Fedor Open to UFC Talks
Brian Knapp Jul 26, 2009
The cancellation of Affliction “Trilogy” and resulting collapse of
Affliction Entertainment as a mixed martial arts promotion, leaves
the UFC with perhaps its best chance to date to land former Pride
Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder Fedor
Emelianenko.
Still, Vadim Finkelchtein, Emelianenko’s manager and M-1 Global president, clings to the idea that the Russian’s involvement with the UFC will only come through co-promotional efforts.
“This is the moment of truth that the UFC has talked about,”
Finkelchtein said in a statement on the M-1 Global Web site. “Fedor
and I are here in the states. If they want to come out and fly
here, we are ready to conduct negotiations. Of course, it still
doesn’t imply we are ready to accept any conditions they’ll throw
at us. We want to talk to the UFC about having Fedor compete
against some of their fighters, but only within the framework of
co-promotional efforts with M-1 Global.”
Unbeaten in his past 27 fights, Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC) flattened former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia in his most recent outings in the ring. The 32-year-old Russian knocked out Arlovski with one punch 3:14 into their match at Affliction “Day of Reckoning,” as he posted his 10th consecutive victory since a no contest in 2004.
Hard to handle on his feet and on the ground, Emelianenko has finished his last five opponents inside one round and holds victories against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and former UFC heavyweight champions Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. He has delivered 23 of his 30 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Emelianenko was booked to face Josh Barnett in the Affliction “Trilogy” main event on Aug. 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. However, the bout fell through when Barnett tested positive for a banned anabolic agent, causing the entire event to collapse. What move Emelianenko, the world’s top heavyweight, makes from here remains to be seen.
“We are now with Fedor in the US, and we hope to make a decision about his next fight within the next few days,” Finkelchtein said. “There are many business meetings and negotiations planned with all the major promotions.”
Still, Vadim Finkelchtein, Emelianenko’s manager and M-1 Global president, clings to the idea that the Russian’s involvement with the UFC will only come through co-promotional efforts.
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Unbeaten in his past 27 fights, Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC) flattened former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia in his most recent outings in the ring. The 32-year-old Russian knocked out Arlovski with one punch 3:14 into their match at Affliction “Day of Reckoning,” as he posted his 10th consecutive victory since a no contest in 2004.
Hard to handle on his feet and on the ground, Emelianenko has finished his last five opponents inside one round and holds victories against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and former UFC heavyweight champions Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman. He has delivered 23 of his 30 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.
Emelianenko was booked to face Josh Barnett in the Affliction “Trilogy” main event on Aug. 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. However, the bout fell through when Barnett tested positive for a banned anabolic agent, causing the entire event to collapse. What move Emelianenko, the world’s top heavyweight, makes from here remains to be seen.
“We are now with Fedor in the US, and we hope to make a decision about his next fight within the next few days,” Finkelchtein said. “There are many business meetings and negotiations planned with all the major promotions.”
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