Fedor training

Fedor HL

Guy spits his tooth out

Master Class

A private interview with Fedor Emeliaenko is published in the Japanese MMA magazine, KAMIPRO, from 13 Nov. This interview took place on 22 Oct.

- Why did you sign with `M-1 Global', instead of UFC?
My manager, Vadim Finkelstein, managed the contract. I was satisfied when I saw an offer from `M-1 Global' first time. I was looking for an organization which can arrange the fights with the best opponents for me, and that is `M-1 Global'. I can fight outside the organization and `M-1 Global' will arrange to fight the champions in other organizations for me. I believe `M-1 Global' will be a real international organization and will be the best MMA organization in the world.

- Could you tell me about the offer from UFC? What the main reason you decided not to fight in UFC?
Vadim: The offer from UFC was very advantageous for them but not for us. UFC only has right to make a decision of picking the opponent, to terminate the contract and to change the contract. I have never had such an unfair offer like that in past 10 years. We were working with UFC and FEG, but could not come through to the signing with both of them.

- UFC President, Dana White, said `crazy russian' about you. What do you think?
Vadim: I would say he is a crazy American. I respect Dana White because he is the person who made MMA very popular in USA. But the downside is, he wants to control MMA market in US and outside of US, tie fighters with the unfair contract and push his policy and his business theory to fighters. He cannot control all MMA organization in the world from now on. UFC have to change and need to cooperate with other organizations.

- What do you think about PRIDE?
PRIDE was the best event because I had a lot of opportunity to fight the best fighters in the world. I say `M-1 Global' has the closest business idea to PRIDE. `M-1 Global' is going to hold an event in Japan next summer.

The Fight Network quotes M-1 Global president Monte Cox as saying that Fedor will be paid $1.5 million by the Japanese promotion. Monte Cox did not reveal the amount paid to M-1 Global for lending out Emelianenko. Also, there’s this tidbit regarding Fedor’s opponent:

Cox said that reports on MMAWeekly.com and Sherdog.com naming South Korean kickboxer Hong Man Choi – who stands 7-foot-2 and weighs in at more than 350 pounds – had already been selected as Emelianenko’s opponent were premature. Cox said Choi has neither been confirmed nor signed to face Emelianenko.

“Part of the deal is that they choose the opponent,” Cox said. “They’re choosing an opponent that makes sense for the Japanese market.”

It will be a star-studded card, packed with former PRIDE talent. The show is organized by former PRIDE staffers.

Fighters confirmed for the event:

Fedor Emelianenko
Joachim Hansen
Ricardo Arona
Gilbert Melendez
Luiz Azeredo
Aoki Shinya
Kazuo Misaki
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Hasegawa Hidehiko
The M-1 homepage also mentions Alexander Emelianenko and Roman Zentsov

Fight card

EMELIANENKO FEDOR vs CHOI HONG MAN

MISAKI KAZUO vs AKIYAMA YOSHIHIRO

AOKI SHINYA vs J.Z.CALVAN

KAWAJIRI TATSUYA vs LUIZ AZEREDO

SAKURAI MACH HAYATO vs HASEGAWA HIDEHIKO

ISHIDA MITSUHIRO vs GILBERT MELENDEZ

Well you can add Murilo bustamante to that list he has been confirmed also.

Fedor's open letter to the fans!

"It's always a pleasure to receive letters from my fans, especially when it comes to letters from my fans from Japan. For many years, we spent the New Years Eve together, celebrating my victories. They've always inspired me through the toughest moments and hardest bouts of my entire career. In recent years, I thought a lot about the proverb saying "New Year's Eve defines the whole coming year".

Being in that country is a holiday in itself. We experienced it every year and now my team and I, personally, miss its amazing culture, rich history, and wonderful traditions.

However, if you wish something really bad you don't give up half way through; you must keep working towards your goal. I contacted M-1 Global management and received their complete support in my desire to continue the tradition of fighting in Japan on New Year's Eve.

Now it all depends on whether it will be possible to organize an event of a caliber all of us got used to. That's why I'm addressing you, dear MMA fans. M-1 Global and I will do our best to give you one more show taking place in Japan on this New Year's Eve. I'll be extremely happy if our mutual wishes come true.

Yours faithfully, Fedor Emelianenko.

The Russian newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” recently carried a story about a Fedor seminar in which he talked with the press and commented on future plans.

- Fedor said that Sambo competition is similar to real combat and that, in general, each man should know how to defend himself.

-He states that when he first started competing in MMA, he used boxing and muay thai. After learning the basic and effective techniques, he borrowed from kickboxing and karate.

-He was asked how he could compete in 2 major competitions with a broken hand. He responded that the injury was serious (broken finger), but that contract conditions were such that he had to compete.

-He reminded the students to rest after trainings, eat well, and to not forget about their better halves, nor to neglect their own growth as a person. He states a preference for Russian literature classics.

-Van Damme offered him a role in the “Blood Sport” sequel. Filming was set to start in April in South Africa but it did not work out for unknown reasons. He was also offered roles by Russian film makers but he states that he does not have time and prefers to devote himself to his sport.

The Wrestling Observer writes that the UFC offered Fedor $1.5 million per fight, far surpassing any other MMA contract. It also claims that negotiations have stalled over 3 major points:

1) Exclusivity - UFC does not want Fedor fighting anywhere else
2) UFC does not want to hire other fighters from the Red Devil team, nor do they want to co-promote with M-1
3) Fedor’s team wants to be able to choose opponents – specifically, they don’t want Fedor to fight Tim Sylvia

Thanks for the great thread. Good clips.


Randy retired cause of Tim...ya know. And this aint the first time I read Fedor trembles at big Hillybilly Deluxes name.

Yea that is nonsense. Why on earth would Fedor fear a guy who was knocked on his a$$ and dominated by a guy smaller than Fedor in Randy Couture especially when Fedor has already dominated another giant in Sammy Schelt previously.

Well rumour has it that the Big Hilly Billy Deluxe had a severed spine for the fight, note the limp and gaited walk to the ring thet night...and it ..delayed him moving out of the way of thet big right hand.

See the avator below...


Im jest saying...you wont hear thet from Tim tho...he dont make excuses...

Preparing for New Year’s Eve Event

A hard week of training behind me. My trainers are building up the intensity in preparation for my NYE fight in Tokyo. This week we spent a lot of time practicing striking techniques and punch combinations together with footwork. My opponent for NYE, Hong-Man Choi is of course a K-1 fighter and has strong boxing and kick techniques.

I am training in Stary Oskol (in Russian: Ст’рый Оск’л) Stary Oskol is a city in Belgorod Oblast about 500 km south of Moscow, on the Oskol River. Stary Oskol is an important mining town and I often spend my training time here.

My training schedule has been so intense that I don’t do much else at the moment; train, eat, sleep. My daughter is in St. Petersburg so I do not get to see her, but we speak on the phone a lot.

My mind has been focused on training and not so much on the upcoming fight. I love working with my team of trainers and coaches. They are the best. I’m looking forward to seeing my fans again in Tokyo.

Also this week, a camera team from HDNet in the US came to visit and watch me train.
The M-1 Global Yarennoka event on NYE will be broadcasted live in the US. Exciting news. It looks like my next fight will be in the US.
Now back to training. Until next week!

Respect!

FEDOR

It is funny Fedor looks like the average guy, but he is arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever.

SAMURAI TV which is a pay-per-view MMA news show had a private interview with Fedor on 22 Nov.


- You have not been to Japan for a long time.
I`m glad to be here in Japan again. I knew I would come back for all of my fans in Japan.

- How did you know you can fight on NYE?
Vadim asked me if I`m interested in and I accepted the offer immediately. I would like to prepare well for the fight and would like to have an exciting fight.

- Do you have any comment to former PRIDE staff?
I don`t think this is the last event I work with them. M-1 Global has a business plan to hold events starting next year. M-1 Global is actually approaching them and asking to support their events. I believe M-1 Global will corporate with former PRIDE employees to create great events like the PRIDE had before in Japan.

- Why did you choose M-1 Global?
M-1 Global is formed by trustworthy staff and we agreed to create the best MMA event. I accepted because M-1 Global is going to have an event in Japan, Russia and the Netherlands as well as in the U.S.

- Who would you like to fight?
I would like to fight champions in other MMA organization like Randy Couture, Gabriel Gonzaga and champions of UFC, Cage Rage and IFL etc.

- What is the definition of the strongest fighter for you?
The strongest fighter should be able to defeat all the opponents, respect other fighters, understand circumstances and communicate well with others.

- Do you think you are the best now?
I don`t think I`m the best now but I`m trying to be.

- Do you have any message to your fans?
I`m happy to have a fight in Japan again. I train hard to win and please come and see my fight.

Fedor dancing with Sergei

Fedor with lads

swore i seen a dead parrot dancing too.

Old Dana interview 2001

Interviewer: Who owns Zuffa Corporation?

Dana White: Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta III and Blake Sartini

Interviewer: What is your position with Zuffa?

Dana White: President.

Interviewer: What does Zuffa mean?

Dana White: It's Italian and it means to "fight" or to "scrap".

Interviewer: What other businesses are they associated with?

Dana White: The Station Casinos: Palace Station, Boulder Station, Texas Station, & Sunset Station

Interviewer: Why did you buy the UFC?

Dana White: First and foremost because we're fans. But also because we feel we can take the UFC to where it should've been taken a long time ago.

Interviewer: There has been some negativity about the previous owners…

Dana White: Right. I think Bob (Meyrowitz) burned a lot of bridges. A lot of conflicts. That's what made it tough for him to move forward with it.

Interviewer: So he was difficult to do business with?

Dana White: Very confrontational. You have to look at it like this: He had a company that was doing business with the cable companies and he lost cable. And it was just a constant fight to get it back.

Interviewer: He obviously never got it back. That must be a goal of Zuffa.

Dana White: That is our goal: To get it sactioned in the state of Nevada and get it back on cable.

Interviewer: Are you President of the UFC or Zuffa?

Dana White: Both UFC and Zuffa.

Interviewer: Will the UFC and Zuffa co-exist here at the same Las Vegas location?

Dana White: Correct.

Interviewer: There was already at least one fight card already scheduled, are you going to keep that?

Dana White: Yes. Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City Feb. 23rd, 2001. You won't see too many of our changes right away. You're gonna see some changes in the first UFC but the show was already planned so it's too soon for us to make any real changes.

Interviewer: Taj Mahal is not on an Indian Reservation, why is it allowed there?

Dana White: Because it's been sactioned in New Jersey. In fact, Paul Smith's IFC is holding another event this weekend there as well. That's the key.

Interviewer: There has been alot of talk that the UFC didn't pay very well. Will that change?

Dana White: Right. That's gonna change. See, that's what we really want to change. We're gonna bring back alot of the fighters that left the UFC for that reason and the other reasons that they were chased away.

You have to understand Lorenzo and I.

Lorenzo comes from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and what do they do? Their job is to look out for fighters. I was a manager, what was my job? To look out for fighters. So we really want to put alot of emphasis on the fighters. The old UFC's emphasis was the UFC. That was the main thing that they wanted to promote and publicize.

We want to create superstars.

Interviewer: When will the UFC be in Las Vegas?

Dana White: That we don't know. We're working hard and we're hoping within 18 months.

Interviewer: There are other people watching you, other organizations, pulling for you to get the UFC in Las Vegas.

Dana White: The first thing I did when we bought the UFC was call Yukino Kanda from PRIDE. I told her there was always a war between the UFC and PRIDE... I told her the war is over.

Our office staff started clapping and cheering when I made that call.

Then I called Terry Trebilcock from King of The Cage, Paul Smith from IFC. I talked to Jamie Levin from WEF today. Basically, these guys were all at war with each other and I want to work together. The sport of mixed martial arts is fighting so many other foes, whether it's cable companies or political foes, that we need to stick together and work to further the sport.

Interviewer: Will you keep the UFC in Las Vegas once you start holding shows here?

Dana White: Well, I think Las Vegas will become the mecca of mixed martial arts. I mean you can have fights in New Jersey, but it's cold in the winter time. Las Vegas is warm, it has so many other things to see and do, it's cheap. It's a great place to come and visit for a weekend. It's a good excuse to come and watch a fight.

I think that's why the boxing business does so well here. Everybody's looking for an excuse to go to Vegas

Interviewer: You can no longer manage fighters, right?

Dana White: Right. That's been a big issue with us and it's a big issue right now. Anybody who's involved in the promoting part of the UFC has to pick one or the other. Either they promote or manage but you don't do both. It's totally unethical and a conflict of interest.

If you have a guy that's getting paid to set up the fight and getting paid from his fighter's pay as well, it’s not right.

Interviewer: Who's going to take over Tito (Ortiz)?

Dana White: A gentleman named Jim Gallo has taken over Tito and Chuck Liddell. He's an attorney here in Las Vegas. Smart guy, good guy, fair guy. And Tito and Chuck love him.

Interviewer: Is he familiar with the fight game?

Dana White: Yes. He's one of the best contract lawyers as far as puting contracts together. And kicking promoters' asses. He's good.

Interviewer: Who will join that stable with Tito and Chuck?

Dana White: Jim Gallo has some pretty decent boxers, and I think Alfonso Alcarez, a mixed martial arts fighter, will be joining them. Alcarez and Jens Pulver fought to a draw. He's a tough little guy. Look for him and Pulver to fight again soon. Because I'm sure Pulver would love that fight too so he could redeem the only bad mark on his UFC record.

There's a fighter out of Texas, Yves Edwards that will join Gallo also.

Interviewer: So Gallo will continue to represent both MMA and boxers?

Dana White: Yes.

Interviewer: What big names do you want to bring back to the UFC?

Dana White: (Smiling) I've talked to a lot of them already. I'd love to see Mark Kerr back. I'd love to see Coleman back, Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock if he's interested in fighting still.

Interviewer: Those are definitely some names...

Dana White: (Smiling really big) ...And my main goal, the main guy I want to get together with. Even if I have to co-promote with PRIDE, and we don't have a problem with co-promoting, they do it in boxing... is Sakuraba.

Interviewer: Will he come here? Because I heard he doesn't like to fight outside Japan.

Dana White: I think he will. I think we can work out a deal with Yukino over at Dream Stage (PRIDE's parent company). Besides, money talks.

But, Yukino and PRIDE really want Tito. And we really want Sakuraba. So I don't see why we can't work something out. I enjoy working with PRIDE. I respect them, so I don't see a problem.

Interviewer: You've told me Tito doesn't like fighting outside the cage.

Dana White: Right. That's something we'd have to work out in the contract. I don't really think Sakuraba would have a problem with that because he's fought in the UFC before.

Interviewer: Any other Japanese fighters?

Dana White: Sakuraba's the main one. He's the man. Him and Tito would be a dream fight.

Interviewer: Ali - Frazier I, Twenty First Century style.

Dana White: Exactly. Tito currently has the title, so the way I see it: Put Sakuraba and Tito together, and Frank (Shamrock) gets the winner.

Interviewer: That will sell you some pay-per-view.

Dana White: Yes it will.

Interviewer: Any other middleweights you have in mind?

Dana White: Jeremy Horn, Chuck Liddell, Evan Tanner who is fighting Tito in this next UFC, Bustamante.

Interviewer: There's a lot of people in the 199 and under division. What do you see in the heavyweights?

Dana White: Igor, Mark Kerr, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, and of course our champ Randy Couture.

Interviewer: Do you think Randleman should drop below 200 lbs. and go into that division?

Dana White: I don't know. Fifteen pounds is a lot of weight. It takes a lot out of you. Would Randleman be the same aggressive, powerful fighter he is after losing 15 pounds. Some guys can pull that off and others can't.

Interviewer: Tito does it doesn't he?

Dana White: See, that's a big myth. Everybody talks about Tito's weight dropping. Tito only drops between 10 and 12 pounds for a fight.

Interviewer: PRIDE has it's fighters and the UFC has theirs. Would you be stealing their thunder by signing the PRIDE's fighters for a UFC event?

Dana White: That's what I don't want. It shouldn't be that way. You see PRIDE's fighters are allowed to fight in the UFC, there's no contract restrictions with PRIDE fighters.

There's always been contract restrictions on UFC fighters fighting in PRIDE.

Interviewer: Which is a shame because the money's always been bigger in PRIDE. And that kept the UFC fighters from getting paid more money.

Dana White: I think if we had Igor or Sakuraba fight in a UFC, PRIDE wouldn't have a problem with that as long as it weren't in Japan. It's always been the UFC who wouldn't let the fighters fight in other shows.

Interviewer: That was in the contract? Why?

Dana White: I don't know.

Interviewer: Get a taste of the money and "Leave me forever" or what?

Dana White: I guess. But PRIDE fighters from the U.S. have to travel to Japan for every fight, and that can't be easy even though Tito loves going to Japan. He only has to go there once, twice a year. These guys do it all the time and I know the last time I went to Japan I wasn't right for a week! So I don't how these guys go over there and do it.

Thanks man. I thought the superstar comment was interesting. The spike deal and commercials for his other products...all North merican Chimps are exposed to the fighters now. Has Dana white made mistakes? Who does not? The UFC is sound now.


Not sure what his legacy will be on the impact to the competition...if he sets the farm club leagues up correctly and he taps into the US rassling potential...as a consumer its all good...