03/19/08
By Justin Bolduc

The Fedor Debacle

While no official word is out, numerous reports have surfaced stating that the mythological figure known as Fedor has not actually signed officially with M-1 Global. Sources close to M-1 have confirmed to PDG that the only written material received by Emelianenko and his management was a letter of intent.

A vast majority of M-1’s claim to legitimacy was the perceived signing of Emelianenko – and a vast amount of their promotional material revolved around the Russian fighter as well.

Fedor quickly rose to near-godlike status and was easily touted as the world’s number one heavyweight and pound-for-pound fighter. Fedor currently sports a 27-1 record (with 1 no contest), and his loss is almost a joke (Emelianenko lost to Tsuyoshi Kohsaka following a cut from an elbow – which was an illegal blow as far as rules go, but due to the event’s tournament format a winner had to be selected to move on).

With the exception of the controversial loss, Emelianenko began his MMA career in RINGS where he defeated stand-outs including Ricardo Arona and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.

Following his two-year stint in RINGS, Fedor joined the now-defunct PRIDE organization, taking on kickboxing superstar Semmy Schilt. After defeating the near-seven foot tall giant, Fedor defeated Heath Herring, a top-ten fighter at the time, in a dominating first round which ended via cut.

Fedor claimed the PRIDE title by defeated current UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by decision (which he had repeated one year later). He went on to defeat the likes of Kazuyuki Fujita, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Gary Goodridge, and to cap off his rise to invincible heights – Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. But in the last two-plus years, Fedor has faced and defeated lesser fighters (in ability or size) by fighting Coleman again, Zuluzhino, Matt Lindland, Hong Man Choi, and Mark Hunt.

With his legacy in question at this point and fighters such as Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn biting at the pound-for-pound crown, Emelianenko’s move away from M-1 Global can be a good or a bad thing.

Either he’s still pushing his name and looking for a bigger payday, or he’s finally looking to step back in against top-tier opposition. If he made the move to the UFC – which is unquestionably the world’s most popular mixed martial arts brand, he could face fighters he has never had the chance to fight before, including Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, and Randy Couture. Additionally, despite two wins over him, a rematch with Nogueira for the UFC title could be a possibility, along with matches against Brandon Vera, Fabricio Werdum, and Gabriel Gonzaga.

On the other side of the coin, Dream presents a set of quality opposition. Despite the downfall of Mirko “Cro Cop”, if he is prepared, in shape, and ready to fight he is among the world’s elite. Additional opponents include borderline top ten fighters Sergei Kharitonov and Alistair Overeem, while Josh Barnett, Mark Hunt, Semmy Schilt, and a wealth of K-1 stars are available.

But more negative options are available. While he could boost the ranks of Elite XC, who would he fight? Antonio Silva is a talented heavyweight, but yet to fight a top ten caliber opponent. And don’t mention Kimbo Slice.

Additionally, the Affliction organization is shaping up to bring in Fedor’s brother, Aleksander, along with Matt Lindland. An upstart promotion could use Fedor’s name.

Wherever Fedor ends up is anyone’s guess at this point, but it appears as quickly as he bolstered M-1 he sank it too.