Many analysts believe that Fedor Emelianenko is the best fighter in the world pound for pound. His record is certainly very respectable, and considering his only defeat came via TKO after a cut, it can be argued that he is undefeated.
However, despite his greatness, the fact remains that he isn’t a consistent pay per view draw, and the UFC might have actually saved themselves from losing a lot of money by not signing him.
Fedor’s Track Record
In ‘Pride’, Fedor accumulated a fearsome record by defeating the likes of Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ and Mark Coleman easily. He became the Heavyweight Champion in that organisation and dominated everyone he fought.
The only people left for Fedor to fight when ‘Pride’ folded were in the UFC, but he instead chose to fight in an organisation called ‘BodogFight’ against the tough Matt Lindland. After the show, ‘Bodog’ collapsed, recording losses of $38 million, and some fighters such as Lindland complained about not being paid.
This wasn’t a good way to start his post ‘Pride’ career. After this, he signed with ‘M1 Global’ who would promote him in future events. They arranged for him to fight on a show in Japan called ‘Yarrenoka’, on which he won, but these one off shows weren’t a permanent solution to getting Fedor fights.
So he signed for American company ‘Affliction’. Most notorious for manufacturing clothes, these decided to test the murky waters of promotion and quite simply failed. Fedor topped the bill at both events they put on, and they haemorrhaged money, paying fighters more than the live gates at both events.
‘Affliction’ were meant to present a third event called ‘Trilogy’, but when Fedor’s opponent Josh Barnett failed a drugs test, the whole show was cancelled and the company closed it’s doors. While Fedor can’t be blamed for this, the fact the company had lost so much money anyway suggests that things were going very wrong behind the scenes.
Why Does Everything Fedor Touches Go Bust?
Since his ‘Pride’ days, Fedor has almost cursed every promotion he has touched. However, this isn’t bad luck. It is the company behind Fedor - ‘M1 Global’. They ask for ‘co-promotion’ wherever Fedor fights, demand huge purses for him and take percentages of the Pay Per View revenues. No wonder the companies that Fedor joins go bust - ‘M1 Global’ take all the money!
This is exactly why Fedor isn’t in the UFC. They put a huge offer on the table for Fedor, but ‘M1 Global’ turned it down as the UFC wouldn’t allow co-promotion. Consequently, Fedor is now with ’Strikeforce’, but it is hard to see how they are going to make money with Fedor on board.
The Key To Fedor - Marketing
Quite simply, the reason why Fedor isn’t making money in the United States is the fact that no one knows who he is. Even Kimbo Slice is a bigger household name than Fedor, and this is a huge problem for someone who is meant to be the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
The UFC is realistically the only company that could solve this problem. They market everything perfectly, and as of now, they are the only company that could convince the general public that Fedor is the ‘baddest’ mixed martial artist around.
‘M1 Global’ Are Holding Fedor Back
By not taking this deal, ‘M1 Global’ are stopping Fedor creating a legacy for himself. The heavyweight division in the UFC is doing very well right now, and Fedor could really challenge himself there. However, in ‘Strikeforce’, there is seemingly no one that can realistically give the Sambo wrestling expert a good fight, so while Fedor may be making more money, he won’t be making a name for himself.
If Fedor is serious about creating a legacy in MMA, he needs to act quick and get in the UFC. The earliest he could realistically do this though is early 2011, as ‘M1 Global’ currently have a multi-fight deal with ‘Strikeforce’ in place for him.
‘M1 Global’ are the real conmen here as they are robbing the fans of great fights, and wasting Fedor’s prime. Hopefully, they won’t force ‘Strikeforce’ to fold as well, as then there will only be one major MMA company - the UFC. Fedor should realise soon though that the UFC is the place to be, and then dodgy managers like ‘M1’ can be eradicated from the sport.
As of right now though, the UFC are better off without him.
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