M-1 exec Jerry Millen: Fedor Emelianenko will fight Brock Lesnar for free
First, it was Randy Couture. Now, it's Brock Lesnar.
Each time former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) adds another win to his already impressive career total, fans from across the world call for the Russian to face the UFC's reigning king.
Emelianenko toppled the previously undefeated Brett Rogers at Saturday night's Strikeforce and M-1 Global co-promotion, "Fedor vs. Rogers," and those requests have already begun again. While the UFC's unwillingness to co-promote has proved an insurmountable roadblock in the past, M-1 Global USA vice president Jerry Millen has a simple solution: do it for free.
"If these guys in the UFC truly wanted to fight Fedor, they'd find a way," Millen recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "Come to his training camp. Come to Stary Oskol, and we'll do three, five-minute rounds in the ring or the cage. We'll do it for fun.
"If you really want to fight him for competition, and it's not about the money for the guys in the UFC, then tell Brock Lesnar to jump his ass on a plane, take a train, and come to Stary Oskol. If these guys really want to fight Fedor, then come to Stary Oskol and lets get it on there for no money."
UFC president Dana White has often been less-than-complimentary in regards to Emelianenko and Millen's partners at M-1 Global. Some critics of the Russian fighter have suggested Emelianenko's refusal to fight in the UFC was a result of his desire to keep his nearly unblemished record intact.
Millen finds the thought of Emelianenko "ducking" stiff competition laughable.
"[Emelianenko] loves fighting," Millen said. "He loves the competition of it, and he'll fight any comers. That's why when I hear these jerks say, 'He's ducking the UFC. He's afraid of Brock Lesnar' – Frank Mir's like, 'Oh, he's afraid of us' – give me a break. That's the biggest bunch of bull I've ever heard. Fedor's not afraid to fight anybody."
As he always has, Millen maintains the only thing stopping "The Last Emperor" from fighting in the octagon are the terms being offered by the UFC.
"It's got to be a good deal," Millen said. "When you sign with the UFC, most guys sign their soul away. Fedor doesn't have to sign his soul away, number one, because he's at the top of the game, and he's doing very well without signing with the UFC. So he doesn't have to sell his soul. He's the kind of guy that won't sell his soul.
"If you ever see Fedor (in the UFC), if that ever happens, it's going to be a very fair deal."
Millen said he believes the UFC has been great for the sport but that the contract terms offered by the promotion aren't always in the best interest of the organization's athletes.
"The fighters in the UFC are great, but the UFC, to me, is the WWE model," Millen said. "They want to own the guys. They have their own rankings. There's a lot of fighters out there that are undiscovered that don't get a chance to fight in the UFC, so they're not going to get ranked because they're not going to fight the guy that's ranked No. 4.
"The UFC is the Q-tip of MMA. It's great what they've done for the sport, but PRIDE was there before that. Strikeforce, King of the Cage, Cage Rage. There's a lot of promotions out there that helped the sport, and when I hear people say that the UFC has made MMA what it is, the UFC has made MMA what it is in America. Not worldwide."
As a part-owner of M-1 Global, Emelianenko may not ever make a UFC appearance. But Millen said if Lesnar, Mir or any other UFC heavyweight wants to face the current WAMMA heavyweight champion, Emelianenko waits on the other end of trip to Russia.
"I get so sick of hearing, 'Oh, he's afraid,'" Millen said. "That's the biggest bunch of crap I've ever heard. [Emelianenko] is an athlete. He's not afraid of somebody beating him up. He gets punched in the face all the time. What would he be afraid of? Losing? He's not afraid to lose. He's at peace with losing. That's all bull.
"Dana will talk his trash. Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, they're all trying to goad him. But honestly, [Emelianenko] doesn't listen to any of it. It doesn't affect him. He just does what he does, and if you want to fight him, come on. He'll fight you. Bring it."
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per MMAJunkie.com
Wonder what's going on....
Who gives a shit what Millen thinks. He couldnt shine BLAF's balls
The challenge is out there to Dana and Brock. Let's see how they respond...
Crickets....
you can lol at millin but if your read what he says.. most of its true.
i mean fedor afraid of brock? lol ok..
brock is "sick" anyways.. and he'd ko mir thats a given.
only if i can watch it for free
C'mon Brock...
Trooper Soul - you can like or dislike the guy for some nerdy personal reasons, but jerry millen is an accomplished professional and usually nails it
The guy is a walking roll of douche, that is why people dislike him.
If Fedor will fight Lesnar for free, then let him sign with the UFC, no co-promotion, and settle it. The UFC has everything to lose, nothing to gain. It's quite the opposite for M-1, and it's pretty obvious they are using Fedor as a way to get money from the UFC.
A 1 fight deal, 5 five minute non title fight, no co-promotion. If Fedor wins, he can go wherever.
If M-1, Fedor, and certainly the UFC really cares what the fans want, they will put together a deal similar to that. Just stick Fedor in the UFC for one time, up against Brock Lesnar. Either do that or stfu about it.
TheBear228 -Trooper Soul - you can like or dislike the guy for some nerdy personal reasons, but jerry millen is an accomplished professional and usually nails it
The guy is a walking roll of douche, that is why people dislike him.
kinda like how dana is becoming
BOOSH, and or KA-KOW! put up or shut up. Do it Brock, i'm sure they have coors in the whambulance for the cry home.
dana puts his tail between his legs and continues to say fedor needs to come to the UFC to fight brock. dana is all about the money, he'll never let his start prized HW go outside of the UFC to fight someone who would kill him.
Frank Murrr talking about fighting Fedor is really really wild. Fedor would retire this kid hahahaha
Does Fedor know about any of this?
BLAF had no problem sending Chuck to Pride, why not send Mur to SF to fight him.
M-1 doesn't co-promote... they co-market and co-brand.... they never had an AC's promotional license anywhere in the states.... but they want promotional $$ in any deal they strike - if M-1 would just drop their co-promotional tag.. i bet ufc would come to some type of deal that would compensate any type of revenue that they would normally extort.. i mean earn.
he ducks lesnar and the UFC
clearly
Millen is a gigantic douche. Dana acts like a douche when hes in promoter mode, but at least he seems like a good guy outside of that. Millen is 100% douche all the time.
Lawman -
"The UFC is the Q-tip of MMA. It's great what they've done for the sport, but PRIDE was there before that.
The UFC's first show - 1993
Pride's first show - 1997
Jerry Millen is an idiot.
OctopusFighter -agreed.Lawman -
"The UFC is the Q-tip of MMA. It's great what they've done for the sport, but PRIDE was there before that.
The UFC's first show - 1993
Pride's first show - 1997
Jerry Millen is an idiot.
strikeforce was doing kickboxing back in the mid 80's which out dates mc Millens doucheyness.
Millen is a douche, yes, but I tend to agree with him a bit this time.