Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
M-1 Global. Now Officially featuring Fedor.
Yesterday, Monday October 22, 2007 was a monumental day in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. The #1 most sought-after free agent, and widely believed by many to be the greatest fighter alive, Fedor Emelianenko announced his signing with M-1 Global. Fedor did this at the press conference M-1 Global Held in New York. The second "surprise " to take place at the conference, was the announcement of the CEO and beneficiary of the fledgling organization. The CEO is none other than Monte Cox, MMA trainer and well known identity in the sport.
The most important issue surrounding the signing of Fedor is exactly who he will be competing against, or the level of competition. Much speculation has come to the fact he may be fighting lower ranked fighters, therefor he will lose his #1 spot. However, it has been announced that Fedor's contract with M-1 Global will allow him to fight for other organizations, which allows him to fight the champions of other organizations, more importantly, the UFC. The president of M-1 Global, Maxwell Mitchell stated that they would intend to offer the UFC champion fighting Fedor a hefty 1,000,000, should he win.
This is definitely a best case scenario. As they say, it is always darkest before dawn, and some light is finally beginning to appear. Hopefully, if Randy Couture settles his contract disagreement and returns to the UFC, the dream match which many have been longing to see can take place.
The most important issue surrounding the signing of Fedor is exactly who he will be competing against, or the level of competition. Much speculation has come to the fact he may be fighting lower ranked fighters, therefor he will lose his #1 spot. However, it has been announced that Fedor's contract with M-1 Global will allow him to fight for other organizations, which allows him to fight the champions of other organizations, more importantly, the UFC. The president of M-1 Global, Maxwell Mitchell stated that they would intend to offer the UFC champion fighting Fedor a hefty 1,000,000, should he win.
This is definitely a best case scenario. As they say, it is always darkest before dawn, and some light is finally beginning to appear. Hopefully, if Randy Couture settles his contract disagreement and returns to the UFC, the dream match which many have been longing to see can take place.
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Thursday, October 11, 2007
A Dark Time for the Heavyweight Division.
Rumors of Fedor Emelianenko, (the most wanted free agents and arguably greatest fighter in MMA history) have been made more official in stating that he has decided to sign with Russian M-1 fighting, rather than the UFC. Alot of speculation is insisting that his managers are "corrupt" and are looking only for themselves, as Fedor will most definately not be fighting any top - 10 competition or any ranked fighters.
When you're the #1 ranked heavyweight in the world, you need to keep proving it. Fedor hasn't fought any top 10 competition in years and is still regarded as the best, however with his signing of M-1, he is throwing away his top spot for the luxury of money, and has lost the respect of many of his fans, me being one of them.
As if this wasn't bad enough news, the UFC heavyweight champion and practical face of the sport, Randy Couture announced this morning that he is resigning from all his positions in the UFC, including commentary and being the Heavyweight champion. Couture had recently come out of retirement to win a stunning victory over then champion Tim Sylvia, and defended his belt for the first time against a much younger Gabriel Gonzaga. Randy shocked the world by dominating Gonzaga, however also breaking his arm in the process while blocking a kick.
After hearing about the news of Fedor's signing with a low level organization, Randy decided to resign as champion, seeing as how Fedor was the only person Randy had any desire to fight, so it could be found out who the #1 heavyweight fighter in the world really is. Also, Zuffa's fighter payment, which is now being discovered to be incredibly unfair and biased to particular talent motivated Randy to leave, as he felt he wasn't being treated properly, considering his incredible accomplishments as a 44 year old athlete. (Not to mention he is the oldest champion ever, and is the only person to hold belts in two weight classes.)
This is a dark day in Mixed Martial Arts. We lose a champion, and see another give up opportunities to fight the best so he can make money and fight cans to pad his record. I have lost all my respect for Fedor Emelianenko. Randy however, i admire for his honesty and for having legit reasons to leave the company. I wish him the best of luck in any of his future ventures.
When you're the #1 ranked heavyweight in the world, you need to keep proving it. Fedor hasn't fought any top 10 competition in years and is still regarded as the best, however with his signing of M-1, he is throwing away his top spot for the luxury of money, and has lost the respect of many of his fans, me being one of them.
As if this wasn't bad enough news, the UFC heavyweight champion and practical face of the sport, Randy Couture announced this morning that he is resigning from all his positions in the UFC, including commentary and being the Heavyweight champion. Couture had recently come out of retirement to win a stunning victory over then champion Tim Sylvia, and defended his belt for the first time against a much younger Gabriel Gonzaga. Randy shocked the world by dominating Gonzaga, however also breaking his arm in the process while blocking a kick.
After hearing about the news of Fedor's signing with a low level organization, Randy decided to resign as champion, seeing as how Fedor was the only person Randy had any desire to fight, so it could be found out who the #1 heavyweight fighter in the world really is. Also, Zuffa's fighter payment, which is now being discovered to be incredibly unfair and biased to particular talent motivated Randy to leave, as he felt he wasn't being treated properly, considering his incredible accomplishments as a 44 year old athlete. (Not to mention he is the oldest champion ever, and is the only person to hold belts in two weight classes.)
This is a dark day in Mixed Martial Arts. We lose a champion, and see another give up opportunities to fight the best so he can make money and fight cans to pad his record. I have lost all my respect for Fedor Emelianenko. Randy however, i admire for his honesty and for having legit reasons to leave the company. I wish him the best of luck in any of his future ventures.
4 Organizations to look out for.
You may realize that on this blog i tend to focus on the organizations which perpetuate the growth of Mixed Martial Arts. Typically people tend to disregard anything relating to the promoters (look at the state boxing is in) and tend to simply focus on the fighters. I however know this is a very crucial time in the short history of MMA, and that the reigning top tier org's are now really getting a run for their money. Like in football with the merging of the AFC and NFC, there are numerous organizations merging and making shared contracts with fighters, bringing giants together.
If you have been reading this page, you will notice that the UFC (with their recent acquisition of PRIDE) is the top dog in the MMA world. Their roster is deep in almost all weight classes, and despite controversy regarding their LW (Light Weight) division and its current title holder, Sean Sherk as well as Ultimate Fighter Reality show (which is considered to be a serious hinder to the weight classes and fight making), they are riding high currently.
My last post dwelled on the rising organization, Hero's produced by K-1 Kickboxing. It seems a few other organizations are riding on the coattails of Hero's however, and i will list them below and why they are a threat to the supremacy of the UFC*:
1. IFL - The International Fight League has recently made some new TV deals and is establishing its place in MMA culture. They have a good roster of fighters, however the team aspect and the coaches (which are all MMA legends by the way) is what really makes this organization and its approach to mixed martial arts interesting.
2. ProElite - The entity behind numerous organizations such as ShoXC, EliteXC, King of the Cage, SpiritMC, and Combat Sport. They also have recently acquired Cage Rage and have strong partnerships with Strikeforce.
This massive collection of organizations has established an incredible
talent pool featuring some of the most interesting and desired fighters
in the sport today. Some of their most famous fighters are: Nick Diaz, Ninja Rua, Robbie Lawler, Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Joey Villasenor, Mayhem Miller, Frank Shamrock, Cung Le, Paul Daley, and Duane "Bang" Ludwig.
3. StrikeForce - With the partnerships with ProElite and its surrounding companies, this company is offering "super-fights" between organizations and has a good talent pool including Gilbert Melendez, who is arguably the most dominant lightweight fighter on the planet. With the resent addition of Renato "Babalu" Sobral, their heavyweight division now has a little bit more depth, but the fans are still left with some desired talent. This company may be able to establish itself as a credible top-tier competitor with its deep ties to ProElite.
4. Hardcore Championship Fighting - Recently this organization was completely unknown, but some life has been pumped into it with the recent additions of Aleksander Emilianenko and Antonio Rogerio (Lil Nog') Noguiera. Also the organization has established a shared contract with Strikeforce, allowing fighters to switch cages and bring together big fights. For a new company they are definitely taking the right steps into becoming a force in the Mixed Martial Arts world.
If you have been reading this page, you will notice that the UFC (with their recent acquisition of PRIDE) is the top dog in the MMA world. Their roster is deep in almost all weight classes, and despite controversy regarding their LW (Light Weight) division and its current title holder, Sean Sherk as well as Ultimate Fighter Reality show (which is considered to be a serious hinder to the weight classes and fight making), they are riding high currently.
My last post dwelled on the rising organization, Hero's produced by K-1 Kickboxing. It seems a few other organizations are riding on the coattails of Hero's however, and i will list them below and why they are a threat to the supremacy of the UFC*:
1. IFL - The International Fight League has recently made some new TV deals and is establishing its place in MMA culture. They have a good roster of fighters, however the team aspect and the coaches (which are all MMA legends by the way) is what really makes this organization and its approach to mixed martial arts interesting.
2. ProElite - The entity behind numerous organizations such as ShoXC, EliteXC, King of the Cage, SpiritMC, and Combat Sport. They also have recently acquired Cage Rage and have strong partnerships with Strikeforce.
This massive collection of organizations has established an incredible
talent pool featuring some of the most interesting and desired fighters
in the sport today. Some of their most famous fighters are: Nick Diaz, Ninja Rua, Robbie Lawler, Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Joey Villasenor, Mayhem Miller, Frank Shamrock, Cung Le, Paul Daley, and Duane "Bang" Ludwig.
3. StrikeForce - With the partnerships with ProElite and its surrounding companies, this company is offering "super-fights" between organizations and has a good talent pool including Gilbert Melendez, who is arguably the most dominant lightweight fighter on the planet. With the resent addition of Renato "Babalu" Sobral, their heavyweight division now has a little bit more depth, but the fans are still left with some desired talent. This company may be able to establish itself as a credible top-tier competitor with its deep ties to ProElite.
4. Hardcore Championship Fighting - Recently this organization was completely unknown, but some life has been pumped into it with the recent additions of Aleksander Emilianenko and Antonio Rogerio (Lil Nog') Noguiera. Also the organization has established a shared contract with Strikeforce, allowing fighters to switch cages and bring together big fights. For a new company they are definitely taking the right steps into becoming a force in the Mixed Martial Arts world.
Other Orgs. Worth Mentioning
ROTR (Rumble on the Rock)
Shooto
*I did not include the WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) in my list, due to the fact that they are owned by the UFC, despite their popularity.ROTR (Rumble on the Rock)
Shooto
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Tuesday, October 2, 2007
K-1 Heroes. The new pride?
K-1 Hero's is quickly establishing itself as the new rival to the UFC. With pride being bought and its inevitable death having already taken place, it only makes sense that a competitor would come along. With a talent pool that is gaining depth, they offer A-Class fighters such as Sakuraba, Royler Gracie, Caol Uno, Melvin Manhoeff, Alistair Overeem, Segei Kharitonov, Gesias Calvancanti, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and very importantly the addition of Denis Kang. Ever since Gesias Calvancanti recently called out the (then reigning) pride lightweight champ Takanori Gomi , an enormous buzz has been created. Assuming Gomi switches to K-1, i feel that new discussion war will be started. MMA history is going to repeat itself, and Hero's will become the new pride. Get ready to wonder who has the best fighters all over again.
UFC or Hero's?
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