Headlining M-1 Challenge 31, Aleksander Emelianenko wowed his fellow Russians with a second round knockout of Tadas Rimkevicius, snapping a three-fight winning streak for “The Lithuanian Bear” and running his own record to 19-5 in the process. The performance marked Emelianenko’s second consecutive finish of an opponent and tenth in his last twelve fights (the two exceptions being losses).

Also highlighting the card, former UFC contender Jeff Monson (44-13) narrowly outpointed submission specialist Alexey Oleinik (33-9). Olenick, who owes 27 of 33 total wins to tap-outs, almost came away with the biggest triumph of his career in beating Monson but ultimately lost a Split Decision. The fight was the first for Monson, also apt on the ground, since losing to Fedor Emelianenko in November.

Though nothing has been mentioned their performances could set up a potential “super-fight” between the two under the promotion’s banner.

Bruno Carvalho also added a notch to his win column at the event, beating formerly undefeated Ramazan Esenbaev by way of Unanimous Decision.

PHOTO CREDIT – M-1

With formerly unstoppable brother Fedor losing in the first round to Fabricio Werdum in June, Aleks Emelianenko remained the siblings’ final hope of notching victory before the close of calendar and looked likely to do in lieu of his scheduled fight against 35-year old Australian striker Peter Graham this past weekend in Russia at the “Draka – Governor’s Cup 2010”. However, as Mixed Martial Arts has proven time and time again, no result is guaranteed, and in the end it was the 4-5 Aussie walking away with the win rather than the home-crowd favorite.

The younger Emelianenko was stopped midway through the match-up’s second stanza as a result of leg kicks from the successful kickboxer, marking his first loss of the year in three showings as well as breaking an eight-fight win streak, all of which were finishing performances, dating back to late 2006. Emelianenko’s record fell to 17-4 with the defeat.

It now looks as if the 300 pound colossus with a background in Kyokushin Karate and Boxing may be taking a big jump up in competition in an effort to fast track it to the top of the heavyweight mountain by possibly colliding with the brother to the baddest man on the planet, and a pretty bad man in his own right, Aleksander Emelianenko.

Apparently KSW is currently in talks with M-1 Global in an attempt to co-promote the promotion’s next card during an event that is being targeted for April in Russia according to the Oskar Berezowski/Polska newspaper.

Outside of Emelianenko, it looks like Bob “The Beast” Sapp is also being considered as a possible next opponent for Pudzian according to a recent tip over at mmarocks_pl.

If these early reports of KSW and M-1 Global possibly co-promoting in the future are true, this writer has to wonder whether or not we may see “Super Mario” stateside sometime soon in a similar co-promotion package. While M-1 Global have always welcomed co-promotion with open arms, Strikeforce has long held the same stance.

I don’t know, but how does Pudzianowski vs. say…. Bobby Lashley sound to you guys? Sounds like money in the bank for all involved to me.

Aleksander recently confirmed that he has signed the bout agreement to face Blagoi Ivanov on September 29 for the Fighter Mania Championship (FMC) promotion in Seoul, South Korea. The September 29 show will be the first for the Korean promotion.

Ivanov became internationally famous overnight in the fight world when he outpointed “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko by a score of 8-5 during the semi-finals of the World Combat Sambo Championship. Ivanov went on to win the finals and claim the championship during the tournament.

Fedor held a previous win over Ivanov during a bout that took place at the Russian Presidents Cup in February of 2008. He was a four-time Sambo champion going into the ill-fated bout with Ivanov and hadn’t dropped a bout in years.

Ivanov made news following his Sambo victory over Fedor by expressing his desire to face off with the heavyweight king in an MMA rules bout. A win over Aleksander would make the potential match-up between the two that much more relevant.

Aleksander is currently riding a six fight win streak over the last two years with every victory coming either by way of knockout or submission. His last outing saw him TKO Ibragim Magomedov at a ProFC event held in Russia on March of 2008.

About thirty seconds into the bout the two exchanged right hands following a brief exchange. Aleksander undoubtedly caught the worst end of the exchange as the overhand right thrown by Magomedov clipped the two -time Russian national Sambo champion on his chin and sent him reeling.

Although obviously wobbled, Aleksander was able to compose himself and clinch Magomedov up. During the clinch the referee noticed a nasty gash to the face of Magomedov which caused him to consult with ringside physicians who promptly waved the contest off. The cut had come from a punch Aleksander had thrown during the previous exchange.

Although Aleksander was hurt significantly more during the initial exchange of punches, the punch he had landed caused the end of the bout.

Whether or not questions will be raised about the top heavyweight’s skill level because of him being close to defeat remains to be seen. Regardless of any future criticism the Russian heavyweight may fall under because of the lackluster performance, Aleksander found a way to win, as he usually does.

Aleksander improved his record to 15-3, while Magomedov dropped to 21-6-1 with the defeat.

Emelianenko commented on his site that he was looking forward to the next chapter in his life and that he would defend his name and prove that he was the best. He also added that his first priority was to defend the honor of Russia in international tournaments.

An official statement by M-1 Global has yet to be issued and while Emelianenko’s separation from Red Devil has been confirmed, it is unclear if he is still contractual aligned with M-1.

There was no specific reason given by either site to why he was leaving. However, rumors have persisted that he had been at odds with some of his Red Devil teammates for some time now.

Emelianenko also had been scheduled to fight last July during the inaugural Affliction card but was scratched at the last minute for reasons that still have yet to have been disclosed. Some sources have speculated that he tested positive for Hepatitis B but those reports have never been confirmed.

The younger brother of WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander is 14-3 in his career. The former PRIDE veteran holds victories over Sergei Kharitonov, James Thompson and Assuerio Silva while also having dropped notable fights to Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop and Fabricio Werdum.

I passed the medical board and my license to fight was obtained without any problems. But the fact is that in California the commission is very rigid for admittance. One of the main conditions to let you fight is the ability to pass all of your tests on time. I had to be in America by July 13, the Visa was only good until the fourteenth and my tickets were purchased in advance for the fifteenth. On the whole, I was late. They thought the organizers could agree and settle the problem but they quickly found out they would not be able to get me on the card. Instead they were able to find a suitable replacement for Paul Buentello. The laws in California are so rigid.

The MMA world was afire with rumors regarding Emelianenko’s absence from the Affliction card two weeks ago, with hepatitis being the leading rumor. According to Emelianenko, those rumors are completely false. It’s not hard to believe that California denied him a license due to late medicals as they’ve done this kind of thing before. Armando Garcia doesn’t play around. If you’re late with your medicals then you aren’t fighting in California, period.

If it’s true that Emelianenko was only held off the card because of late medicals then it’s much better news than the rumor that he has hepatitis. I’d love to see him fight on U.S. soil against Affliction’s heavyweights and there would be almost no chance of him fighting if he had hepatitis. Late medicals we can work with. Hepatitis? Not so much.

A source close to the situation spoke to MMANews.com’s Michael Moody on a condition of anonymity and explained that the blood tests came back right before Aleks and Buentello were scheduled to weigh in and that is why there was so much confusion around the stage and why the fighters did not weigh in. Gary Goodridge ended up stepping up on extremely short notice and filling in for the Russian heavyweight.

The tests were positive for Hepatitis B which resulted in the CSAC cancelling the fight. Hep B is the result of transmission from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids containing blood.

If this news is true, it’s unfortunate for Aleks. The younger brother of Fedor has so much potential to be one of the best heavyweights in the world but due to this he may never be able to reach his full potential. He almost certainly will be barred from fighting in the United States. As the article points out, it’s also unlikely that anyone will want to step into the ring against him if he has indeed tested positive for Hepatitis B for fear of catching the disease themselves. Aleks has been through some seriously hard times in his life and this is just another unfortunate happening in his life.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) (UFC(R)) has added three thrilling bouts to the organization’s next UK super-show. It has been confirmed that Rameau Sokoudjou will collide with Luiz Cane in a battle of light-heavyweight strikers, Japanese submission expert Akihiro Gono will take on on highly-regarded British debutant Dan Hardy and steel-fisted heavyweight Shane Carwin will exchange bombs with England’s own Neil Wain.

There are definitely some quality match-ups in there, however I am slightly disappointed that I might not to get to see Sokoudjou vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua anytime soon. Who knows, maybe if the “African Assassin” comes out of the Cane fight unscathed (which I doubt) we may get to see him take on Shogun in December.

UFC 89 is headlined by a middleweight contest between Michael Bisping and Chris Leben and is set to take place on October 18th at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England.

The current rumored line-up is as follows:

• Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben
• Thiago Alves vs. Diego Sanchez*
• Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Luiz Cane
• Dan Hardy vs. Akihiro Gono
• Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain
• Paul Kelly vs. Marcus Davis*
• Jess Liaudin vs. David Bielkheden*
• Samy Schiavo vs. Per Eklund*
• Sam Stout vs. Terry Etim*

*Indicates rumored bout as foretold by MMA Weekly.com.

Read more UFC 89 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

Sokoudjou burst onto the MMA scene last year with two devastating knockout wins over highly touted fighters, Antonio Rogerio Noguiera and Ricardo Arona in the now defunct Pride FC. However in his recent UFC debut at UFC 79: Nemesis, he was defeated by Lyoto Machida by 2nd round arm-triangle choke.

Kazuhiro Nakamura has fought a who’s who of Pride veterans, which is not a surprise considering that prior to UFC 76 it was the only organization he had fought for. He had mixed results in Pride going 11-6 in his time there. Just like Sokoudjou, Nakamura’s last defeat was at the hands of Machida at the UFC 76: Knockout.

If the rumor is true, UFC 84 is shaping up to be a very interesting and entertaining card. The event will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between UFC lightweight champion, B.J. Penn and former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk.

The rumored fight card is as follows:
• B.J. Penn vs. Sean Sherk (UFC lightweight title)
• Tito Ortiz vs. Lyoto Machida
• Wanderlei Silva vs. Keith Jardine
• Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
• Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva
• Wilson Gouveia vs. Goran Reljic
• Ivan Salaverry vs. Rousimar Palhares
• Jason Tan vs. Dong-hyun Kim
• Terry Etim vs. Jeremy Stephens

Read more UFC 84 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com

In the interview, “The African Assassin” covers a lot of topics including, his most recent fight against Lyoto Machida, why he didn’t sign with EliteXC or K-1 and how come his parents don’t know that he’s a mixed martial artist.

It’s especially interesting to hear his thoughts on his fight with Machida where he says he “choked”.

To check out the full interview, click here.

Check out more Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou content right here on FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

But the 23-year old’s parents back home in Cameroon thought their son was studying computer science in San Diego.

“Yeah, my parents, they don’t know,” the man dubbed “The African Assassin” said. “They think I’m in college and maybe training in judo on the side, just for fun. My family places a high value on education. All of my brothers went to college. I’m going to get my degree, I’ve just had other things happen.”

One thing’s for sure. If Sokoudjou continues on his hot streak, the news seems destined to filter back to Cameroon. “They’ll find out about it eventually,” a laughing Sokoudjou said. “You can go ahead and write about it, as long as you don’t write it in French. I promise my family I’m going to go back and get my degree as soon as I get a chance.”

That’s pretty wild business. Sokoudjou has a bright future in the sport but it’s still good to hear that he’s going to get his degree as something to fall back on.

First, it was the signing of Brock Lesnar, which is a move that has the potential to pay huge dividends for the UFC from a mainstream perspective.

Soon after that they made hardcore fans very happy by overlooking recent results and signing a long-awaited dream match between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva for UFC 79.

Now comes an official report on UFC.com announcing the addition of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou to the promotion’s roster of contracted fighters along with his debut at UFC 79 on Dec. 29 against Ryoto Machida.

The UFC has been riding a huge wave of momentum but there was reason to believe that their growth could slow for the first time in recent memory. The company has benefited greatly from the introduction of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV concept but the promotion’s biggest revenue producer is pay-per-view. When it comes to PPV, Couture, Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and even Matt Hughes are the company’s most recognizable stars and biggest draws. Unfortunately, the long-term future of all four stars are uncertain. It’s unknown when or if Couture will ever fight under the company’s banner; Liddell is 37 and coming off back-to-back losses; Ortiz is 32 but has a lot of tread on his body and his fighting style is somewhat dated; and Hughes has expressed a personal belief that he only has 2-3 fights left in him.

In short, there was a brief period where a strong case could be made that the UFC’s long-term future was somewhat cloudy because it wasn’t apparent who could step in and replace the likes of Couture, Liddell, Ortiz, and Hughes. However, following the signing of Sokoudjou, one of the hottest young commodities in the fight game, it’s apparent that the UFC definitely has a nice young tier of talent that has the potential to evolve into top drawing cards.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REMAINDER OF THIS ARTICLE ON SAM CAPLAN’S PROELITE.COM BLOG

The fight will happen at UFC 79: Nemesis on 29th of December and will add to an impressive card already featuring Matt Serra and Matt Hughes in a Welterweight title fight and the much anticipated bout between Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva.

P.S. If I got Machida’s first name wrong I’m blaming the FiveOuncesOfPain categories…

Read more on Fiveouncesofpain.com

Regarding rumors of Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou fighting in UFC, there is no contract signed, but his deal with Hero’s did fall apart and UFC is interested in him and talks have begun. There are talks of a potential fight with Lyoto Machida on 12/29, but it’s nothing more than talk at ths point.

Nothing new, really, but just more confirmation that Sokoudjou looks likely to head to the UFC, especially because of deals with EliteXC and K-1 HERO’s falling through.

He has made a decision, however, to fight for the UFC. Other offers from EliteXC and K-1 were “flaky.” In addition, the Team Quest management team feels that his best long-term interests will be served fighting in the United States.

The site is quick to point out though that Sokoudjou has not officially signed a contract with the UFC as of yet.

Rumors persist that if Sokoudjou does sign with the UFC that his debut for the promotion could come on Dec. 29 at UFC 79 in Las Vegas against Ryoto Machida. It looks like there could be some validity to those rumors, according to MMAmania.com:

Not the case, according to Team Quest officials in Murrieta, Calif. However, the bout is “in the works.”

According to our reliable source, no bout agreements have been signed despite indications that both sides are very close to hammering out a deal. “These things fall through all the time,” he said.

At least, I think he’s still a free agent. His current status has come into question following some comments he made in the interview.

There was a lot of discussion during the interview about fighters currently affiliated with the UFC:

LC- How do you feel you match up with those three fighters starting with Fedor Emelianenko?

RS- He’s a great fighter and I would love to fight him one of these days.

LC- Rampage?

RS- I would love to kick his ass

LC- Randy Couture?

RS- He’s a legend in MMA and it would de a great honor to get in the cage with him.

LC- What are your thoughts on Houston Alexander? He kind of came into the scene similar to you, knocking out a couple of good Light Heavyweights when he was relatively unknown. They weren’t two top five back to back wins as on your resume, but still impressive. Also how do you feel you two match up since we’re on the subject?

RS- He’s a pretty good striker, and I’m looking forward to facing him in a near future.

But those comments are nothing compared to how Sokoudjou ended the interview:

LC- Before I let you go are there any sponsors you want to mention, any websites or anything else to plug, and anything you want to say to your fans anxiously awaiting your return to the ring?

RS- I would like to thank Light Force for all the support. Also fans can reach me at www.africanassassin.com or on myspace at www.myspace.com/african_assassin. And I’ll be back not in the ring but in the cage DEC 29th in Vegas!

Back in the cage on Dec. 29 in Vegas? The only event I know of scheduled to take place on that date in Vegas is UFC 79 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

I this this could be a case where Sokoudjou didn’t communicate something properly because I just don’t see how a deal with the UFC could have been worked out when he had substantially more lucrative offers from other promotions on the table. Regardless, I plan on looking into this more today. Stay tuned.

MMA Madness: Well, ok Mike, now comes the hard question. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou was recently in discussions with UFC. Essentially, he said screw the money, he doesn’t really care what he gets paid — he just wants to fight the best. He didn’t want to call anybody out but he said he asked to fight you. Sokoudjou said UFC essentially told him he must “have been on crack” for asking. Now a lot of people in MMA — and they are going to do this — have accused UFC of protecting you with both of your fights coming against Eric Schafer and Sinosic. What are your thoughts?

Bisping: Well, put it this way. I’ve been training with a guy who took Sokoudjou the distance and I whoop that guy’s [butt]. No offense to [my training partner] — I like him. He’s a good guy, he’s my friend. I would beat him in a fight and he took Sokoudjou the distance. So if Sokoudjou wants to call me out, you know what I mean? If the UFC doesn’t want to sign him, have him come up to my house. I’ll kick his f-ing [butt]. Simple as that. Come and see me, I’ll give him my phone number! Ha! I’ll f-ing bounce his head all over the place, f-ing a-hole.

But, to answer the question, what do I think? Eric Schafer was 9-1 with all submissions in the first round. In his previous fight in the UFC he choked a guy unconscious in under a minute. You know, so how can you say I’m being protected when that was the first fight on my contract? You know, a guy who is 9-1 and it was my debut in the UFC and I took him out. People are going to say what they’re going to say, you know? Elvis Sinosic — not the best record, but a veteran in the sport. He’s been in there with many world champions. This one, with Matt Hamill, people want to see it because of the show. They have their reasons, you know? People are always going to have an excuse to criticize — you will always have your critics. After a fight they will always say this or that, but I just try to ignore the comments and leave the keyboard warriors to the keyboards, you know?

To read the whole interview, just click here.

I’ve been asked a lot of people about Jason “Mayhem” Miller and when he’ll be fighting next for the WEC. A few e-mails I received asked me if he was a free agent. According to Henderson, who trains with Miller on a regular basis at Team Quest in Temecula, Miller has one fight left on his WEC contract. The WEC doesn’t plan on running an event right now in October so the next time we might get to see him fight could be in November or December.

A lot of people asked about Sokoudjou. His contract with K-1 is not finalized yet but Henderson reiterated that Hero’s is where he expects him to end up fighting.

To read the chat in its entirety, just click here.

Arias revealed to Henderson that Rampage spent some time recently training with Randy Couture at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. This is very notable because Henderson and Couture used to be teammates at Team Quest. Henderson didn’t sound as though he appreciated the news.

I told Henderson that Rampage spent a few weeks training with Couture. “I guess you find out who your real friends are,” Henderson said.

Also, according to the article, Henderson said Sokoudjou will “probably” end up fighting for K-1 in September.

I asked Henderson about Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, a Team Quest fighter who has stormed onto the MMA scene with first-round KOs over Ricardo Arona and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira this year. Henderson said Sokoudjou will probably end up on the K-1 HERO’S card in September.