Fans will likely remember the ‘mud slinging’ done by both UFC President Dana White and representatives from M-1 Global after the fall of Affliction as a mixed martial arts promotion, as both sides failed to come to an agreement over signing Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, who eventually signed with Strikeforce.
Now advance almost a year-and-a-half, and the company that owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Zuffa, has gone and purchased the Strikeforce promotion in one of the biggest mma news stories in North America.
UFC President Dana White has gone on to assure fans and fighters, that they will be honoring all current Strikeforce contracts. Despite this fact, many are still soured on the overall situation, and some would expect M-1 to be one of those turning their nose at the news.
Not so says M-1 Global’s Evgeni Kogan who spoke to MMAWeekly.com, telling them that they have no issues with the deal as Fedor is under contract to Showtime and not Strikeforce.
“Fedor’s contract is with Showtime Networks Inc. and we’re excited to be working with such a premium North American outlet. The purchase of Strikeforce doesn’t affect M-1 at all. Our TV deal is with Showtime and we’re happy. It’s business as usual for M-1 Global as we close into our March 25 event.”