Fedor wants top competition!!

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Those of you who think Fedor is avoiding top competition, think again!

M-1 Global Teases New Reality Series: Winner Gets Fight with Fedor Emelianenko

Posted by MMA Junkie on February 12, 2008 at 12:42 pm ET

Fedor EmelianenkoThe recently restructured M-1 Global organization is teasing a new weekly TV reality series called "Fighting Fedor," in which 16 heavyweight prospects will take part in a tournament-style competition. The winner gets a fight with the organization's biggest (and right now, only) star: famed Russian Fedor Emelianenko.

The video was posted on www.mix1fight.com, a news site run by Emelianenko's management in partnership with M-1 Global.

No debut date or broadcast partner for the series is revealed on the site, though, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was unable to immediately confirm details of the show with M-1 Global.

However, according to details released in the video, the show will use a familiar format.

"M-1 Global is embarking on a journey across four continents to find MMA's best young heavyweight contenders," the video's narrator states. "Sixteen fighters will travel to St. Petersburg, Russia's Red Devils Sports Club (where Emelianenko trains), where they will open their doors to American television cameras for the first time. From there, the fighters will spend the next several weeks living together, training together and fighting each other in a full-contact mixed-martial-arts tournament -- the likes of which have never been seen on American television."

(Viewers of "The Ultimate Fighter," the UFC's hit reality series that airs on Spike TV, may disagree.)

M-1 Global was recently purchased from Emelianenko's manager and restructured by a group of American investors. The company's first order of business was signing Emelianenko to a long-term deal back in October, and the organization has been on the hunt for heavyweight talent to fight the famed Russian ever since. M-1 Global will likely hold its first event in Chicago on May 3.

The 31-year-old Emelianenko, who held the PRIDE Fighting Championships' heavyweight belt for more than four years before the organization's eventual demise this past summer, owns a career mark of 27-1. Although he's defeated some of the most notable fighters in the sport -- including current UFC fighters Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Heath Herring -- he's fought few (if any) top-tier guys in recent years.

Emelianenko recently turned down an offer to fight exclusively for the UFC, saying the contract was too restrictive.

(Touch of gloves: MMAjunkie.com reader "DeezAlmonds")

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M-1 is in shambles right now. A lot is going to have to happen before they can even have their first show.

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You guys can make all the sarcastic comments about Fedor you want - but if you don't think he wants to fight the best fighters, you either haven't followed his career or you are kidding yourselves to try to look cool on the UG.

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Fedor will fight in the Dream promotion long before this reality show happens (if it does.)

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It doesn't matter what he wants, it matters what his management thinks is the best way to make the most money off of him. Right now that means fighting reality show winners and fringe contenders like Rizzo and Monson.

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^ that's true, TC. But you've seen the posts trying to equate him with Tito.

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woo hoo we'll see Fedor vs Ranger Stott in my lifetime.

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Uh so they're going to have random HW's be on a reality series and the winner gets to fight Fedor and that means he wants to fight top competition?



The proof is in the pudding.  He hasn't fought true top competition (at that point) at HW since fighting CC in 8/05.



I'll believe he wants to fight top competition when he signs with the UFC or at least fights Barnett.

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wasn't this the same format for TUF 3 or 4? The winner of TUF gets shots at the champ?

At the time it was:

Anderson Silva vs Travis Lutter

Matt Serra vs GSP

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Yes dking that's true, the difference being that season of TUF had guys who were at least were competitive in the UFC if not contenders (e.g. Serra).



I highly doubt we're going to see a bunch of former top HW's on M-1's reality series.  It's more than likely going to be like a regular TUF and it will be a bunch of newcomers/inexperienced fighters hence it will be counter to the statement that "Fedor wants top competition."

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I'll believe he wants to fight top competition when he signs with the UFC or at least fights Barnett.

lol...The ufc is losing/losed Crocop, Timmy, Arlosky, and Couture. Only heavyweight they still have is Nogi whom has gotten his ass handed to him twice by Fedor.

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they won't have any TOP HW's any decent HW is under contract. Although this could be why Rothwell left the IFL and didn't sign elsewhere.

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"You guys can make all the sarcastic comments about Fedor you want - but if you don't think he wants to fight the best fighters, you either haven't followed his career or you are kidding yourselves to try to look cool on the UG."

Exactly! I don't see Randy Couture or Tim Sylvia lining up to fight Zulu Jr, Matt Lindland or Hong Man Choi! Fedor has been fighting the best his whole career!

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In other words, he's going to fight rookies. He can fight the toughest competition all he wants, since he is allowed to choose his opponents.

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there are NO GOOD unsigned HW's.......Any HW's that are good are signed and thus will not be able to fight on another promotion or another promotions Reality show.

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If Randy was available I don't think this reality show would exist

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Source fob_77?



CC has already been beaten convincingly by Fedor and performed horribly in the UFC so he's irrelevant at this point.



Unless you have some inside source you have NO idea what Sylvia & Arlovski will do.



Couture has been proven ignorant with his comments/statements and will be lucky to fight again before he's 50.  The longer he waits to fight the more irrelevant he will be.  His best bet was to fight Nog then fight another fight in June/July and he would have been out of his contract then so he could fight Fedor.  Instead he chose to belittle every other HW but Fedor.  Unless he changes his tune I won't be paying to watch him fight again.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah... we all know.

Randy Couture and Fedor Emilianenko are irrelevant in MMA.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha! This forum's great!

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can't they get monson to fight fedor? and then Ricco, then the big brazilian guy that looks like schrek? then maybe rothwell?

If he wins these 3 thats enough to keep him at no1 for the next 1.5 yrs imo...

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"He can say that all he wants to, but when his last fights include, Choi, Zuluzinho, and a 185 lber in Lindland."

Yeah I totally agree, I mean Fedor has never fought anyone good...
Just like UFC's champion Nogueira who had fought Sapp, Shilt, Pawel Nastula in his MMA debut, ZULUZHINO, and a 185 lber in Tamura.