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Fedor press conference today in Anaheim
By Zach Arnold | July 29, 2009
It’s 6:45 AM in Los Angeles… and M-1 just sent out a notice for the media to attend the press conference in Anaheim that will take place in 6 hours. So in a timespan of six hours, they are going to have the media sign up for credentials either for live attendance or for a conference call on the phone. I know…
At the hastily-arranged press conference will be Fedor, Vadim Finkelchtein, and Gary “Jerry” Millen. Here’s how the press conference is being described as:
Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will address the media for the first time since Affliction’s decision last week to cancel “Trilogy.” Fedor will discuss his reaction to the news while also talking about his potential future options. Additionally, the press conference will also include a Q&A session with reporters.
Topics: M-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 93 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Anyone have the number? I figure I can at least provide more commentary than the guy who asked BJ Penn about his gay porn career for the UFC 101 call.
And by “commentary”, I mean jokes and jokes and jokes. Maybe “Ralf the Dog” as a pseudonym?
With Millen there it can only mean this (to me anyways):
1. There was no UFC negotiations or very little progress.
2. Dana called Millen a “fucking clown” during negotiations.
3. This is a bad attempt to get publicity and hype for Fedor among the mainstream media.
YES!!!!
The announcement we have all been waiting for!!!!!
“Fighting Fedor-The Series” is finally gonna happen!!!
Which channel will it be on?
If this is about that stupid fighing fedor show, and millen was the producer for it, I’m done with Fedor.
I’m hoping he gets his management in line and just signs with UFC already. If the New England Patriots left the NFL and started a league where all they played were college teams, no one would regard them as the best football team anymore. Fedor should be no different.
I highly doubt it will be for the TV show, but M1 are saying it’s nothing to do with the UFC.
I just hope it’s something substantial.
Another thing, if Fedor-Barnett was to come about on NYE (or thereabouts),would this mean Fedor will fight for SENGOKU?
What do they expect to accomplish with this conference? It’s not as if the UFC (or Strikeforce) are going to feel any more pressured to sign him. If all they’re planning to do is have Fedor answer questions in his typically elusive way, what’s the point? I’d imagine they’ll try to plug the upcoming M-1 show even though Fedor won’t be in it.
Isn’t running a smooth PR operation in the U.S. the whole point of hiring someone like Jerry Millen? A kid out of college could do a better job at handling press releases and conferences.
Don’t say that I have never contributed anything to this site:
Conference Date: July 29, 2009
Participant Dial-in Numbers:
U.S. Toll Free: 888-299-4099
Canadian Toll Free: 866-682-1172
International Toll: 302-709-8337
Verbal Passcode (to be given to the operator): VC38548
Another blow to the Heavyweight Division outside the UFC….
Jeff Monson was required to surrender his passport do to his spraypainting incident.
So the list is:
1. Jeff Monson – No overseas fights.
2. Josh Barnett – Highly unlikely to fight in the states anytime soon.
3. Alexander Emelianenko – Hep B will keep him from fighting in the US.
4. Gilbert Yvel – History of illegal tactics make him unlikely to compete in the UFC or Strikeforce.
5. Tim Sylvia – Has horrible reputation after coming in overweight and being KO’d by Ray Mercer.
6. Andrei Arlovski – Glass jaw completely devalued him.
7. Sergei Kharitonov – Overweight in his last fight, looks to be disinterested in proper training.
Not looking good. A lot of baggage for many of these fighters….
I think it’ll be less of a press conference and more of a glorified interview session… actually, I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict this will be a non-event… but that’s sort of like predicting there’ll be lesbians at Lilith Fair… it’s pretty obvious.
Can we Rick roll the press conference? Actually forget that, Rick Roll is dead.
Maybe play Zack Ryder’s theme and keep yelling “WOO WOO WOO YOU KNOW IT.” into the phone.
…Or play the sound file of Bas Rutten calling Millen “the asshole.”
Nah I’m just kidding I won’t do that.
Fluyid, you rock hardcore. I will be calling in!
45 Huddle, I wish you were wrong…but you\’re not. the heavyweight scene outside the UFC has all but dried out at this point.
Even if there is a huge talent outside the UFC, people like 45 (no offense, but you do this all the time) will discredit them because they\’re not facing \”The best in the world\” in Zuffaland.
Hell, Fedor is undefeated against EVERYONE, and people still pull that talking point out when discussing him and his legacy.
So unless Strikeforce makes some REALLY great business decisions, and somehow builds a deep talent pool in multiple divisions, no one else will even come close to competing.
I like how they\’re showcasing Women\’s MMA because UFC won\’t – that\’s an awesome start – but they need more.
Zuffa was willing to put women’s MMA under the WEC banner. But only if they got Carano.
I really question the staying power of women’s MMA. I have a gut feeling that their will be a drop in interest once Carano/Cyborg takes place. Female athletes are a hard sell.
Dammit…wasn’t let into the call.
Oh well.
“Zuffa was willing to put women’s MMA under the WEC banner. But only if they got Carano.”
Don’t blame them. She’s by far the face of Women’s MMA. It’s Carano, and then everyone else. Even if Cyborg beats her that won’t change (unless Cyborg literally changes her face…then maybe).
“Female athletes are a hard sell.”
True, but there were some very exciting fights with women in Bodog – it’s something I’d like to see more of (whether it stays relevant with the masses or not).
Does anyone have any updates on what is being said at this “press conference”?
Well, now we’ll find out whether the UFC’s threats against non-UFC fighters (ie, that the UFC will never sign them if they accept EA Sports’ money to appear in EA Sports’ MMA video game) apply to Fedor as well. As previously rumored, and as now confirmed by AOL Fanhouse, Fedor is one of the fighters who signed to appear in EA’s MMA game.
The heavyweight division was never really strong anywhere except for 2 years in PRIDE and this year in the UFC. That could quickly change if Brock gets defeated and a few of the new heavyweights don’t pan out. You’ve got a rundown Nogueira, Randy who wants to go back to 205, Kongo who can never get it going, Herring who isn’t convincing anymore, Mir whose training interest is always questionable. And a bunch of rookies who aren’t proven yet so they might not be all they’re cracked up to be for all we know. What happens if 2 or 3 of those rookies are the 2009 Brandon Vera’s? The division is back to boring again.
The heavyweight division will never be as consistently strong as Welterweight and Light Heavyweight, no matter what promotion.
I have said from the start that the UFC is just posturing about their video game ban. LOL @ the idea that Dana would turn down Fedor because he is going to be in a competing videogame. If Dana did do that, he would be the biggest idiot in the history of fight promoting.
Ha ha, the first thing they say is Fedor will be on the cover of the EA Sports game. Well, that answers the UFC question.
I feel like M-1 is handling this all wrong. Up until now they’ve done a decent job screwing with both the UFC and the fans while squeezing money out of the fanbase and growing M-1.
The tide really feels like its about to shift. I remember the Couture/UFC dispute, the majority of fans were on Randy’s side at the start. A year later most fans were against him, and it would have gotten worse had Randy and the UFC failed to reach an agreement.
The tide feels like it is shifting against Fedor and M-1 now. If he takes one more contract outside the UFC, especially if it involves matchups with sub-top-10 caliber fighters, the fanbase is going to shift against M-1 completely. The money will dry up, M-1 will have a permanent black eye, and attempts at using Fedor to promote M-1 will ultimately backfire.
Michaelthebox is correct. I have seen a lot of comments like this lately: “I’ve been a huge Fedor supporter, but if he doesn’t sign with the UFC now, I’m done.”
Mark, relax about the UFC HW division. They’ve basically doubled the size and quality of the division in a year and a half. That isn’t a fluke, its because the quality of talent is simply so much better than it ever has been in the past. With the growth of the UFC, the HW talent will continue to improve, even if Velasquez, Carwin, and Dos Santos all implode.
Just this year, they’ve signed Mike Russow, Todd Duffee, Chris Tuscherer, Rothwell, Gormley, Tim Hague, Stefan Struve, as well as some quality talent on TUF in Schaub, Schoonover, and Wren.
Here is a review of what happened on the conference call according to multiple sources:
1. Fedor made no announcement.
2. Vadim avoided a lot of questions.
3. Vadim tried to promote M-1 a bunch of times.
What are you talking about, the majority of people were never in Fedor/M-1’s favor, certainly not as much as they were in Randy’s. Randy is one of the most beloved fighters in MMA history, Fedor is a guy who has far more people salivating for him to lose so they can immediately hop on their computers and joyously type “SEE! HE WAS NEVER THAT GOOD, I TOLD YOU!”
As soon as PRIDE closed and Fedor was cold on signing with the UFC, immediately he was called a coward and fraud for not proving he’s really #1 by fighting in the UFC. Fedor has more bashing him online than anybody other than Dana White and Tito.
Michaelinthebox, we’ve had the conversation at least once before. I take a wait and see approach with an eye towards past history. You’re clearly an optimist. To continue the debate is pointless since neither of us will waver.
I don’t recall our previous conversation, Mark. Anyway, I don’t deny that Fedor has gotten plenty of ire by UFC fanboys in the past. But he’s also gotten tons of support. That support appears to be dwindling. Just look on Sherdog, one of the prior bastions of Fedor nuthuggers. M-1 is getting crushed.
I haven’t yet decided what I really think about Fedor, but I was sure a while back that Vadim and M-1 were leeches. That seems to be the theme that is taking over in the blogosphere. Just do a cursory glance in the message boards. You’d have to be blind not to see it.
Of course, all this goes by the wayside should Fedor sign with the UFC, just as it did when Randy re-signed.
The tide has definitly turned big time. The UG, Sherdog, & Bloody Elbow are all bashing Fedor and M-1 right now. And almost nobody is defending Fedor, and absolutely nobody is defending Vadim. Even two weeks ago, there were many vocal supporters of Fedor on all of these websites. Not anymore.
Vadim played this one very stupid. The press conference just hurt him with the very hardcore fans who made up Fedor’s core audience. A manager is suppose to do the best he can for a fighter, not knock him down a peg. Just shows where Vadim’s real interests are….
One last point…. Even Josh Gross…. Fedor Emelianenko’s biggest fan (for a journalist)…. Is starting to turn in his opinion as well. He use to be all about co-promotion and the fighters. And his question on the conference call was basically: “GSP & Anderson Silva can sign the UFC contract, why can’t you?”
Fedor is losing credibility by the second. He might still sign with the UFC (which would restore it)… But if he doesn’t… His drawing power in the states will fall below 50,000 PPV Buys if not more.
the only people jumping on Fedor and “turning on him” are the noobs over at BE and Sherdog that were never really fans in the first place. They just couldn’t find an argument to use against him. Alot of those same people are the ones claiming that Fedor has to go beat Lesnar with his 4-1 record to truly be #1 LOL.
BTW 45 Huddle. What did I tell you about your boyfriend MMALogic? He’s a call-center champion and you’re the type of sucker whom he seeks for to whisper quietly into your ear to spread his message.
There is a difference between turning on Fedor and being upset with him for his poor choice in friends and business partners. These deals aren’t happening almost solely because of Vadim.
Even the long term fans from The Underground are turning on him. It’s more then just the newer fighters. I’m talking about pre-TUF fans. Very simply, people use to blame Dana White for not signing Fedor and expecting him to bend over too much. That idea is completely gone now. Some people still think White must be flexible, but not bend over…. And definitely not hurt his business for the “Crazy Russians”….
As for mmalogic…. He has a history credibility. The story still has to unfold. And he is not the only source… Just one of many…. Just like Golden Boy is on The UG… Who Josh Gross is from SI…. Or Dave Meltzer is… Some guys have shown a history of credibility, some have not. But none are 100% perfect with what they have said…. If mmalogic, just like anybody else, continues to show they are wrong more often then not, then they lose that credibility.
[…] If you read Zach Arnold’s FightOpinion site, you know 45 Huddle. If you know 45, you also know he can be a bit hard-headed and that your regular commenters usually don’t agree with him, but he makes an incredibly valid point here: […]
well it would seem that M-1 still has a hella good grip on Fedor’s nuts. they are still pushing the co-promotion angle. lame!
skwirrl if you think Fedor can continue to avoid fighting in the UFC and namely fighting Brock Lesnar and remain the #1 Heavyweight in the World you are on drugs.
Public perception now is that these are clearly the top two guys. Brock will continue to fight in the biggest promotion there is, continue to get exposure and likely will beat most every opponent they throw his way because the guy is a physical phenom and a beast.
Unless his emotions get the best of him and he gets caught in some Mir-like situation, Brock should be able to roll everyone in the UFC Heavyweight Division. And when he gets that record to 10-1? 15-1? 20-1? When will you give him the credit he deserves?
Fedor has nobody left to fight that will help him retain his Top Heavyweight Status. You don’t get to keep such a ranking fighting chumps and unless he goes to Japan to fight Roider (Barnett), or fights far lower ranked guys like Overeem, Rogers or Lashley, UFC will be the only place for him to fight someone of the caliber for him to deserve such a ranking.
UFC is in control here. They have the fanbase, the visibility, the money and most of all the fighters. Fedor has a bunch the cover of an EA Sports MMA Game. :Yawn:
Rp
Fedor is one of the investors in M-1, so yeah. Plus Vadim, his manager is the owner.
I don’t even believe he will be on the cover. At least not alone. Randy Couture will be the center piece of the EA marketing campaign. Nothing else makes sense.
Robert Poole – Yes Fedor must go to the UFC to fight elite fighters like Frank Mir who smashed Brandon Vera… Wait… OH he LOST to Brandon Vera… That’s right… Actually he got demolished by the hype machine Vera.
Outside ZUFFA:
top tier HW’s: Overeem, Barnett (on a cocktail of anything he can get his hands on with the fight taking place in Thailand), Rogers, Werdum, Bigfoot
everybody else: Xande or Roger Gracie, Lashley, Kharitonov, Monson, Arona, Mo Lawal, AA rematch, Mousasi (though Mousasi would never take that fight), Buentello, Soccerjew, Yvel, Schilt, Dave Herman…
ZUFFA: top tier HW’s: Lesnar, Carwin
2nd tier: Dos Santos (he might be tier 1), Cain, Randy, Kongo, Crocop rematch, Gonzaga
Everybody else: Nog (he’s shot), Mir (was never anything to begin with), McCully, Hardonk, Rothwell and all the elite LHW’s in the UFC
Its really even with the best HW competition STILL outside the UFC.
I still think (and know) that Fedor is the number one heavyweight and the number one P4P fighter out there, but to say that I am disappointed with him is an understatement. He has upset me, and he is now the Last Emperor in a isolated, empty kingdom devoid of life.
Fedor, until he has signed with the UFC, has become a non-factor. Will I watch him fight whoever? Yes. But he will lose what it is he had with me.
I actually had a pseudonym and everything worked out and a password sent to me. Too bad I ended up having to do work instead of taking a break.
Did anyone think that something substantative was gonna go down on this call? Seriously. Guess what: There probably won’t be very much substantative that you don’t already know for the Friday call either. People are taking this posturing dead seriously and its hilarious.
Fedor fans don’t seem to realize that Fedor’s claim as the best HW in MMA history is not ironclad for all time. Yes, his accomplishments are better than anyone’s *right now*, but it won’t be long until the UFC has the best stable of HW fighters we’ve ever seen in one promotion (if they don’t already) and eventually there will be a dominant champion, like GSP or A. Silva, and he’s going to have a resume that looks better than Fedor’s (more big wins against top fighters).
Sure, Brock is only 4-1 with two wins against top 5 opponents, but if he can win his next several fights against top 5 and top 10 talent (which looks very possible), he’ll have more top wins than Fedor. It doesn’t even have to be Brock. As long as someone comes into the UFC and goes on a GSP-esque reign of terror in the HW division, Fedor will be known forever as a “could’ve been”.
Vadim is doing his fighter a terrible disservice by not allowing Fedor to cement his legacy in the UFC. You have to look at the big picture. Nog x3, AA, Sylvia and CC will not keep you at the top forever.
Alan, you are commical. This is posturing? This is posturing:
1. Demanding more money
2. Demanding a guaranteed number of fights.
3. Demanding Fedor keeps his likeness without the UFC.
These are examples of posturing. All Vadim did was weaken the public opinion of Fedor. He also tried to promote his own interests with M-1, which actually hurts his credibility.
If you really think that was posturing, then thanks for making me laugh today!!
IceMuncher,
For better or worse, this is what some people will say about Fedor historically if he doesn’t go into the UFC.
1. He didn’t perform on the biggest stage when the level of talent increased.
2. He never competed against a lot of the division at their peak. He never fought Arlovski or Sylvia when they were champions and at the top. He never fought Cro Cop after he won the Grand Prix and was the #1 contender. He never fought Lesnar when he was at top the UFC.
3. He might have been undefeated for years, but there were long gaps between competitive fights.
4. He never beat the big wrestlers of today like Lesnar, Carwin, Cain, and whoever appears on the scene within the next few years.
And then people will look at the career of a guy like Georges St. Pierre by comparison and say he beat basically everybody in his division. Beat them when they were all at their peak, and avenged every loss so convincingly that he will go down as one if not the best Welterweight ever….
The people who write history are the one’s who come out on top at the end. And that is the UFC…. That’s the reality of the situation.
45 Huddle,
You are way off line bud. Way off line.
I could list the reasons, but I’d rather not.
Instead, I’d just like for you to realize that you are way off line.
http://mmapayout.com/2009/07/ea-mma-fedor-typo-or-slip-of-the-tongue/
The Fedorfan turtling here is pretty shocking. There’s nothing to be defensive about. He’s never been signed with the UFC, and based on the fact that this press conference even took place, I’d say there’s very little chance of him signing for UFC now.
Shocker.
Its pathetic that an organization and more specifically one vulgar promoter is 100x more popular then the best athlete in this sports history.
Why don’t we wait and see who Fedor fights next before we crucify him?
I want to see him fight Brock, but outside of that fight the UFC heavyweight roster is just as impressive/unimpressive as the one that is not under ZUFFA contract.
Also, the co-promotion angle is just a bargaining chip for M-1/Fedor. If they can’t secure another multi-million dollar deal from Strikeforce/Dream (doubtful) then they will go to the UFC who can offer the best $ by far.
People are overreacting, they are still negotiating. This sort thing is normal in boxing.
LOLOLOL 45. Dude, no shit the Fedor thing was posturing. I’m the one talking about how I wanted to prank it and hopefully break some of the seriousness up. All you had to do was claim to be from a media outlet and you could have asked Fedor any question you want: Why does Fedor hate black people? Is a sticking point the need for M-1’s continued indentured servitude of Fedor and his kids? If Jerry Millen got kicked by Bas Rutten, would he think it might hurt?
Interesting to hear that Fedor and his management didn’t have an issue with the champions clause, marketing agreement or sambo tournaments on todays conference call. Could it be that the UFC caved in to those demands?
Cro Cop after the OWGP? You mean the guy who sucked in the UFC? Beating him in 2007 would have been more important than beating him in 2005 when he was at his career peak? Huh?
Even if your theory about Fedor being destroyed by Lesnar or Carwin is correct, it’s not like Fedor is going to be forgotten or shit on by people the same way the late-90s generation of HWs like Kerr/Severn/Coleman/Rodriguez are. He did a great run during what will probably go down as the biggest years in Japanese MMA, beating a impressive list of fighters, and will probably only have his “longest unbeaten stretch” topped by Machida.
I don’t understand the disrespect some MMA fans have about “old school” fighters, which we’re seeing spring on the PRIDE roster from simply 3 YEARS AGO. Babe Ruth played generations and generation ago and already had his record broken twice. But he’s still held in a high esteem by baseball fans. MMA fans can’t wait to write you off for dead and shit on your legacy. 2006 to them might as well be 1906.
I see no reason to argue over this. A bunch of people that have emotional stake in wanting to see the best fighters all fight in the UFC exclusively are upset, and they are making lots of noise right now that its particularly convenient for them. Would I like it to happen? Sure. would it best for the sport at this stage? Probably. But I really don’t care about how Fedor is being screwed when the same people saying he is are the same ones who said that he was imminently about to sign. I don’t believe them anymore than I believe Vadim.
For the record, I do think Fedor will end up signing with the UFC. The EliteXC, Affliction, Bodog, and IFL’s of the world are not around anymore. Strikeforce will not co-promote events with them, Showtime would likely not allow it. And why sign a $500,000 per fight contract with Strikeforce when you can sign a $2 Million one with the UFC (both no co-promoting). Sengoku is not a fit. Which just leaves DREAM… And they aren’t even sure if they will be on TBS next year. I can’t see them being able to offer Fedor much money. The only logical choice is the UFC.
Alan,
If you see no reason to discuss this, then just leave the conversation. There is no point for you to be posting.
Mark,
Babe Ruth played in the same league that is around now. Major difference. And I was just saying how people will bring him up in the future if he doesn’t sign with the UFC….