Will
07-28-2007, 12:26 AM
Of all his suitors, the UFC has offered PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (26-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) the most lucrative fight deal, but the contract’s numerous restrictions and the organization’s lack of communication could keep the MMA legend from joining the UFC, said Emelianenko’s manager, Vadim Finkelstein.
Finkelstein, the manager of the Red Devil Sport Club fight team and owner of the M1 Mixfight organization, talked about the contract negotiations with Evgeni Kogan of Sherdog.com.
Emelianenko, 30, has been PRIDE’s heavyweight champion since March 2003. During his reign, he’s beaten some of the sport’s top fighters, including Mirko “Crop Cop” Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Matt Lindland and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Ever since the UFC purchase PRIDE earlier this year, fans have wondered when — if ever — the famed Russian fighter and PRIDE 2004 Grand Prix winner would be signed to a UFC contract. Last month, UFCjunkie.com quoted a source close to the UFC who said the general consensus within the organization that the deal was “inevitable.“
However, according to Finkelstein, that’s now not necessarily the case.
From Sherdog.com:
Sherdog.com: As Fedor’s manager, can you please fill us in on the current state of his contract negotiations.
VF: At the moment we are in negotiations with a number of organizations who have put offers on the table. I’ll be blunt in saying that the UFC offer is the most financially attractive one. However they are very harsh in their terms and are not very flexible in actually negotiating them.
Fedor has now been the PRIDE heavyweight champion for four years and I think we have earned the right to negotiate a contract that suits both parties. Instead we are faced with a blunt “you are either in or you’re out.” This does not really suit us. If the negotiations continue in a similar manner, we’ll prefer to fight for less money but with an organization which is more flexible.
The problem is that Fedor is the face of Combat Sambo in Russia. His popularity is at a level where he is acquainted with president Putin himself, in part because he is so successful and well known for Combat Sambo here.
Combat Sambo is a Russian sport that’s not at a level of difficulty of MMA, but is hugely popular with our public. Fedor must represent Russia in Combat Sambo and at world championships, specifically the ones coming up in September. All we want him to do is compete something like once a year in Combat Sambo. But the UFC is not happy with that.
Their proposal has all kinds of clauses, all kinds of fines etc. that do not suit us. The UFC is not really that eager to communicate and negotiate. The negotiations are still continuing, and we will try very hard to get our demands met, if not Fedor will simply not compete in the UFC, even though that will be unfortunate as they currently have one of the, if not the, strongest, heavyweight divisions in the world.
Finkelstein went on to state that he thinks the UFC prefers an American champion, and despite his offer to help, the organization has no intentions of putting on an event in Russia. That could be a deal-breaker for Finkelstein and Emelianenko, who stay true to their Russian roots.
The UFC, though, would have a lot to lose if the deal doesn’t go through.
The addition of Emelianenko would not only further bolster the UFC’s impressive roster of heavyweights, but it would make a significant statement: that the UFC and president Dana White get what they want. After all, throughout most of 2007, White has vowed to have Emelianenko fighting for the organization.
Additionally, it could set up what could be the biggest fight — ever — in the history of MMA. In August 2005, Emelianenko defeated Filipovic via unanimous decision, and fans have clamored for the rematch ever since.
Finkelstein, the manager of the Red Devil Sport Club fight team and owner of the M1 Mixfight organization, talked about the contract negotiations with Evgeni Kogan of Sherdog.com.
Emelianenko, 30, has been PRIDE’s heavyweight champion since March 2003. During his reign, he’s beaten some of the sport’s top fighters, including Mirko “Crop Cop” Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Matt Lindland and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Ever since the UFC purchase PRIDE earlier this year, fans have wondered when — if ever — the famed Russian fighter and PRIDE 2004 Grand Prix winner would be signed to a UFC contract. Last month, UFCjunkie.com quoted a source close to the UFC who said the general consensus within the organization that the deal was “inevitable.“
However, according to Finkelstein, that’s now not necessarily the case.
From Sherdog.com:
Sherdog.com: As Fedor’s manager, can you please fill us in on the current state of his contract negotiations.
VF: At the moment we are in negotiations with a number of organizations who have put offers on the table. I’ll be blunt in saying that the UFC offer is the most financially attractive one. However they are very harsh in their terms and are not very flexible in actually negotiating them.
Fedor has now been the PRIDE heavyweight champion for four years and I think we have earned the right to negotiate a contract that suits both parties. Instead we are faced with a blunt “you are either in or you’re out.” This does not really suit us. If the negotiations continue in a similar manner, we’ll prefer to fight for less money but with an organization which is more flexible.
The problem is that Fedor is the face of Combat Sambo in Russia. His popularity is at a level where he is acquainted with president Putin himself, in part because he is so successful and well known for Combat Sambo here.
Combat Sambo is a Russian sport that’s not at a level of difficulty of MMA, but is hugely popular with our public. Fedor must represent Russia in Combat Sambo and at world championships, specifically the ones coming up in September. All we want him to do is compete something like once a year in Combat Sambo. But the UFC is not happy with that.
Their proposal has all kinds of clauses, all kinds of fines etc. that do not suit us. The UFC is not really that eager to communicate and negotiate. The negotiations are still continuing, and we will try very hard to get our demands met, if not Fedor will simply not compete in the UFC, even though that will be unfortunate as they currently have one of the, if not the, strongest, heavyweight divisions in the world.
Finkelstein went on to state that he thinks the UFC prefers an American champion, and despite his offer to help, the organization has no intentions of putting on an event in Russia. That could be a deal-breaker for Finkelstein and Emelianenko, who stay true to their Russian roots.
The UFC, though, would have a lot to lose if the deal doesn’t go through.
The addition of Emelianenko would not only further bolster the UFC’s impressive roster of heavyweights, but it would make a significant statement: that the UFC and president Dana White get what they want. After all, throughout most of 2007, White has vowed to have Emelianenko fighting for the organization.
Additionally, it could set up what could be the biggest fight — ever — in the history of MMA. In August 2005, Emelianenko defeated Filipovic via unanimous decision, and fans have clamored for the rematch ever since.