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In the wake up former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture's recent loss to Brock Lesnar, M-1 Global and WAMMA heavyweight title-holder Fedor Emelianenko have publicly stated their desire for a "superfight" between the famed Russian fighter and the UFC's new heavyweight champion.
M-1 today released the official statement of the proposed bout with Lesnar while Emelianenko granted interviews with select media members.
M-1 executive Jerry Millen and Emelianenko clarify that the fight would need to be a "co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment" -- something that could be difficult given, what they argue, has been the UFC's "anti-Fedor policy."
Up until Couture's second-round TKO loss to Lesnar, Emelianenko and Couture had worked diligently toward their own fight. In fact, Couture cited his desire for the Emelianenko bout as one of the reasons he wanted to leave the UFC last year. The contract dispute lasted more than a year and culminated with Couture's loss to Lesnar this past weekend.
While Emelianenko is still open to fighting Couture, he and M-1 now also want to meet Lesnar. However, they don't feel it would be much of a contest.
"In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round," the statement read.
The full text of the statement can be found below. Additionally, stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) for our interview with Emelianenko in which he discusses Couture, Lesnar and the Russian's upcoming "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" main event with Andrei Arlovski.
M-1's Official Statement on Brock Lesnar's victory
M-1 would like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on his UFC heavyweight title victory as well as acknowledge Randy Couture's return to active competition after a layoff that lasted over a year.
Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year. While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment.
We've invited the media to speak with us today to not only make it clear we would welcome a Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup but to act in a preemptive fashion to address the possibility that UFC officials will try and position Lesnar as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, much like they have tried to use a marketing ploy to brand Anderson Silfva as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
In the past, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa, LLC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have tried to claim that Fedor was "overrated" and that his "record was irrelevant." They make these claims in spite of the fact that Fedor holds career victories over UFC champions past and present. While we have tremendous respect for the contributions Mr. Fertitta and Dana have made to this sport, we do not believe they are sincere in their statements.
It is the position of M-1 that the UFC has adopted an anti-Fedor policy because multiple attempts to sign him have not been fruitful. For a company that has tried to market itself as the number one promotion in the world, they are unable to accept the fact that the number one fighter in the world does not reside on its roster of contracted fighters.
We believe that the UFC has determined that it's much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.
While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world. Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.
For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we'd like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that "Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point."
Jerry Millen, M-1 Vice President
Original Article ( mmajunkie.com )
A MORE IN DEPTH INTERVIEW FROM SHERDOG
by Loretta Hunt
15219
The line has started to form behind Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko has joined it.
The world
M-1 today released the official statement of the proposed bout with Lesnar while Emelianenko granted interviews with select media members.
M-1 executive Jerry Millen and Emelianenko clarify that the fight would need to be a "co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment" -- something that could be difficult given, what they argue, has been the UFC's "anti-Fedor policy."
Up until Couture's second-round TKO loss to Lesnar, Emelianenko and Couture had worked diligently toward their own fight. In fact, Couture cited his desire for the Emelianenko bout as one of the reasons he wanted to leave the UFC last year. The contract dispute lasted more than a year and culminated with Couture's loss to Lesnar this past weekend.
While Emelianenko is still open to fighting Couture, he and M-1 now also want to meet Lesnar. However, they don't feel it would be much of a contest.
"In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round," the statement read.
The full text of the statement can be found below. Additionally, stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) for our interview with Emelianenko in which he discusses Couture, Lesnar and the Russian's upcoming "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" main event with Andrei Arlovski.
M-1's Official Statement on Brock Lesnar's victory
M-1 would like to congratulate Brock Lesnar on his UFC heavyweight title victory as well as acknowledge Randy Couture's return to active competition after a layoff that lasted over a year.
Couture and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko had publicly acknowledged a desire to fight each other multiple times over the course of the past year. While M-1 and Fedor remain interested in a match against Couture, we would also like to publicly state for the record that we would welcome a superfight between Fedor and Lesnar that would be held as a co-promoted event between the UFC, M-1, and Affliction Entertainment.
We've invited the media to speak with us today to not only make it clear we would welcome a Fedor vs. Lesnar matchup but to act in a preemptive fashion to address the possibility that UFC officials will try and position Lesnar as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, much like they have tried to use a marketing ploy to brand Anderson Silfva as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
In the past, UFC president Dana White and Zuffa, LLC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have tried to claim that Fedor was "overrated" and that his "record was irrelevant." They make these claims in spite of the fact that Fedor holds career victories over UFC champions past and present. While we have tremendous respect for the contributions Mr. Fertitta and Dana have made to this sport, we do not believe they are sincere in their statements.
It is the position of M-1 that the UFC has adopted an anti-Fedor policy because multiple attempts to sign him have not been fruitful. For a company that has tried to market itself as the number one promotion in the world, they are unable to accept the fact that the number one fighter in the world does not reside on its roster of contracted fighters.
We believe that the UFC has determined that it's much more inexpensive for them to use their marketing resources to use smoke and mirrors to brand a fighter as the pound-for-pound best as opposed to actually paying the pound-for-pound best what he is truly worth on the open market.
While Brock Lesnar is an accomplished athlete and a talented fighter, we do not consider him to be the number one heavyweight in the world. Until someone beats him, we strongly believe that Fedor should continue to be recognized as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In a match between Fedor and Lesnar, we do not feel that at this stage Lesnar would be able to make it out of the first round.
For those who feel our statements in regards to Fedor are self-serving, we'd like to refer you to a video interview on the website RawVegas.tv in which at his UFC 91 after-party Couture himself acknowledges that "Fedor would probably tear Brock up at this point."
Jerry Millen, M-1 Vice President
Original Article ( mmajunkie.com )
A MORE IN DEPTH INTERVIEW FROM SHERDOG
by Loretta Hunt
15219
The line has started to form behind Brock Lesnar and Fedor Emelianenko has joined it.
The world
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