ProphetFighting

Fedor to K-1/Heros?

Word around the campfire is that Fedor Emelianenko, aka the best MMA fighter in the world, has been offered/is close to signing/has already signed a $5 million/5 fight deal by Fight Entertainment Group who are the parent company of the Japan based K-1 kickboxing promotion and their HEROES MMA spin off. Sherdog is reporting that Fedor’s straight out a Cold War-era James Bond movie advisor, Vadim Finkelstein, is denying that. Furthermore, he’s indicating that he’s meeting with Zuffa (UFC parent company) officials this evening.

Rumors of the biggest free agent signing in mixed martial arts history are not true said Vadim Finkelstein, who spoke on behalf of Russian heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko.

Speaking with Evgeni Kogan, Finkelstein denied that his fighter signed a five-fight deal with Fight Entertainment Group, which promotes K-1 kickboxing and HERO’S, rumored to pay him $5 million.

The manager, who also promotes Russia’s M-1, said that negotiations with K-1 are ongoing, but that he was also speaking with Zuffa and was going to talk with UFC representatives Thursday evening.

Emelianenko’s services have been on the market since Zuffa purchased the PRIDE Fighting Championships from Dream Stage Entertainment in March.

What I’m hearing is that the UFC isn’t willing to pay Fedor so much money and particularly with the “conditions” attached–that Fedor be allowed to compete in combat sambo events, that the entire Red Devil fight team gets a gravy train ride and that the UFC promote events in Russia. There was much speculation that despite the potential of making more money with organizations like BoDog Fight (the whole relationship between BoDog and the Fedor camp has provided its own soap opera moments in recent days) that Fedor was more interested in the level of competition available to him. This would be nonexistent in BoDog’s organization, but might be somewhat more palatable in K-1/Heroes.

From a practical standpoint, K-1/Heroes might also get more bang for the buck out of an expensive five fight deal than could the UFC. Fedor is already a superstar in Japan from his stint in PRIDE and RINGS, and has demonstrated that he can put tens of thousands of butts in the seats of Saitama Super Arena. In the US he’s obviously well known to the hardcore MMA fans, but a virtual unknown to the general public that comprises the base of more casual UFC fans. While Zuffa would certainly like the prestige of having the best heavyweight in the world in their organization, its not a huge blow if he doesn’t end up there.

An involvement with K-1/Heroes does open the door to another possible scenario–the potential that Fedor could appear on a US show co-promoted with Elite XC/Strikeforce. Again, while this might further legitimize these organizations in the eyes of the hardcore MMA fans my thinking is that the casual fans and mainstream sports media would be oblivious to it. The UFC–for the time being at least–is in the position of defining the sport for the US mainstream media and the fans that they purport to “inform”.

More on this story as it develops….

Sherdog story here on the deal denial from Fedor’s camp here

[tags]UFC, PRIDE, K-1, Heros, Zuffa, Dana White, Fedor Emelianenko, Vadim Finkelstein, Strikeforce, Elite XC, BoDog Fight, Fight Entertainment Group, MMA, mixed martial arts[/tags]

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