Cuban Confirms Interest in M-1

---

On the eve of the debut show of his HDNet Fights organization, Cuban confirmed to the Chronicle's Brawl Sports that he is in discussions regarding a possible business deal with the M-1 Mix-Fight Championship.

---

LINK

I think at this point cuban has to be the "undisclosed America entertainment-related company" There is no doubt in my mind that he has purchased M-1, and if he hasn't already, he will certainly make a serious effort to. Is this good for mma? is the fact that cuban may own possibly two mma venues, one of which has fedor, a good thing for the sport? who knows, maybe he will take his promotions to the next level, but i really don't want him to be a major player in mma, because he really doesn't know too much about the sport and will handle it too much from a business perspective.

Little surprise to me, he was my guess as to who was buying M-1. Now he should consider setting his sights on Couture if this deal goes through, he'd have the one thing Randy wants most-Fedor.

---

Posted by DCRage

Little surprise to me, he was my guess as to who was buying M-1. Now he should consider setting his sights on Couture if this deal goes through, he'd have the one thing Randy wants most-Fedor.

---

yea, but isn't randy still under contract w/ dana and the ufc? i wouldn't mind seeing couture vs fedor in m-1, in fact i would love to see those two fight anywhere, but i don't think it will happen, especially after dana's comments which pretty much said if he can't have him no one can.

---

Posted by jiujitsufreak74

---

Posted by DCRage

Little surprise to me, he was my guess as to who was buying M-1. Now he should consider setting his sights on Couture if this deal goes through, he'd have the one thing Randy wants most-Fedor.

---

yea, but isn't randy still under contract w/ dana and the ufc? i wouldn't mind seeing couture vs fedor in m-1, in fact i would love to see those two fight anywhere, but i don't think it will happen, especially after dana's comments which pretty much said if he can't have him no one can.

---

Ya I was under the impression that Randy still belongs to the UFC and when and if Randy comes back it is with the UFC

Clearly, you aren't reading the article. It says he has interest in DEALING with M-1. He has already been confirmed to not be buying M-1. The consensus is that it is a gambling company that deals in Russian and American markets that we haven't heard of before, NOT Bodog.

Trigg, Caplan, and a few others already know who it is, but are not disclosing since they could be sued over it. They have stated it isn't Cuban, hence why Cuban says he is dealing to work with M-1.

He isn't buying them.

You can read Caplan's comments at Fightlinker regarding his knowledge of who it is, and he won't tell anyone because it's an off the record comment he can't disclose.

With that said, Cuban dealing with M-1 is still great. He could potentially sign Josh Barnett and then we could see a co-promotion with M-1. M-1 would have a way to broadcast fights in North America through HDNet. Brilliant move.

---

Posted by babalu2720

Ya I was under the impression that Randy still belongs to the UFC and when and if Randy comes back it is with the UFC

---

Dude why would you think that when he has just left on bad terms and politely said Dana and the Fertitas are liars!
But yeah he is still under contract, 2 fights left usually means 1 year from his last fight, so he would be free to sign for another org next August
Having said all that if Randy wanted more pay i very much doubt ANY other org would pay more than $250,000, BUT on the other hand he could of said he has retired but he hasnt, he has just resigned from the ufc so the thought must be in his head to fight somewhere else

His contract was for 4 fights or 2 years.

He has 2 fights remaining or according to him, 9 months left on his contract. Dana White says that is not the case, so I'm sure a legal battle is going to ensue.

---

Posted by LR

Clearly, you aren't reading the article. It says he has interest in DEALING with M-1. He has already been confirmed to not be buying M-1. The consensus is that it is a gambling company that deals in Russian and American markets that we haven't heard of before, NOT Bodog.

Trigg, Caplan, and a few others already know who it is, but are not disclosing since they could be sued over it. They have stated it isn't Cuban, hence why Cuban says he is dealing to work with M-1.

He isn't buying them.

You can read Caplan's comments at Fightlinker regarding his knowledge of who it is, and he won't tell anyone because it's an off the record comment he can't disclose.

With that said, Cuban dealing with M-1 is still great. He could potentially sign Josh Barnett and then we could see a co-promotion with M-1. M-1 would have a way to broadcast fights in North America through HDNet. Brilliant move.

---

Why has nobody considered Vince McMahon? He fits the profile and has expressed interest in MMA. He was my second guess behind Cuban.

I've also heard it isn't the WWE, but... his name has been mentioned quite a bit recently. The rumor that he isn't involved is definitely not as strong as Cuban. Many outlets are reporting that Cuban isn't the buyer, but is pushing hard to co-promote with M-1 and possibly push a television deal as well, which is a great business move.

Randy's fight, according to his manager, was fight by fight. That was the biggest deal in bringing him back to fight for the belt, he wanted as many outs as dana had. Right now it is a 9 month no compete clause and then he's free.

I also would like to see him buy it cuz I like him more than Dana. He's entertaining but isn't McMahon.

At least M-1 will undoubtfully call it Mixed Martial Arts, and not Ultimate Fighting.