IMO. Before i go ranting off again about things i already said, i'll just say that people are right to be dissapointed that they won't see Fedor fight the UFC but are really in the wrong to be talking all this shit about him like taking the deal and telling M-1 to loosen up their demands was some easy task that should have been accomplished.

Ahh you guys are still beating this horse. He is in strikeforce now let it be. He will kill their so called competition then come to the ufc.

muayjitsu wrote:

Ahh you guys are still beating this horse. He is in strikeforce now let it be. He will kill their so called competition then come to the ufc.

..and kill their so called "best in the world" assuming any of these alleged "best in the world" are still relavant by the time Fedor gets there. Vadim was right, no logic behind them being the best in the world when the are topped by a 4-1 fighter, two prospects who's resumes are no more impressive as Brett Rogers, and a bunch of old gatekeepers who will retire, or be out of the UFC getting knocked out by HW everyewhere else. Yet, it's never UFC HW never do well outside of the UFC, it's just they arent good anymore.

Hey I just want to see him fight everyone is that wrong? Love watchong fedor fight. Always think its funny when they always say the same thing. This fighters style may be the style needed to beat fedor. yeah.... right

Who's everyone?

You mean the 4-1 champion, the 2 undefeated guys with about as much to brag about as Brett Rogers, and a bunch of old gatekeepers that probably would probably never win enough meaningful fights to get a shot at Fedor, or Brock for that matter.

It's not hard. You actually think UFC has a heavyweight division Fedor must face when Brock has had but 1 title defense and the next contender is the winner of two guys who's combined resume hold only Gabriel Gonzaga and Chieck Kongo as notable victories. How is that not a weak ass division?

whats wrong with you man you just read someones post and use it to continue some useless argument you have with no one. I never said Fedor has to face them or that it tarnishes fedor. It's what i would like to see for stylistic purposes. I want to see fedor fight thats all. Do you believe Rogers would beat Carwin??? I don't believe Brock will be champ once fedor is done in strikeforce. The HW division overall is spread out amongst other orgs. But they have a higher quantity of quality HWs in the UFC. THAT IS A FACT. They are also invested on building their HW division with TUF.

So if Roy Nelson or some football player wins TUF, that is a realistic challenge for fucking Fedor?

What's Emelianenko doing still fighting. Fedor you did it all. Retire partner.

MuayJitsu, Relax.

Carwin vs. Rogers. I don't know. I have my reservations on both fighters. Their careers are pretty much identical so far. They both have a bunch of 1st round KO wins over cans and they both most recently won a relavant fight, though Rogers win was far more relavant IMO. I don't know where we go off putting Carwin ahead of Rogers though. Obviously it's because of the banner he fights under and not exactly that his performance and competition has been better than Rogers. I would not bet on Rogers in that fight, but i certainly would not bet against him. It's fair to say if he landed one on Carwin it's lights out and im sure Carwin would finish Rogers if he landed the big one as well. Both are in the same position,. They both probably have to win one more fight to get a shot at the title, unfortunatly for Rogers, he'll probably fight Fedor in a #1 contenders fight.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

MuayJitsu, Relax.

Carwin vs. Rogers. I don't know. I have my reservations on both fighters. Their careers are pretty much identical so far. They both have a bunch of 1st round KO wins over cans and they both most recently won a relavant fight, though Rogers win was far more relavant IMO. I don't know where we go off putting Carwin ahead of Rogers though. Obviously it's because of the banner he fights under and not exactly that his performance and competition has been better than Rogers. I would not bet on Rogers in that fight, but i certainly would not bet against him. It's fair to say if he landed one on Carwin it's lights out and im sure Carwin would finish Rogers if he landed the big one as well. Both are in the same position,. They both probably have to win one more fight to get a shot at the title, unfortunatly for Rogers, he'll probably fight Fedor in a #1 contenders fight.

Sorry if i came a little strong. I do not put carwin ahead of rogers because of the banner he fights for it is for the fact that we know he has wrestling also. His chin was also tested and he passed. We know more about him then we do about grim he is still unknown. I do admit he has a bigger win as far as AA goes. Out of all the SF HWs I do think grim is the most legit one now. Werdum is suspect and overeem can't win the big fights.

Overeem is only 28 years old, and he is at his peak physically and skill wise. I don't put much stock into his Pride days anymore and i doubt too many people really do. Dana White really wanted him for a guy with 11 losses, but the guy is a beast now. Now of course, since Dana is in protect mode, Overeem is a nobody.

Werdum is excellent. No shame in losing to Arlovski in 2007(or ever) and he just got caught by Dos Santos.Hell, his two consecutive wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera would get him a UFC title shot in the Lesnar era. The guy has done very well in his big fights and i think it was a bit hasty of Dana to drop him because of the upset loss. That shit happens sometimes. He's beaten Gonzaga twice, and Brandon Vera yet they are still employed there and Gonzaga is still considered a huge win in UFC.

Also, with co-promotion with Dream in Japan, or maybe Strikeforce just wanting to put on a big fight. Are we ruling out the possibility of Fedor vs. Barnett happening? i think there is a good chance that fight does happen and thats as big of fight as any because if he can't get licenced in the states, the fight can happen in Japan.

We'll see. I think he'll be busy over the next year. I think they'll give him Rogers first but they'll be able to test him with Overeem and whoever they can get after Overeem. Hoping it's Barnett.