M-1 Global News - Page 2

Highly ranked heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3) picked up his first victory in nearly six months with a first-round TKO of Silvao Santos (1-1) at Thursday's M-1 Challenge.

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With multiple promotions in the United States including EliteXC, Strikeforce, the as yet unannounced Affliction/Golden Boy Promotion team and several more in Japan, Sylvia said he intends on fighting “six or seven” times next year. His contract with Adrenaline is non-exclusive, so the bigger question may just be which promotions he might materialize in. “All of the above,” Sylvia said with a laugh. “Whoever is willing to fight me. I’ll fight anybody, anytime, anywhere, any place. So if they come up with the money everyone else is matching, I’m going to go there and fight.” One fight in particular that seems to peek Sylvia’s interest is a match-up with former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, who is currently a free agent searching for a new home. “I have the utmost respect for that guy,” Sylvia commented about Fedor. “He’s ranked No. 1 in the world. I want to challenge myself, and I want to fight him. No doubt in my mind. It’s the best fight out there for the both of us right now. You know he hasn’t fought any No. 1 contenders in a while and I think he needs to be tested and I want to be tested. I think it’s a great fight for me, it’s a great fight for him, and I think we need to make that fight happen.” The list of top heavyweights available for Sylvia to fight keeps growing and the former heavyweight champ said he hopes to fight soon. He is currently eyeing a fight in May, June or July.

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Ernesto Hoost is the man who needs no introduction. We had an opportunity to catch up with him right after Fedor's seminar in the Netherlands in March. Here is the interview with the legend of the sport. Michael Mazur: How do you think why K-1 is so popular here in the Netherlands. If you compare it with other countries there are 12 K-1 World Grand Prix champions out of 15 coming out of the Netherlands. What’s the reason of it?

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Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (24-4), a longtime UFC fighter whose relationship with the organization was oftentimes rocky, has left the organization and signed with Adrenaline MMA -- the promotion previously known as M-1 Global. Adrenaline MMA CEO Monte Cox announced that former IFL stand-out heavyweight Ben Rothwell (29-5) has also signed with the organization, which is working toward a June 14 show in Chicago

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Alexander's opponent's name is change...againPublish date: March, 28, 2008 Finally one fighter stepped up to accept the challenge and fight against Alexander Emelianenko in a superfight come April, 3. It's going to be Chute Boxe Academy representative Silvio Santos (5-2) whose height is 189 cm and weight is 115 kg.

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M-1 Global, Fedor agree to go separate ways “There is so much going on in the world of mixed martial arts right now that we have decided it is in our best interest if our company and Fedor go our separate ways,” said M-1 Global President and CEO Monte Cox.

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Monte Cox, the President and CEO of M-1 Global, joined "The Savage Dog Show" on the Sherdog Radio Network Monday to discuss the company's rumored dissolution and the status of prized heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko.

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Fedor Emelianenko recently sat down for a very candid interview with Sport Express.ru. Fightline.com was able to obtain a wonderful translation of the article which appeared on the Sherdog forums. Enjoy. The Best Fighter in the world in Chuck Norris version. (They mean Chuck Norris here as an org, like UFC. Doesn't make much sense in English, I know; but they're trying to make a joke in Russian). We missed our Tula train - so Fedor Emelianenko had to wait for us near the Kursk station entrance. He was wearing worn out jeans and a funny hat - nobody recognized him. Legend of legends. One of the most mystical personalities in the sports world: in Mixed Martial Arts, Emelianenko, the first Russian world champion, doesn't know defeat. And each fight, according to rumors, adds half a million dollars to his bank account.

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Despite the announcement of an agreement last October between Fedor Emelianenko and M-1 Global, the deal was never signed, a source close to both camps told Sherdog.com. The Russian heavyweight's only agreement with the company -- according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity -- came in the form of a letter of intent. The return of a $1.5 million signing bonus paid by M-1 Global to Emelianenko is the only hurdle to the former Pride champion's potential free agency. That should be remedied this week, the source said. M-1 Global CEO Monte Cox declined to comment. Once Emelianenko is clear of his M-1 obligations he is expected to field offers from several MMA promotions. The early leader, according to the same source, comes from the purported partnership between Affliction and Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, which Sherdog.com has learned could debut on June 28. "Right now we don't have any comments," Golden Boy Promotions Public Relations Director Romiro Gonzalez told Sherdog.com. "[Oscar] is in the sports business. He is loading up on all the fields, especially boxing. We're moving into soccer, MLS. There is nothing official we can say." . This is pathetic to the point of satire. That M-1 and Monte Cox would go through the motions of trotting out in front of press conferences and the free world arguably the biggest fighter in the sport without a contract is beyond amateurish. I believe Dana White when he says Fedor's people are hard to deal with, which makes a lack of a contract to secure Fedor's services mind blowing. What this means for a potential Couture vs. Fedor match is anyone's guess, but what is clear is that the idea M-1 can reasonably compete with the UFC anywhere besides Russia is absurd. Their marquee fighter has no contract and the infighting causes promotional paralysis. It's a good thing Monte Cox didn't quit his job as an agent because it's likely going to be the only job he has very soon.

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In the interview with MMAYOU.com Fedor discusses UFC, Dana White, combat sambo, BJ Penn, Josh Barnett, Rickson Gracie and number of other topics.

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Confirmation Thursday of a rumor that circulated for weeks has made Fedor Emelianenko the most sought-after free agent in mixed martial arts … again. The move by Emelianenko, first reported by ESPN, immediately rekindled talk of the Russian heavyweight fighting in the UFC, perhaps even against Randy Couture. Apy Echteld, who was hired as part of the European branch of M-1 Global and is a longtime manager of the 31-year-old Russian, told ESPN's Ryan Hockensmith that Emelianenko would be willing to restart contract negotiations with the UFC once the "divorce" is finalized.

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On Thursday, new cracks appeared in M-1 Global’s façade. Apy Echteld, a co-manager of Fedor Emelianenko and development executive in the upstart promotion, confirmed to ESPN’s Ryan Hockensmith that the top-ranked fighter and M-1 would be separating next week. Emelianenko was M-1’s first talent acquisition when the consortium of Russian and American promoters came together in October of 2007. The report on ESPN.com also stated that both Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White and Echteld would be open to discussions concerning the possibility of having Emelianenko face UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture in the Octagon. M-1 President and CEO Monte Cox, however, was adamant that the Russian superstar is still a part of his promotion. “As of right now, M-1 Global and Fedor are still working together,” he told MMAWeekly.com. Cox declined to comment about the ESPN article, but said M-1’s plans were still underway for its first event on American soil, a June 14 card at the Sears Center in the Chicago area, still expected to feature Emelianenko. The show has been rescheduled from a May 3 date at the Allstate Arena, also in the Chicago area. M-1’s first venture with Emelianenko, a co-promotion with Fight Entertainment Group and other Japanese promoters on New Year’s Eve, was a success according to Cox. Since then, rumors of difficulties between the American and Russian factions of the partnership have persisted. “But as of now, Fedor still belongs to M-1 Global,” stated Cox.

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Don't consider a UFC fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Randy Couture dead just yet. With Couture embroiled in a nasty legal dispute with the UFC and Emelianenko tied to M-1 Global's MMA franchise, the heavyweight dream matchup has long seemed to be the world's best bout that would never happen. Now it could. Apy Echteld, one of Emelianenko's agents, confirmed what a source close to the situation previously told The Magazine: M-1 Global and Emelianenko will part ways some time in the next week, making the Russian a free agent. Divorce negotiations are ongoing right now, with a formal announcement likely for in the next few days. "Officially, yes, Fedor will be a free agent," Echteld says. Of course, the UFC would have to be willing to re-open negotiations with Emelianenko's management. Previous talks dragged on for almost a year before falling apart amid plenty of name-calling and finger-pointing from both sides. UFC president Dana White was vocal in pinning the blame on Emelianenko's team, saying he never once spoke or met with the fighter. Would the head of the UFC be willing to enter the Fedor fray again? "Absolutely, 100 percent, in a heartbeat," says White. "People think he's the best—I don't, not even close. But if it's somehow possible, I would make it happen." Reached on Thursday, Echteld was caught off-guard when told that White would be willing to revisit last year's stalemate. But he echoed the UFC's willingness to talk and vowed to speak with White as soon as possible. "We're open to a discussion," says Echteld. "If everybody is willing to put a little wine in the water, then we have something to work with. There is space for this to happen." A fight involving Emelianenko and Couture would also require considerable fence-mending between Couture and the UFC. Couture has cited the UFC's inability to sign Emelianenko as a key reason for his sudden retirement. And now the two sides are locked in a bitter, months-long battle about the duration and terms of Couture's UFC deal. Over the past month, the situation has seemed to only be deteriorating. That could change if Emelianenko becomes available. "I like Randy, I genuinely like to think he's a good guy," White says. "As much as we've gone back and forth on this, I would sign Fedor and do everything possible to get Randy in the octagon with him. I'd do anything, because a., it's a great fight and b., I think Randy would smash Fedor." Through his spokesman, Couture declined to comment.

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check it out if you go to the page before this it also includes other interviews including nick thompson, josh barnett, and yoshida

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Looks aight i guess

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During today’s press conference to announce that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has left the UFC to fight for the new DREAM organization, the company’s executives announced that they had struck a deal with M-1 Global, which could mean a future bout between DREAM’s Filipovic and M-1 Global’s Fedor Emelianenko. The news comes from Yahoo! Sports, a content-partner site of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). According to reporter Dave Meltzer, the two upstart organizations have signed a business deal — a move that could open the door for the promotions to share talent. Melzter said that Emelianenko (as well as free agent UFC hall-of-famer Royce Gracie) both appeared in videotaped messages saying they planned to compete for DREAM.

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Seriously. M-1 Global's newest project is "Fighting Fedor", a TUF-style competition series where 16 Heavyweights will fight for the grand prize at the end-a fight against M-1's Fedor Emelianenko.

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Most interesting part of this article is the last couple of paragraphs, quoted here: Semenov's decision made such waves that even his former tutor Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) interfered. When Fedor heard the news, he immediately called Finkelchtein, Red Devil's owner. Later Fedor was quoted in an interview as saying, "Listen, nothing will come of [Semenov]. I have no desire to work with someone who lets people down like that." Finkelchtein is unlikely to watch without doing anything. The consequences could involve M-1 signing native Russian talent to exclusive contracts or making it difficult for Bodog to run shows in St. Petersburg.

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Saying he will no longer permit Dana White to disparage him, former PRIDE heavyweight champion and famed Russian fighter Fedor Emelianenko has fired back and penned an open letter to the UFC’s head president and challenged him to allow a fight with UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture or interim champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

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Aleksander Emelianenko (12-3), a highly ranked heavyweight (and the younger brother of famed fighter Fedor Emelianenko), will next fight April 11 for the upstart M-1 Global organization, and the Russian expects his opponent to be Josh Barnett (20-5). News of the potential bout was posted on Emelianenko’s official website at www.alex.mixfight.ru. The as-of-yet-unannounced M-1 Global event is expected to take place in Chicago. The Emelianko brothers’ manager, Vadim Finkelstein, recently sold the M-1 organization to a group of American investors who restructured the fight promotion. As its first order of business, the organization signed Fedor to a long-term deal. The organization’s CEO, longtime MMA agent and promoter Monte Cox, recently stated that the organization had planned for a February debut date but instead pushed it back a few months to allow more time for signing talent. If the organization does sign Barnett for the fight, it could signal another loss for the UFC.

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