MMA Worldwide

Same show, Different stage

Posted by Deshalen Barber on the 3 August 2009 | View Comments

After vigorous negotiations, Fedor Emelienanko finally signs the BIG contract to step into the cage for the first time in his career. To the dismay of many MMA followers, the deal has not been signed with the UFC, instead Fedor has signed on to Strikeforce, a Northern California based organization which recently took over the helms of EliteXC’s dysfunctional financial wows and strong stable of fighters. With the huge free agent signing of Fedor, Strikeforce now becomes a direct threat to the UFC’s big brother mentality over the world of MMA.

No one is more thrilled about the signing than the founder and CEO of Strikeforce, Scott Coker, “We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor. Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.”

Vadim Finkelchtein, President of M-1 Global responded to Scott Coker statement by saying: “I am very happy and excited about the upcoming collaboration with Strikeforce. We are very pleased that we found a reliable partner and I feel that Strikeforce and M-1 can support each other on many things. This will create big opportunities for both parties to test their fighters against worthy opponents.”

Strikeforce, which is featured on Showtime, carries an open door policy for their fighters to compete in other orgs, as well as a willingness to co-promote with multiple fighting organizations, ensuring the fans receive top tier match-ups without having to pay the price of $59.99 per pay-per-view event.

This openness by Strikeforce proved to be the deciding factor in negotiations to attain Fedor for a multi-fight deal for an undisclosed amount of money per bout. Fedor is also granted the freedom to compete in his homeland’s Sambo tournaments, promotions put on in Japan, and most importantly he and his manager Vadim Finkelchtein, president of M-1 Global, are now able to co-promote any event Strikeforce holds that will feature Fedor Emelianenko.

With all the contractual issues now behind Fedor, the only thing left for the top heavy weight and arguably #1 pound for pound fighter in the world is to get in the cage to further solidify his legacy as the greatest fighter of all time. Against a young crop of hungry heavies patiently waiting for their opportunity, this may be a daunting task, because unlike his previous bouts in the ring, he is now stepping in to a whole new realm inside the iron cage.