M-1 and Showtime will team up for the fourth time when the two sides air M-1 Challenge 30 live on December 9 at 11 pm.
The event is the final one on the current deal which expires at the end of 2011, and a source with knowledge of the negotiations said the two sides are still in discussions for a 2012 extension.
In the headline slot of the Dec. 9 card is a rematch between M-1 Global welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov and Yasubey Enomoto, the promotion announced on Tuesday. The event will take place at The Hangar at the O.C. Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.
Zavurov is 18-1 so far in his career, and in April defeated Enomoto by unanimous decision in a five-round fight. That victory extended his win streak to 13 straight bouts.
Meanwhile, Enomoto is 8-3 and coming off back-to-back wins since losing in his first crack at the belt. In that first encounter, Enomoto had just eight days’ notice after replacing the injured top contender.
In the co-main event, undefeated Alexander Sarnavsky will put his perfect 16-0 record on the line against Francisco Drinaldo (10-1).
The rest of the main card is comprised of Tyson Jeffries (7-6) vs. Eddie Arizmendi (15-5), Jose Figueroa (10-5) vs. Artiom Damkovsky (9-6), and Alessandro Ferriera (10-1) vs. Bao Quach (18-10).
Filed under: M-1 GlobalMajor media outlets like the BBC and New York Times didn’t cover Fedor Emelianenko’s victory over Jeff Monson on Sunday. But they did cover what happened afterward.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia — a longtime fan of co…
Major media outlets like the BBC and New York Times didn’t cover Fedor Emelianenko‘s victory over Jeff Monson on Sunday. But they did cover what happened afterward.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin of Russia — a longtime fan of combat sports in general, and of Fedor in particular — stepped into the ring to offer a congratulatory message to Fedor after his unanimous decision win. But as soon as Putin started talking, the fans in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow began to boo.
A Russian YouTube user posted the video of Putin’s post-fight remarks, and it’s already been viewed almost a million times in its first day online. That video is below.
Although the Fedor vs. Monson fight barely made a blip in the English-language media (other than MMA sites like this one, of course), the booing of Putin has become a major story in outlets like the New York Times and the BBC. The Associated Press called the reception for Putin “an unprecedented rebuke.”
However, not everyone agreed that Putin’s presence is what led the 22,000 fans in the arena to boo: M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan wrote on Twitter that fans were booing a Russian singer. One report said the fans were booing Monson. Another report claimed — seriously — that the fans were booing because there weren’t enough toilets in the arena. No one floating those alternate explanations has explained why, if that’s what the fans were booing about, they began their booing at the exact moment Putin began talking. And if the fans weren’t booing Putin, it’s hard to understand why Russian state television broadcasts felt the need to edit out the booing.
Russian commentator Konstantin von Eggert told the Associated Press that Putin absolutely was being booed, and that it was a public humiliation the likes of which Putin has never suffered.
“We have never seen anything like this on this scale before,” von Eggert said. “It is a symptom that some in Russian society are tired of Putin’s image.”
And so, while this was far from the biggest fight of Fedor’s MMA career, the post-fight activities may have been far more significant.
(Fight starts at the 2:38 mark.And is that Fedor’s new lady at the 29:22 mark? Alright, buddy. Upgrade. / Props: valetudorus via MMAMania)
It’s been a tough couple of years for heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. First, a brilliant MMA strategist named Damian Demento went public with a groundbreaking strategy on how to defeat him, which involved putting the boots to Fedor’s belly and intentionally mispronouncing his name. Then, his next three opponents beat him by stoppage. Coincidence? I don’t know. You tell me.
What’s important is that Fedor finally got back in the win column on Sunday, winning a unanimous decision over American grappler Jeff Monson at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson, in front of a crowd of over 20,000 at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium that included Vladimir Putin. The full fight video is above, which shows Fedor in more controlled, measured form than his recent appearances, choosing to stay on the outside and score with leg kicks and long punches for the majority of the fight.
Monson, unfortunately, had nothing for him. In fact, the only times the Snowman was able to get the fight to the ground is when he fell over after getting punched in the face.
(Fight starts at the 2:38 mark.And is that Fedor’s new lady at the 29:22 mark? Alright, buddy. Upgrade. / Props: valetudorus via MMAMania)
It’s been a tough couple of years for heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. First, a brilliant MMA strategist named Damian Demento went public with a groundbreaking strategy on how to defeat him, which involved putting the boots to Fedor’s belly and intentionally mispronouncing his name. Then, his next three opponents beat him by stoppage. Coincidence? I don’t know. You tell me.
What’s important is that Fedor finally got back in the win column on Sunday, winning a unanimous decision over American grappler Jeff Monson at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson, in front of a crowd of over 20,000 at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium that included Vladimir Putin. The full fight video is above, which shows Fedor in more controlled, measured form than his recent appearances, choosing to stay on the outside and score with leg kicks and long punches for the majority of the fight.
Monson, unfortunately, had nothing for him. In fact, the only times the Snowman was able to get the fight to the ground is when he fell over after getting punched in the face.
So, is Fedor “back”? Since we don’t know if he’ll ever face top-ten competition again, it’ll be hard to answer that question. He’ll reportedly return at DREAM’s New Year’s Eve show against Japanese judoka Satoshi Ishii (4-1-1), who most recently fought to a draw against Paulo Filho at Amazon Forest Combat. Full results from M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson are below.
– Fedor Emelianenko def. Jeff Monson via unanimous decision
– Daniel Weichel def. Jose Figueroa via KO, round 1 (becomes new M-1 lightweight champion)
– Alexander Yakovlev def. Juan Manuel Suarez via TKO, round 2
– Yuri Ivlev def. Jerome Bouisson via TKO, round 1
– Mairbek Taisumov def. Joshua Thorpe via KO, round 2
– Mikhail Malyutin def. Seydina Seck via KO, round 1
– Albert Duraev def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via submission (triangle choke), round 2
– Salim Davidov def. Sergey Kornev via unanimous decision
Filed under: M-1 GlobalFor the first time in more than two years, Fedor Emelianenko has won a fight.
Fedor, the heavyweight who was among the best MMA fighters in the world for most of the last decade, snapped his three-fight losing streak with an eas…
For the first time in more than two years, Fedor Emelianenko has won a fight.
Fedor, the heavyweight who was among the best MMA fighters in the world for most of the last decade, snapped his three-fight losing streak with an easy unanimous decision victory over Jeff Monson at an M-1 Global event in Moscow on Sunday.
The fight wasn’t much of a competition at all: Fedor battered Monson with punches and leg kicks, and Monson repeatedly failed in his efforts to take the fight to the ground. Fedor didn’t look great, but he did look a whole lot better than Monson.
The victory was Fedor’s first since he beat Brett Rogers on November 7, 2009.
Fedor landed some good punches in the early going, and when Monson tried to close the distance and secure a takedown, Fedor easily backed away. After three minutes of tentative fighting, Monson did succeed in pulling Fedor to the ground, but all he was able to do was pull Fedor on top of him, and Fedor easily got back up. After another minute of tentative stand-up action, Fedor knocked Monson down with a hard punch, and although Fedor looked hesitant to engage with Monson on the ground, it was a first round that Fedor easily won.
In the second round Fedor picked up right where he left off, knocking Monson down with a punch just 15 seconds into the round. Fedor decided not to follow Monson to the ground, however, showing the respect for Monson’s submission game that Fedor didn’t show in his loss to Fabricio Werdum. As the second round wore on, it became clear that Monson’s only real game plan was to go to the ground and hope Fedor would follow him there, and Fedor continually refused to play into Monson’s ploy. That made it a fairly dull round, but another round that Fedor won easily.
By the third round Monson didn’t have anything left, as Fedor had been battering him with punches and leg kicks, and it was all Monson could do to stand up and go for some weak takedown attempts that Fedor easily shrugged off. Midway through the third round Fedor had hit Monson in the face so many times that Monson’s mouth was spewing blood, and the referee called time to have the cut examined. Monson was allowed to continue, but he didn’t have any fight left in him, and Fedor easily took the decision.
So does this mean Fedor is back? Not really. Emelianenko weighed in at 238 pounds, 15 more than he weighed for his loss to Dan Henderson four months ago, and he was noticeably flabbier around the midsection. He didn’t look any better for this fight than he did for any of the three Strikeforce fights he lost — he was just fighting an easier opponent.
The win improves Fedor’s professional MMA record to 32-4. Monson falls to 43-13.
Although Fedor’s last win was seen by millions of American fans on CBS, this win was likely seen by only a few thousand fans on pay-per-view. The Integrated Sports broadcast of the fight left a lot to be desired: The cameras sometimes seemed out of place, the audio cut out and replays failed to show the key elements of the fight. Worst of all, announcer Benny Riccardo repeatedly pronounced “Fedor Emelianenko” incorrectly, getting both the first and last name of the headline fighter wrong.
But while the handful of American fans who woke up early and bought the pay-per-view weren’t treated to a first-class broadcast, Fedor did seem to get an enthusiastic reception from the Russian fans in the arena. According to M-1 Global, 22,000 people attended the fight at Olympic Stadium in Moscow. Vladimir Putin walked into the ring afterward to congratulate Fedor, and the local fans seemed to love Emelianenko. Fedor is a winner and a hero back home, even if he’s no longer one of the elite fighters in MMA.
Filed under: M-1 Global, ResultsMMA Fighting has Fedor vs. Monson results for all of the Nov. 20 Fedor vs. Monson fights at Olympic Hall in Moscow, Russia.
In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko tries to snap his three-fight losing skid against veteran …
MMA Fighting has Fedor vs. Monson results for all of the Nov. 20 Fedor vs. Monson fights at Olympic Hall in Moscow, Russia.
In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko tries to snap his three-fight losing skid against veteran Jeff Monson. Also on the card, M-1 lightweight champion Jose Figueroa defends his belt against Daniel Welchel.
Check out the full results below
Main Card Fedor Emelianenko beat Jeff Monson by unanimous decision Daniel Weichel beat Jose Figueroa by first-round TKO (punches) Aleksander Yakoviev beat Juan Manuel Suarez by second-round TKO (punches) Yuri Ivlev beat Jerome Bouisson by first-round knockout (punch) Mairbek Taisumov beat Josh Thorpe by second-round knockout (punches) Mikhkail Malyutin beat Seidina Sek by first-round knockout (punch)
Albert Duraev beat Xavier Foupa-Pokam by second-round submission (triangle)
Salim Davidov beat Sergey Kornev by unanimous decision
(Monson when he fought Tim Sylvia for the UFC HW title)
Longtime Mixed Martial Arts fans are very familiar with ‘The Snowman’ Jeff Monson. He made his name as a Division 1 wrestler for Oregon State University, made his professional MMA debut in 1997, and has been a dominate force in the submission grappling world for many years. He has fought for every major MMA organization and one of the few fighters in the world to have fought on all corners of the globe. Back in 2006, fresh off a decision loss toTim Sylvia for the heavyweight title he requested a release from the UFC with intentions of one day facing Fedor Emelianenko. Negotiations fell through and the fight never happened until now.
Fedor vs. Monson will be held on Russian soil under the M-1 Global banner on November 20th 2011. Jeff took time out of his day to speak to the Lowkick.com about his upcoming fight with Fedor, the future of Strikeforce, tattoos and the idea of an epic battle between him and the ancient Roman emperor Julius Caesar. No holds are barred from this interview and this is a must read for fans of one of the most interesting people in Mixed Martial Arts.
You’ll be facing one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport when you go to Moscow, Russia to face Fedor Emelianenko. What have you been working in your camp to ensure victory on November 20th?
His standup is up is probably one of his greatest assets. I’ve been doing a lot of striking in my camp. In the past I didn’t really feel confident in it, but now we’ve been working on it and I feel much better in it.
(Monson when he fought Tim Sylvia for the UFC HW title)
Longtime Mixed Martial Arts fans are very familiar with ‘The Snowman’ Jeff Monson. He made his name as a Division 1 wrestler for Oregon State University, made his professional MMA debut in 1997, and has been a dominate force in the submission grappling world for many years. He has fought for every major MMA organization and one of the few fighters in the world to have fought on all corners of the globe. Back in 2006, fresh off a decision loss toTim Sylvia for the heavyweight title he requested a release from the UFC with intentions of one day facing Fedor Emelianenko. Negotiations fell through and the fight never happened until now.
Fedor vs. Monson will be held on Russian soil under the M-1 Global banner on November 20th 2011. Jeff took time out of his day to speak to the Lowkick.com about his upcoming fight with Fedor, the future of Strikeforce, tattoos and the idea of an epic battle between him and the ancient Roman emperor Julius Caesar. No holds are barred from this interview and this is a must read for fans of one of the most interesting people in Mixed Martial Arts.
You’ll be facing one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport when you go to Moscow, Russia to face Fedor Emelianenko. What have you been working in your camp to ensure victory on November 20th?
His standup is up is probably one of his greatest assets. I’ve been doing a lot of striking in my camp. In the past I didn’t really feel confident in it, but now we’ve been working on it and I feel much better in it.
After losing three straight back in Strikeforce, it appears that Fedor may perhaps be in the twilight of his career. From what you’ve observed in his three losing fights or any of his past fights what sort of holes in his game will you be looking to exploit?
I don’t think he’s in his twilight; he’s only 33 years old. He hasn’t taken too much of a beating in his past fights. If you look back at his fights, he dropped Dan Henderson but he got caught with an uppercut. He dropped Fabricio Werdum but got caught in the triangle. The only person who really beat him up recently was Antonio Silva, but he’s like 300lbs. Look at the kind of guys he’s fought. When you fight that many times, when you the roll the dice that many times, you’ll eventually get caught.
You’ll be fighting under the M-1 Global banner on 20th. Have you signed a contract with them or do you have any sort of agreement with them or will you be allowed to fight under any other banner?
I’m still signed with Strikeforce, they actually let me go to M-1 for this fight. I’m still with Strikeforce and this so far is a one shot deal with M-1.
M-1 and Showtime will team up for the fourth time when the two sides air M-1 Challenge 30 live on December 9 at 11 pm. 
Major media outlets like the BBC and New York Times didn’t cover 
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