UFC press conferance

[SHAFT]

-Fedor talks fell through. UFC offered him a ton of money and other incentives but M1 Global wants half of the profits and co-promotion.

-Tito Ortiz is back, looks like he'll fight Mark Coleman this fall.

-Vitor Belfort will be back at UFC 103 against Rich Franklin

[Geshron]

Frustrating bureaucracy with Fedor situation. Ugh. Tito is going to get his ass beat by Coleman, this ought to be entertaining!

[Jaimaltz]

I don't even think it's Fedor's choice at this point. He mentioned he had 3 fights left on his M-1 contract, and M-1 won't let him fight unless it's with their organization. Since M-1 has nothing except Fedor, they use his status to try to latch on to successful promotions while doing nothing. He probably wanted the deal, but hopefully he can smash 3 cans in a year and then sign up - but I wouldn't be surprised to see M-1 drag it out over 2-3 years.

[Androidpk]

I was so hoping for a Fedor/Brock UFC 103 lineup :(

[SHAFT]

he can go to strikeforce and have a few decent fights. but if he loses, the allure of fedor is gone. the iron is hot right now.

i'm not counting on this any more. its a joke

[kookiegod]

I figured Fedor would have signed, had one tune-up squash fight, then Lesnar around 105.

Yah, that ship is starting to sail, I hope M-1 is paying him well, but you're only the big fish when you will the biggest title in the pond. As much as I like TNA wrestling and Kurt Angle, the puro Japanese companies (the IWGP title), still, at the end of the day, the big gold belt being carried by Jeff Hardy is the World Champion.

For Fedor, he has to beat Lesnar for the UFC belt, its where its at.

~Paul

[Xaerve]

UFC is turning into WWF/WWE/WCW bullshit IMO.

[StrayRogue]

Bring back Pride :(

Pride > UFC in it's day.

[Allereli]

UFC is turning into WWF/WWE/WCW bullshit IMO.

you're just seeing that now? (hi)

[SHAFT]

Bring back Pride :(

Pride > UFC in it's day.


UFC bought Pride.

I'm not sure how UFC is becomming pro wrestling exactly, maybe someone could inform us. Does someone make that statement if Lesnar isn't involved?

[StrayRogue]

Correction, they bought then as they were sinking, then pulled the plug.

The UFC had nothing to do with Pride going down the tubes. They just got the best pickings off the freshly dead corpse.

[kookiegod]

UFC is turning into WWF/WWE/WCW bullshit IMO.

This is actually accurate. Once McMahahon bought WCW and ECW, the product has steadily gone downhill. No other game in town really, TNA is trying, but the little engine that could.

Compeititon keeps people at the top of their game, but the owners, as well as the boys who want a paycheck. Other than WEC, what's left? Without PRIDE, Affliction, or even M1, Dana White will eventually run it all.

~Paul

[SHAFT]

Zuffa also owns WEC. WWE is for children, lets be real. People watch it for the storylines and drama. MMA and the UFC is about the fighters and the fights they put on.

I hope Zuffa does eventually own every MMA outfit so we can see the best possible matches. Thats one thing they want to do is give the fans the best for their money. Now they're trying to get on network tv and we can watch it in HD for free. Thats awesome.

If you ever see Lorenzo Fertitta and his son fighting the fighters in the octagon and in the locker room, then you can say its becoming pro wrestling.

[Bhuryn]

Fedor Emelianenko has signed a multi-fight agreement that will see the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight compete for Strikeforce, the promotion announced Monday.

Emelianenko, who became a free agent after Affliction Entertainment canceled its Aug. 1 event two weeks ago, will make his debut on Showtime under a co-promoted Strikeforce/M-1 Global production this fall. Emelianenko was to have faced Josh Barnett at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1, but Barnett failed a pre-fight test for an anabolic steroid and was refused licensure by the California State Athletic Commission.

"Strikeforce is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world," said Emelianenko in a press release. "I am prepared to fight any of them."

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told Sherdog.com last week that he plans to match the stoic Russian against the likes of Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and the promotion’s heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem.

“I feel pretty confident that we could give him four or five opponents that would make sense for him,” Coker told Sherdog.com in an exclusive video interview.

Emelianenko, along with his promoters and management team at M-1 Global, had negotiated with the UFC last week, but could not come to an agreement over co-promotion.

"Fedor is a f---ing joke," UFC President Dana White responded Monday after learning that Emelianenko had signed with Strikeforce. “He turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for no money!"

This article was updated at 3:52 p.m. EST with a quote from Dana White.

[Fallen]

Heh. I need to get the pay channels.

[Poppatrunk]

this is fucking crap. I've never even heard of strikeforce wtf.
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[Drew]

this is fucking crap. I've never even heard of strikeforce wtf.

They're legit. Showtime is trying to do for MMA what HBO did for boxing. They have the funding and the longterm outlook.

[Tenser]

It still sucks. I'd like to see Fedor get a chance to shut Lesnar's big mouth.

[Drew]

It still sucks. I'd like to see Fedor get a chance to shut Lesnar's big mouth.

Yeah I think it was in everyone's best interests for that fight to happen. Dana White was a good guy to restart the UFC but they need a less hotheaded leader now.

[Stunseed]

This is me, calling this on 7-22-09.

< Verdum in Strikeforce just got his heavyweight title shot rejected, that might be ( somewhat ) interesting. >

Ding. :)

[SHAFT]

I knew he'd go to strikeforce. Where else would he go and you know strikeforce doesn't have a problem co promoting.

Besides lesnar, there isn't anyone in the ufc capable of giving fedor a decent match. I don't mind him going to strikeforce as a fan. I'd line to see him fight Rogers, overeem, and werdum. Strikeforce should be going after Bobby lashley. If lashley is a lesnar jr it could be a huge deal for them.

[Kerranger]

I'm actually glad he signed with Strikeforce over the UFC. Im not a real big fan of theirs anyway, and i was hoping he wouldnt sign with them after the constant disrespect Dana White gave him until he was a free agent, then immediately started repeating after he found out Strikeforce had him.

[Donquix]

I knew he'd go to strikeforce. Where else would he go and you know strikeforce doesn't have a problem co promoting.

Besides lesnar, there isn't anyone in the ufc capable of giving fedor a decent match. I don't mind him going to strikeforce as a fan. I'd line to see him fight Rogers, overeem, and werdum. Strikeforce should be going after Bobby lashley. If lashley is a lesnar jr it could be a huge deal for them.

You'd rather see him fight rogers, overeem, and verdum....

over carwin, mir, couture, lesnar? or even minotauro? (even though that might be unlikely since they've already fought 3 times)

lol? I mean carwin and rogers is kind of a wash either way...but i'd much rather see him up against mir or even what's left of couture than overeem or verdum...and of course lesnar.

Hell, if you hate the ufc you should be BEGGING for him to sign with them and come clean house.

[SHAFT]

Couture and Nog are both past their prime. Nog has lost 2 him twice, NC the 3rd times. Nog cannot beat Fedor.

The only good fight Fedor had in the UFC is/was Lesnar. Carwin and Velasquez are unproven and I have zero interest in watching either of them fight Fedor.

Lets face it, the HW division in MMA sucks. There are a lot of awesome catch weight matches in the UFC for Fedor I'd like to see. A. Silva, Rampage, Machida, Forrest Griffin....

[Donquix]

Couture and Nog are both past their prime. Nog has lost 2 him twice, NC the 3rd times. Nog cannot beat Fedor.

The only good fight Fedor had in the UFC is/was Lesnar. Carwin and Velasquez are unproven and I have zero interest in watching either of them fight Fedor.

Lets face it, the HW division in MMA sucks. There are a lot of awesome catch weight matches in the UFC for Fedor I'd like to see. A. Silva, Rampage, Machida, Forrest Griffin....

Agreed on couture and nog...but like i said. Carwin/Rogers is a wash...they're both huge, scary, unproven heavyweights off to phenomenal starts to their career.

so that makes the real choices...verdum and overeem Vs Mir and lesnar....

i'll take mir and lesnar.

[StrayRogue]

Fedor would destroy Mir. You think Lesnar had ground control against Mir? Imagine someone with twice the skills and more punching power. Watch the Fedor/Big Nog fights. Mir wouldn't stand a chance.

Heavyweight MMA is lacking talent, and has been for a good long time.

[longshot]

The UFC had nothing to do with Pride going down the tubes. They just got the best pickings off the freshly dead corpse.

True.

Pride lost their TV contract in Japan.

People being stabbed to death in front of NHK will tend to have that effect. Pride was pretty yakked up...

[Donquix]

Fedor would destroy Mir. You think Lesnar had ground control against Mir? Imagine someone with twice the skills and more punching power. Watch the Fedor/Big Nog fights. Mir wouldn't stand a chance.

Heavyweight MMA is lacking talent, and has been for a good long time.

You can make the same argument with fedor facing anyone, however.

I'm not saying I would put money on any of them to beat fedor, i'm just saying i think Mir and Lesnar have a better chance, and thus should make for a better fight, compared to Verdum and Overeem.

[StrayRogue]

You can make the same argument with fedor facing anyone, however.

I'm not saying I would put money on any of them to beat fedor, i'm just saying i think Mir and Lesnar have a better chance, and thus should make for a better fight, compared to Verdum and Overeem.

I totally agree. The HW division is full of chumps, sadly.

Longshot: Again, I agree. Pride lost their contract because of certain #ahem# activities and connections. But back in it's day it was a true power house of MMA.