M-1 Global | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

M-1 Global Sues Bellator Middleweight Vyacheslav Vasilvsky over Breach of Contract

Which means whoever made this picture just wasted a bunch of time.

If you were impressed with Vyacheslav Vasilvsky’s performance at Bellator 61, out gunning Victor O’Donnell en route to a unanimous decision victory, don’t get used to seeing him in Bellator just yet.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that M-1 Global has been awarded damages from a breach of contract by former M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion Vyacheslav Vasilvsky by a Dutch court, and is planning on pursuing Vasilvsky- who wasn’t present in court, nor were any of his representatives, mind you- in the United States. Okay, that sounds pretty rough, but at least M-1 is being reasonable in their demands and not trying to bury the guy, right? Um, have you heard of M-1 Global?

The promotion has been granted €1,000 for each day he’s been in breach of contract (which, according to M-1, is exactly one year today), €5,000 for each fight he’s had in another promotion (five since 2010), and court fees. I’m not exactly a mathematician, but I think that adds up to 1,000x more money than M-1 Global could have possibly made off of Vyacheslav Vasilvsky. Ken Shamrock could not be reached for comment.

Which means whoever made this picture just wasted a bunch of time.

Naturally, Vasilvsky’s manager, Sam Kardan, denies that M-1 Global has any type of enforceable contract with the fighter. As Kardan says:

“When Bellator signed him back in November, I know at that point, the fighter requested – and I believe Bellator has done the same – requested a copy of the (M-1) contract…If he was presented a contract, I’m pretty sure Bellator would not have signed him. I’m pretty positive of that. So for almost six months, [M-1 hasn’t] presented any kind of contract that would state they do have an existing agreement with him.”

For what it’s worth, when Bellator first signed Vasilvsky in November, CEO Bjorn Rebney denied any knowledge of a contract with M-1 Global but agreed that if one existed Bellator would respect it.

A lot of stuff to digest here. Is this a case of M-1 Global, who recently allowed Yasubey Enomoto to fight with an open wound infection that bled throughout the bout, showing it doesn’t care about it’s non-Emelianenko fighters? Or is this a case of a naive young man recklessly disregarding his prior commitments? Your thoughts, comments section.

Buzzworthy Rumor of the Day: Is Fedor vs. Todd Duffee In the Works for Summer M-1 Show in Monaco?

(Big stakes for both fighters if this one happens.)

We’ll preface this story with the disclaimer that it’s simply a rumor at this point, but word on the street is that Todd Duffee may be the next opponent in line for Fedor Emelianenko.

According to a post on Fedor’s official website, “The Last Emperor” has been taking some time off to nurse a thigh injury and likely won’t fight until the summer against a “former UFC legend.” Sure it’s a stretch to say that Duffee is a UFC legend, but remember that these are those Crazy Russians talking and what else are they going to advertise him as, the ripped dude that got knocked out by that flabby Mike Russow guy?

(Big stakes for both fighters if this one happens.)

We’ll preface this story with the disclaimer that it’s simply a rumor at this point, but word on the street is that Todd Duffee may be the next opponent in line for Fedor Emelianenko.

What propagated the rumor, and it might be merely a coincidence, was that both Emelianenko and Duffee announced in the past 24-hours that they have “big news” to announce soon, presumably regarding their next respective fights. Considering that the once dominant Russian has been scraping the barrel of opponents since being dropped by Strikeforce following back-to-back losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume he’s fighting “The Duffman” next. Wins over an aging fighter like Jeff Monson and a future middleweight like Satoshi Ishii hardly convinced anyone that the old PRIDE-era Fedor is back. Not that a win over Duffee would silence his critics, but at least it would be a win over a fighter under 40 who is an actual heavyweight.

According to Duffee’s Wikipedia page, the fight is set for May, however M-1 mentioned last month that Fedor would likely fight next at a planned Monaco event in the summer, so take the news with a grain of salt.

Duffee hasn’t fought since being knocked out by Alistair Overeem at Dynamite!! 2010 back on December 31 of the same year. That fight was his first post-UFC outing after he was unceremoniously dropped following the loss to Russow. A win over Emelianenko could put him on the fast-track to an Octagon return.

On the flip side, a loss to Duffee would likely mean the end of Emelianenko’s once storied career.

Two questions: Are you guys interested in this fight, and if it does happen, who do you see taking it?

Ishii, Monson Fights Represent the Last Phase of Fedor’s Career

Filed under: DREAM, M-1 GlobalThe best heavyweight in MMA history will make his return to the ring on New Year’s Eve in Japan, when Fedor Emelianenko faces the former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, and the fan reaction to that fight has been…

Filed under: DREAM, M-1 Global

The best heavyweight in MMA history will make his return to the ring on New Year’s Eve in Japan, when Fedor Emelianenko faces the former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, and the fan reaction to that fight has been decidedly mixed.

On one hand, you have fans who loved seeing Fedor’s glory days in Pride who figure that there’s nothing wrong with seeing him back in Japan on New Year’s Eve, which was once an annual tradition. On the other hand, you have fans who are disappointed that Fedor won’t be facing a high-level opponent, as Ishii is just 4-1-1 in his MMA career and doesn’t have anything close to the kind of MMA resume that Fedor has.

The reality is that this fight — and Fedor’s fight in Moscow last month against Jeff Monson — is just what we’re going to see from the 35-year-old Fedor at this point, as he enters the last phase of his legendary career. We’re not going to see Fedor against Top 10 competition anymore, so we might as well enjoy watching him against the competition he will face, guys like Ishii and Monson who are perfectly respectable but far from elite.

Before I go any further, there’s a little revisionist history to get out of the way: Some people like to claim that Fedor never fought high-quality competition, that all he did was “crush cans” in Japan. That’s really not an accurate account of any stage of Fedor’s career: He beat good opponents like Babalu Sobral and Ricardo Arona in Rings early in his career, beat good opponents like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop in Pride in the prime of his career, and beat good opponents like Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski in Affliction late in his career. It’s true that Fedor liked to mix in easy fights against the likes of Lee Hasdell and Yuji Nagata, but at his best he took on many of the best heavyweights in the world and beat them consistently.

What has changed is simple: Fedor is not at his best anymore, and now he’s not in a position to fight the best heavyweights anymore. The sport’s top heavyweights are signed to exclusive Zuffa contracts, and so they’re not going to be fighting Fedor any time soon.

And really, Fedor shouldn’t be fighting an elite heavyweight right now. After consecutive losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Dan Henderson, taking a step back in quality of competition only made sense for Fedor, because he can’t compete with the truly elite in the sport anymore. That’s not a knock on Fedor, any more than it’s a knock on Michael Jordan to say that he wasn’t as good with the Washington Wizards as he was with the Chicago Bulls. It’s just the reality with aging athletes.

The good news about the Ishii fight is that while Fedor is a heavy favorite, it’s not a mismatch to the same extent that Fedor’s last New Year’s Eve fight was. In that fight, on December 31, 2007, Fedor was still the No. 1 heavyweight in the world, and seeing him easily submit the Korean giant Hong Man Choi in a Japanese freak show felt like a waste of time. Ishii isn’t on Fedor’s level, but Fedor-Ishii in 2011 is a more competitive fight than Fedor-Choi in 2007 was.

The other piece of good news is that this will be Fedor’s fourth fight this year, making 2011 the most active year for Fedor since 2004, when he was the heavyweight champion in Pride. If you’re a Fedor fan, seeing him fight frequently is not a bad thing.

So that’s where Fedor is at this late stage in his career. He’s no longer fighting the best of the best on the biggest stages in the sport, but if you’ve enjoyed watching him fight, there are worse things than seeing him in the ring with Ishii on New Year’s Eve.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

After 2 Knockouts in 3 Weeks, CSAC Regrets Licensing Jose Figueroa

Filed under: M-1 Global

Jose Figueroa fought in Moscow on November 20 and was knocked out in the first round. Then he fought in California on December 9 and was knocked out in the first round again. Now the California State Athletic Commission says it regrets allowing Figueroa into the ring for that second knockout loss — but the Commission says it was Figueroa who failed to disclose his prior knockout loss when he filled out the Commission’s paperwork at the weigh-in on December 8.

“Prior to the bout, Mr. Figueroa was required to fill out a pre-fight questionnaire indicating his last bout and the outcome of that bout. Mr. Figueroa did not list that fight nor did he list that he lost by KO,” CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd told MMAFighting.com. “If CSAC would have known that Mr. Figueroa had fought in Russia three weeks prior to this event and lost by KO, we would not have allowed this fight to occur. We take health and safety of combative athletes very seriously, but the athlete also has a responsibility as well.”

Dodd says he is looking into the possibility that Figueroa may face disciplinary action from the California Commission, something that Dodd says he hasn’t had to do before.

“I haven’t taken any type of disciplinary action since I’ve been here against a fighter not stating his previous fight,” Dodd said.

But even if Figueroa failed to list his last fight on his paperwork, why didn’t the CSAC do its own research? It’s not like Figueroa’s Moscow fight was a secret: It aired live on pay-per-view in the United States as the co-main event on the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Jeff Monson card, and Figueroa’s loss was listed as part of his record on several online databases, and also mentioned in several news articles about the Fedor-Monson fight. (A Google News search of Jose Figueroa’s name reveals more than 10 articles that referenced Figueroa’s November 20 loss prior to his December 9 fight.)

Dodd says the California Commission was relying on a database that had not been updated with Figueroa’s November 20 fight.

“The California State Athletic Commission reviews the Association of Boxing Commission (ABC) mixed martial arts website to review past fights and suspensions of fighters,” Dodd told MMAFighting.com. “They did not list Jose Figueroa’s previous fight in Russia nor did it list that he was on any type of suspension.”

Dodd acknowledges that allowing a fighter to get knocked out twice in less than three weeks can have potentially serious health consequences.

“I think with any type of fighter that’s been knocked out, a rush into the ring is the same thing as a football player who’s been knocked out — the secondary concussions are just as traumatic or more traumatic than the first one,” Dodd said. “The brain and the body haven’t healed themselves. So I take that seriously. In light of that, the fighter is at a greater risk when his body isn’t able to recover after a KO loss. I’m not a medical doctor but in my experience and from what I’ve read about post-secondary concussions, yeah, it’s definitely dangerous.”

Ultimately, the responsibility to prevent a fighter from getting knocked out twice in rapid succession is on everyone involved, Dodd says.

“A fighter has the responsibility as well to ensure that he takes care of himself and doesn’t put information down that could lead to disciplinary action against him,” Dodd said. “They have a responsibility — I think there’s a lot of people that have the responsibility.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii Signed for New Year’s Eve Event in Japan

Filed under: DREAM, M-1 Global, NewsFedor Emelianenko will face former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii on a New Year’s Eve match co-promoted by M-1 Global and DREAM in Saitama, Japan.

The promotions confirmed the fight’s booking in a joint ne…

Filed under: DREAM, M-1 Global, News

Fedor Emelianenko will face former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii on a New Year’s Eve match co-promoted by M-1 Global and DREAM in Saitama, Japan.

The promotions confirmed the fight’s booking in a joint news release on Monday afternoon.

It will be the first time Emelianenko fights in Japan in exactly four years, since defeating Hong-Man Choi. That fight led to his arrival in the US and Affliction before he eventually moved on to Strikeforce.

Emelianenko (32-4, 1 no contest) recently snapped a three-fight losing streak by defeating Jeff Monson in a unanimous decision at an M-1 event in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The fight with Ishii had been rumored for some time, but for a time it wasn’t expected to happen until officials pulled it together during the past week.

Ishii will be at a severe experience disadvantage, having fought just six times in his career. He’s 4-1-1 overall, and most recently fought at a independent show in Brazil where he fought to a draw with former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. In 2008, Ishii captured an Olympic judo gold medal in the 100+ kilogram weight class.

The New Year’s Eve event — titled Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoko 2011 — will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and air on HDNet.

Among the other fights officially confirmed are a lightweight bout between Shinya Aoki and Satoru Kitaoka, and a featherweight bout pitting Tatsuya Kawajiri and Kazuyuki Miyata.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Jose Figueroa Knocked Out Again on M-1 Global Showtime Card

Filed under: M-1 GlobalThe final fight card of M-1 Global’s four-event deal with Showtime aired Friday night, and it was typical of what fans have come to expect of M-1 Global on Showtime: Some entertaining scraps with plenty of finishes, but few fight…

Filed under: M-1 Global

The final fight card of M-1 Global’s four-event deal with Showtime aired Friday night, and it was typical of what fans have come to expect of M-1 Global on Showtime: Some entertaining scraps with plenty of finishes, but few fighters with any name value for American MMA fans.

Unfortunately, the card also featured an ugly knockout loss for Jose Figueroa — the second knockout loss for Figueroa in less than three weeks.

That knockout came in the co-main event, when Artiom Damkovsky hit Figueroa with a right hand that planted him flat on his back on the canvas. Damkovsky landed one more punch on the ground before the referee could jump in to stop the fight, and by that point Figueroa was out cold.

At a time when sports organizations across the country are becoming more sensitive to the dangers of concussions, it’s surprising that M-1 Global and the California State Athletic Commission allowed Figueroa in the ring, considering that he lost by first-round knockout on another M-1 Global card in Moscow on November 20. Fighters who are knocked out are usually told to avoid contact for at least 30 days. It’s worrisome that Figueroa has now been knocked out twice in less than three weeks. The California State Athletic Commission did not immediately respond to a message from MMAFighting.com about why Figueroa was licensed for the fight.

The main event of the M-1 Global event went into the final minute of the fifth round before Yasubey Enomoto forced Shamil Zavurov to tap out to a guillotine choke. The fight was close and even for 24 minutes and appeared to be headed toward a decision until Enomoto (who was avenging a loss to Zavurov earlier this year) sunk in a guillotine in the closing minute. Enomoto becomes the new M-1 Global welterweight champion.

In other M-1 Global action:
— Alexander Sarnavskiy had an easy time with Sergio Cortez, taking him down and putting on a grappling clinic before sinking in a rear-naked choke to force him to tap after just 1 minute, 46 seconds in the first round. Sarnavsky improved his record to 17-0, and the 7-7 Cortez didn’t belong in the same ring with him.

— Tyson Jeffries broke a two-fight losing streak by submitting Eddie Arizmendi with a D’Arce choke in the second round.

— Bao Quach beat Alvin Cacdac by first-round submission with a triangle-arm bar to end a very entertaining opening fight.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments