Although reports have swept through the mixed martial arts news front recently stating that UFC President Dana White and M-1 Global have been in discussions regarding possibly signing either Fedor Emelianenko or Gegard Mousasi, FiveOuncesofPain.com has recently been able to confirm that no such discussions have taken place through sources close to M-1 Global.

White was quoted during this weekend’s UFC 108 card stating that talks between himself and M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein had been underway recently, but apparently recently could be mean a few different things, as no such discussions have occured according to Finkelchtein, who went a step further to add that both Fedor and Mousasi are completely happy where they are with Strikeforce for the time being.

Numerous news outlets were recently reporting on a Twitter message that has since been confirmed as being a fake through Finkelchtein, who recently had this to say via M-1 Global.com:

Today I heard the rumors of me allegedly stating on my twitter account that we are negotiating with the UFC. I want to state that there are no talks with the UFC whatsoever. Our partner in the USA is STRIKEFORCE, we are happy to cooperate with STRIKEFORCE. Fedor (Emelianenko) and Gegard (Mousasi) fight there and they are quite happy with the conditions and how they are treated with respect there. Finally, I don’t have any account on Twitter. The account that ignited the rumors is false. Our attorneys are already aware of the situation and shortly this fake account will be deleted.

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.

Syndicated radio host Charmichael Dave recently reported that Fedor had been offered the jaw-dropping contract, causing speculation to run rampant among mixed martial arts fans as to how such an impressive sum could be turned down.

Other reports had recently surfaced that Emelianenko had finished his talks with the UFC. According to M-1 Global president and manager to Fedor, Vadim Finkelchtein, nothing could be further from the truth.

“There have been recent reports stating that talk between M-1 Global and the UFC regarding Fedor fighting in the UFC have ended,” began Finkelchtein. “Like some of the other reports that have surfaced, this is incorrect.

“It is unfortunate that so much incorrect information has been leaked to the public. It is M-1’s preference not to negotiate in public and we are unsure why people claim that Fedor and M-1 turned down a six fight, $30 million contract to fight in the UFC when no such offer was ever made.”

Finkelchtein isn’t sure how the report from Charmichael Dave came about but he assures you, if it doesn’t come directly from M-1 Global or the UFC; don’t believe the hype.

“Even though Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White did not meet with Fedor in person on Tuesday, they were represented over the phone,” explained Vadim. “Outside of representatives of the UFC and M-1, no other company was represented during our negotiations. Since we did not go to the media with details of the meeting and only responded to the erroneous reports, we are unsure how these reports started.”

If anything, bogus reports such as this one will do nothing but hinder future negotiations with the UFC. As of right now, nothing is set in stone, and all options are being considered.

“It’s unfortunate because these type of tactics will not help ensure that M-1’s talks with the UFC are fruitful,” the Co-Owner of M-1 Global stated. “M-1 Global is still interested in continuing to negotiate with the UFC and while we are fielding offers from other major promotions, nothing has been decided. It is our hope that the UFC will remain in active dialogue with us as we try to find ways for us to work together. All we are asking is that there is give-and-take in the negotiations and that they are not one-sided.”

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported a contract between the UFC and top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was likely to be announced this upcoming Friday at an already-scheduled press conference. However, the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire has since retracted his earlier statement and explained that, while discussions between both sides remain ongoing, no finalized deal is expected to be in place by July 31st.

Echoing his sentiments, M-1 Global CFO Joost Raimond has confirmed Emelianenko’s camp and the UFC are currently in the process of negotiating with each other but nothing official has been agreed upon.

According to the powerful Russian businessman, he and Fedor are in currently in the states and ready to negotiate with all interested parties following the recent demise of Affliction as a fight promotion..

“This is the moment of truth that the UFC has talked about,” explained Finkelchtein in a recent interview with Mixfight.ru as first reported by M-1 Global.com. “Fedor and I are here in the States. If they want to come out and fly here, we are ready to conduct negotiations. Of course it still doesn’t imply we are ready to accept any conditions they’ll throw at us. We want to talk to the UFC about having Fedor compete against some of their fighters, but only within the framework of co-promotional efforts with M-1 Global.”

So Fedor vs. Josh Barnett is never going to happen now, right? Not so fast says Finkelchtein, believe it or not, there may be a chance of the bout still going down in August.

“There are many business meetings and negotiations planned with all the major promotions,” said Vadim. “We will explore the possibility of Fedor fighting Barnett and will even look into whether the fight can take place as soon as August (since Barnett has not been suspended).”

The company has stated that the cancellation of “Affliction Trilogy” came as much of a surprise to them as anyone else as they have recently revealed in a press release issued to FiveOuncesOfPain.com that they had been given no warning or notice of the events cancellation.

Fedor Emelianenko had no clue to the demise of the event as he and 35 members of his crew were a mile high, on their way to Anaheim, California – U.S.A. when they received the bad news.

The statement also confirms that Fedor was absolutely ready to go regardless of who his opponent may have been. This is perhaps the least surprising news of the recent events that have unfolded over the last few days. Eight days notice on an opponent? No problem.

M-1 Global understands how disappointed fans are that they will not be able to see Fedor in action and have promised to ensure that “The Last Emperor” will return as soon as possible.

M-1global.com was able to recently confirm the news of the bout through M-1 officials.

Affliction III: Trilogy is set to take place in Anaheim, California on August 1 and will air live on pay-per-view.

The bout between Gibbs and Broughton will be part of the undercard portion of the card.

Gibbs has fought most of his career under the M-1 banner with his only two losses coming to the Aleksander Emelianenko and the always dangerous but seldom talked about Alexey Oleinik. Broughton has put together two consecutive wins at M-1 Challenge following a submission loss to Ricco Rodriguez in October of 2008.

A full list of the bouts expected for the card are listed below:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett

Tim Sylvia vs. Paul Buentello

Gegard Mousasi vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral

Jorge Santiago vs. Vitor Belfort

Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley

Ben Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley

Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Brett Cooper

In the co-main event slot, reigning Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral will face former DREAM Middleweight champion Gegard “Young Vagabond” Mousasi, who recently submitted Mark Hunt in the opening round of the DREAM Super Hulk tournament.

“People said we wouldn’t be here after the first event. Well, we were. We had a second event, and it was a bigger card than the first. . . Once again, we’re back, and with a card that’s . . . actually better than the first and second event,” proclaimed Affliction VP and matchmaker Tom Atencio.

Promotional partner Roy Englebrecht added “I think the reason why we’re here today . . . is the fact that we’re seeing, in my estimation, the greatest mixed martial arts heavyweight fighter of all times, trying to do something for the third time: beat three former UFC heavyweight world champions. First show, Tim Sylvia. Second show, Andrei Arlovski. And now, standing in his way, is another former UFC champion, and he was the youngest – Josh Barnett. The trilogy . . . doesn’t happen very often, can happen on August 1st.”

The Los Angeles press conference was short and sweet, with brief, generic comments from Sobral, Mousasi, and Emelianenko about their respective matches. Each fighter was respectful, almost to a fault, of their opponents, and indeed, Atencio, Englebrecht, and M-1 executives Joost Raymond and Vadim Finkelstein almost seemed to play microphone hot potato, as if nobody wanted the spokesman responsibilities. Barnett, who prides himself on having studied the interview skills of pro wrestling personalities, was notably absent, apparently due to transportation problems.

Ever the man of few words, Emelianenko, through his translator (and M-1 USA VP of Legal Affairs) Steven Bash, simply said “I’d like to thank everyone for inviting me out again and giving me the opportunity to fight on a world-class level. I expect the fight with Josh to be very exciting and I promise you a wonderful show.”

One of the more burning topics of conversation was that of Affliction’s future as a fight promotion. Although there was discussion that the “Trilogy” moniker indicated a planned finality to promoting MMA after August 1st, Atencio steadfast denied any intentions to quit.

“Our future isn’t undetermined. I’ve always said that we’ll take one fight at a time. . . We came out and made a big bang in the industry. . . [M-1 Global] has been doing this for a long time, and I couldn’t ask for better partners than them. . . I’ve learned a few things and I’ve made some mistakes, myself and my partners. We take that and we move forward and we correct those mistakes. And that’s what we’re looking to do,” said Atencio adamantly.

M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelstein, also through translation, echoed the sentiment, saying “I’m very proud and honored to have partners such as Affliction. Together, what we’ve done is we’ve come together to build a worldwide MMA company, and utilize both of our resources and put together many products and projects all over the world, culminating in what will be and is the biggest fight in mixed martial arts. This will be the best fight this year and many, many years.”

Another recurring subject of debate was the ongoing standoff with the UFC and promoter Dana White. Keeping true to form with Affliction’s prior two events, an invitation was extended, via M-1 Global COO Joost Raymond, to White and his two reigning heavyweight champions, Brock Lesnar and interim champ Frank Mir, to attend “Trilogy.”

“They are all very cordially invited to come and watch . . . And ultimately we can follow up, in the same lines as what the UFC has done for Mr. Mirko Cro Cop, in a one-fight deal . . . We’d like to make that happen. So, again, we can bring out the true champions and the best fights available for all.”

Mousasi is a former DREAM Middleweight champion who recently declared his intent to move up to light heavyweight, claiming he no longer is able to make the traditional 185 lb. limit. In May, he submitted Mark Hunt in DREAM’s Super Hulk tournament, giving up 63 lbs to the Kiwi kickboxer.

Mousasi was originally expected to face Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, a former light heavyweight (205 lbs.) who now fights at middleweight. However, in an interview with Tatame.com, Belfort denied any intention to fight at anything above 185 lbs., suggesting that Mousasi’s lack of name value and challenge makes going up in weight not worth his effort.

“I don’t know if he turned it down. I heard, because I had received the contract, I had signed the contract, that I would fight him. I thought he had the contract. He received also the contract, so I thought he knew about it. But obviously he says he didn’t, so I cannot say. . . Because he’s a middleweight, so I cannot say ‘come up and fight light heavyweight.’ I thought he knew about it,” explained Mousasi.

“I think Babalu is a very big challenge. I still have a very tough fight,” he added.

Other matches listed in the press materials were Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia vs. Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello, “Big” Ben Rothwell vs. the unbeaten Chase Gormley, Chris “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki vs. Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon, and Jay ‘The Thoroughbred” Hieron vs. Paul “Semtex” Daley. The undercard, which includes the Horodecki-Lauzon and Hieron-Daley fights, will air live on HDNet.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com has confirmed with M-1 Global officials that Fedor and Aoki will indeed take part in an exhibition against each other during the course of the 19-bout show that includes head-to-head M-1 Challenge matchups between Team USA West vs. South Korea, host country Japan vs. England, and Spain vs. France.

The nature of the exhibition between Fedor and Aoki has been the subject of much speculation in the Japanese press, with some publications indicating that it will be a full-on submission grappling match while other outlets claim it will be a sambo wrestling exhibition.

When asked for details by Five Ounces of Pain, M-1 officials would only state that the Fedor vs. Aoki exhibition would be a “special sparring session” and that rules for the encounter are still being finalized.

Emelianenko has not competed since recording a first round knockout over Andrei Arlovski during Affliction and M-1’s “Day of Reckoning” event this past January. The special exhibition will also mark the first time the former PRIDE heavyweight champion has competed on Japanese soil since recording a first round submission over Hong Man Choi during “Yarrenoka!!” on New Year’s Eve in 2007.

Aoki fought earlier this month at DREAM.8, losing via TKO just 27 seconds into his welterweight matchup against Hayato Sakurai. The talented submission specialist had won his three previous consecutive bouts with wins over Todd Moore, Eddie Alvarez, and David Gardner.

Marketed as the “World Cup of MMA,” the M-1 Challenge resumes this year with an expanded roster of 16 teams from 10 countries split into four groups.  New additions are teams from Brazil, Turkey, England, China, Bulgaria, and a second team from America, Team USA West. Last year’s rendition saw ten teams split into two groups of five, each team fighting four times within that group.

Coincidentally, the two name changes this year – Team Imperial and Team Benelux – met in the 2008 M-1 Challenge finals as Team Russia Red Devil and Team Holland, respectively.  The Red Devils beat the Dutch 4-1 to become the inaugural M-1 Challenge champions.

Ironically enough, redemption was the theme of the night at the Emerald Queen, as all three winning teams had a point to prove off of last year’s respective performances.  In 2008, Team Finland placed second in Group A to Team Russia Red Devil. They returned this year to beat 2008 Group B champions Team Holland by an individual fight score of 4-1.

Team South Korea also came up short last year against Team Russia Red Devil, losing early in the season and going 1-3 in team challenges for 2008. In this rematch, Team South Korea claimed victory 3-2 over the renamed Team Imperial, spotlighted by workhorse performances by lightweight Do Hyung Kim and middleweight Myung Ho Bae.  But it was Jae Young Kim’s second round head kick KO of Mikhail Zayats, one of M-1’s top stars, which surprised many.

In the third and final team challenge, two new teams, Team USA West and Team Brazil, debuted, with the Americans winning 3-2.  Although Team USA West is a new addition to the M-1 Challenge, their victory was something of a response to Team USA’s 2008 performance (1-3 in tem challenges and 6-14 in individual fights), the worst the entire season.

TEAM FINLAND VS. TEAM BENELUX -

Lightweight (154 lbs./70.3 kg.) – Danny Van Bergen (Team Benelux) def. Juha-Pekka Vaininkainen (Team Finland) via unanimous decision.

Round one saw Vaininkainen use his significantly longer reach to his advantage, tagging Van Bergen at with jabs and right straights, but Von Bergen was a house of fire, working a triangle choke. Van Bergen, seemingly the better conditioned of the two, continued the ground assault in round two with a side triangle and an armbar. Van Bergen’s win gave Team Benelux the 1-0 lead.

Welterweight (167 lbs./75.7 kg.) – Janne Tulirinta (Team Finland) sub. Tommy Depret (Team Benelux) at 2:30 of round one.

Depret and Tulirinta started out trading shots on the feet, and then traded top position on the ground after a Tulirinta takedown. Making their way back to the feet, in what is a sure rarity, if not a first, Tulirinta slapped on a standing D’Arce choke, pulling back hard enough that Depret actually threw his legs up in the air, tapping out at 2:30 of the first round. The submission win tied things up 1-1.

Middleweight (185 lbs./83.9 kg.) – Lucio Linhares (Team Finland) sub. Kamil Uygun (Team Benelux)  at 1:22 of round one.

Linhares scored a takedown early in the round, briefly getting caught in Uygun’s half-guard. He eventually got the back and proceeded to pound Uygun’s side with fists. As Uygun tried to turn to his back, Linhares grabbed the left arm and sat back for the armbar submission. Team Finland pulls ahead 2-1 in the team challenge.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs./93 kg.) – Marcus Vanttinen (Team Finland) def. Jason Jones (Team Benelux) via unanimous decision.

Although he came alive at the end of the first round with a hip toss takedown and heavy right hands, for the most part, Jones didn’t have the answers to Vanttinen’s right kicks or ground game. In round two, Vanttinen stuffed numerous takedown attempts, later punishing Jones with 50+ ground-and-pound shots from top position. Vanttinen’s victory secured the team challenge victory for Team Finland, 3-1.

Heavyweight (265 lbs./120.2 kg.) – Toni Valtonen (Team Finland) KO Sander Duiyvis (Team Benelux) in 0:18 of round one.

In the “freak accident” win of the night, Duiyvis was knocked unconscious as the back of his head hit the mat off a Valtonen takedown early in the first round. Valtonen fired three more shots before the referee was able to pull him off Duiyvis. This win added insult to injury as Team Finland finished the night 4-1.

TEAM SOUTH KOREA VS. TEAM IMPERIAL -

Lightweight (154 lbs./70.3 kg.) – Do Hyung Kim (Team South Korea) def. Mikhail Malyutin (Team Imperial) via unanimous decision.

Malyutin scored two takedowns in the first round, although Kim worked from rubber guard below. In the second round, Kim turned on the heat, forcing a ground-and-pound strategy on the ground and standing over Malyutin. Team South Korea got on the board first with this victory, 1-0.

Welterweight (167 lbs./75.7 kg.) – Myung Ho Bae (Team South Korea) sub. Erik Oganov (Team Imperial) at 2:12 of the second round.

Myung Ho Bae showed charisma and skill over Oganov, dominating him with ground-and-pound punishment for most of the first round. In round two, Bae brought more of the same until getting a tight rear naked choke for the submission, which put Team South Korea up 2-0.

Middleweight (185 lbs./83.9 kg.) – Dmitry Samoylov (Team Imperial) def. Hyung Yu Lim (Team South Korea) via unanimous decision.

Fans were firmly behind this match, as Lim and Samoylov traded shots with bad intentions in round one. Despite Lim’s reach advantage, Samoylov connected with his jab. The Russian continued the standing assault in round two, in addition to body shots on the ground. Samoylov’s win kept Team Imperial alive, 1-2 in individual fights.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs./93 kg.) – Jae Young Kim (Team South Korea) KO Mikhail Zayats (Team Imperial) at 4:02 of round two.

Zayats had a sizeable reach advantage over Kim, which benefitted the Russian both standing and working submissions on the ground. By round two, however, both men were exhausted, Zayats even showed his cards by putting his hands on his hips in fatigue. Kim followed up with a left head kick that dropped Zayats backwards like a Nestea plunge and gave Team South Korea the team challenge and vindication for their loss to Team Russia Red Devil last year.

Heavyweight (265 lbs./120.2 kg.) – Alexey Oliynyk (Team Imperial) sub. Sang Soo Lee (Team South Korea) at 4:27 of round two.

Oliynyk controlled Lee from bottom position during most of round one, working for a rear naked choke. Lee fought back with combinations and knees in a Greco-Roman clinch standing in round two, but Oliynyk catches Lee with a front / Ezekiel choke to claim the last laugh of the night for Mother Russia.

TEAM USA WEST VS. TEAM BRAZIL -

Lightweight (154 lbs./70.3 kg.) – Dave Jansen (Team USA West) def. Flavio Alvaro (Team Brazil) via unanimous decision.

Jansen worked the D’Arce choke several times throughout the match.  Round one saw Jansen stick-and-move on the feet, as well as taking Alvaro down almost at will. Alvaro escaped from several submission attempts in round two, but Jansen claimed top position and ground-and-pounded his way to the end of the match. The crowd fervently embraced Jansen’s victory with loud “U-S-A” chants as the hometown favorites started the night off with a 1-0 lead.

Welterweight (167 lbs./75.7 kg.) – Eduardo Pamplona (Team Brazil) TKO Dylan Clay (Team USA West) at 2:48 of the third round.

Clay and Pamplona traded heavy leather in the first round, as well as forcing each other to the mat – Clay with a takedown and Pamplona with a knockdown. Clay scored two more takedowns in round two, also amid fists of fury from both combatants. As judges each gave a round to Clay and Pamplona, a third round was ordered. Pamplona gained top position off a Clay takedown attempt and rained rights down until referee Marco Broersen stopped the match. With this, Brazil tied the team challenge at 1-1.

Middleweight (185 lbs./83.9 kg.) – Reggie Orr (Team USA West) def. Juliano Belgine (Team Brazil) via split decision.

Belgine looked to take the fight to the ground, as he attempted numerous unsuccessful takedowns in round one. He did get Orr to the ground twice in round two, but each time, Orr dropped hammerfists in the guard until he could escape. Orr’s victory allowed Team USA West to maintain the lead 2-1.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs./93 kg.) – Raphael Davis (Team USA) TKO Jair Goncalves, Jr. (Team Brazil) at 4:05 of the first round.

Davis was not afraid to engage on the feet with the taller Goncalves, who caught Davis with a standing guillotine. Goncalves pulled guard and worked for an armbar, but Davis escaped the lock and made his way to side mount, where he leaned into the felled Brazilian as he fired rights. Finally, referee Marco Broersen called the match, much to the protest of Team Brazil. Team USA West pulled ahead and claimed the team challenge, 3-1.

Heavyweight (265 lbs./120.2 kg.) – Jose Edson Franca (Team Brazil) def. Carl Seumanutafa (Team USA) via split decision.

Both fighters were on the higher side of the heavyweight limit, at 243 and 260.  Round one saw Franca shoot and pull guard several times, to which Seumanutafa answered with body shots.  After some jockeying for position against the ropes in round two, Franca got the mount on the ground and tenderized Seumanutafa’s body with shots until the end of the round.  Although Team Brazil won the final match of the night, Team USA went home with the team challenge win, 3-2.

M-1 Challenge’s next event is currently scheduled for March 21st in Sofia, Bulgaria.  Anticipated team challenges include Team Bulgaria vs. Team USA East, Team China vs. World Team, and Team Turkey vs. TBA).

M-1 Global officials have announced that undefeated Team Quest product Dave Jansen has been signed to Team USA West for this Saturday’s M-1 Challenge opener at the Emerald Queen Casino near Tacoma, Washington.

Jansen replaces Brian Cobb, who had been slated to represent Team USA West in its best-of-five series against Team Brazil Naja.

The move to sign Jansen was necessitated after Cobb signed a multi-fight agreement with the UFC in order to accept a last-minute fight at UFC 95 this Saturday against Terry Etim.

“Those people who know me know I am a glass is half full kind of fight promoter,” USA Team West co-owner Roy Engelbrecht is quoted as saying in a press release. “So as the managing partner of the USA West Team in the 2009 ‘M-1 Challenge President by Affliction,’ I hear about Brian Cobb signing with the UFC to fight this coming Saturday in London, it was like bad news/good news for me. The bad news is that we had lost Brian but the good news is that we were able to sign Dave Jansen as the replacement.”

Jansen, 8-0, trains under Matt Lindland and Robert Follis at Team Quest in Portland, Oregon and is set to take on former Rio Heroes and Vale Tudo veteran Flavio Alvara of Brazil Naja in a lightweight encounter.

“I am really excited,” Jansen is quoted. “This was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. To be able to fight a tough and experienced guy like Flavio Alvara is the test I’ve been waiting for. I’m ready to step up.”

The 29-year old Jansen accepted the fight vs. Alvara even though just competed on Feb. 6 during the inaugural show for the World Cagefighting Alliance. Facing former BodogFIGHT veteran Matt Lee in front of a capacity crowd at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., Jansen maintained his perfect record after submitting Lee with an Anaconda choke just three minutes into the fight.

Despite only having 15 days between fights, Jansen feels he’s more than ready.

“Physically I think I am in the best shape of my life,” he said. “My preparation for my last fight went smoothly and the I didn’t take any damage in the fight itself. Leading up to the fight, I had done incredible amounts of cardio… And with only a few weeks having passed, I don’t think I’ve lost any of that stamina.”

In addition to Team USA West vs. Team Brazil Naja, the ‘09 season opener will feature a total of three head-to-head matchups with 15 fights. Returning champions Russia Imperial Team (formerly known as Russian Red Devil) will be taking on South Korea and the returning Team Finland will also be squaring off with the debuting Team Benelux.

Complete lineups for Saturday’s opener are as follows:

Finland vs. Benelux (best of five) -

• Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Juha-Pekka Vainikainen (Finland) vs. Danny van Bergen (Benelux)
• Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Janne Tulrinta (Finland) vs. Tommy Depret (Benelux)
• Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Lucio Linhares (Finland) vs. Kamil Uygun (Benelux)
• Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Marcus Vanttinen (Finland) vs. Jason Jones (Benelux)
• Heavyweight (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Toni Valtonen (Finland) vs. Sander Duyvis (Benelux)

South Korea vs. The Imperial Team (best of five) -

• Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Dohyung Kim (South Korea) vs. Mikhail Malyutin (Imperial)
• Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Myungho Bae (South Korea) vs. Erik Oganov (Imperial)
• Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Hyungyu Lim (South Korea) vs. Dmirty Somoylov (Imperial)
• Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Jae Young Kim (South Korea) vs. Mikhail Zayats (Imperial)
• Heavyweight (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Sang Soo Lee (South Korea) vs. Alexey Oleinik (Imperial)

Team USA West vs. Team Brazil Naja (best of five) -

• Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Dave Jansen (USA West) vs. Flavio Roberto Alvaro (Brazil)
• Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Dylan Clay (USA West) vs. Eduardo Pamplona (Brazil)
• Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Reggie Orr (USA West) vs. Juliano Cioffi Belgine (Brazil)
• Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Raphael Davis (USA West) vs. Jair Goncalves Junior (Brazil)
• Heavyweight (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Carl Seumanutafa (USA West) vs. Jose Edson dos Santos Franca (Brazil)

The opener will also feature the debut the Colin Oyama-led Team USA West, which includes Palace Fighting Championships lightweight champion Brian Cobb, undefeated Hawaiian welterweight Dylan Clay, The Ultimate Fighter season seven qualifier Reggie Orr, IFL veteran Raphael Davis, and EliteXC veteran Carl Seumanutafa.

Team USA West is owned by M-1 Vice President of Legal Affairs Steve Bash and California-based promoter Roy Engelbrecht. The team’s alternate roster includes Shane Del Rosario (heavyweight), Ray Lizama (light heavyweight), Giva Santana (middleweight), and Fabio Negao (welterweight).

Team USA West will be making its debut against Team Brazil, which features former “Rio Heroes” Vale Tudo fighter Flavio Alvara and one-time IFL superfight competitor Eduardo Pamplona.

The two other matchups for the opener include Fedor’s Emelianenko’s Imperial Team (formerly known as Russian Red Devil) opening the defense of its 2008 crown against South Korea and the Toni Valtonen-led Finland Team taking on Team Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemborg)

Complete lineups and rosters for the event are as follows:

Finland vs. Benelux (best of five) -

– Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Juha-Pekka Vainikainen (Finland) vs. Danny van Bergen (Benelux)

– Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Janne Tulrinta (Finland) vs. Tommy Depret (Benelux)

– Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Lucio Linhares (Finland) vs. Raymond Jarman (Benelux)

– Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Marcus Vanttinen (Finland) vs. Jochim Rijmen (Benelux)

– Heavyweight (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Toni Valtonen (Finland) vs. Sander Duyvis (Benelux)

South Korea vs. The Imperial Team (best of five) -

– Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Dohyung Kim (South Korea) vs. Mikhail Malyutin (Imperial)

– Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Myungho Bae (South Korea) vs. Erik Oganov (Imperial)

– Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Hyungyu Lim (South Korea) vs. Dmirty Somoylov (Imperial)

– Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Jae Young Kim (South Korea) vs. Mikhail Zayats (Imperial)

– Heavyweight (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Sang Soo Lee (South Korea) vs. Alexey Oleinik (Imperial)

Team USA West vs. Team Brazil Naja (best of five) -

– Lightweight (154 lbs./-70 kg): Brian Cobb (USA West) vs. Flavio Roberto Alvaro (Brazil)

– Welterweight (167.2 lbs./-76 kg): Dylan Clay (USA West) vs. Eduaro Pamplona (Brazil)

– Middleweight (184.8 lbs./-84 kg): Reggie Orr (USA West) vs. Juliano Cioffi Belgine (Brazil)

– Light Heavyweight (204.6 lbs./-93 kg): Raphael Davis (USA West) vs. Jair Goncalves Junior (Brazil)

– Heavyweight (204.7 lbs.-plus/+93 kg): Carl Seumanutafa (USA West) vs. Jose Edson dos Santos Franca (Brazil)

Despite having recorded victories in the past over the likes for former PRIDE and interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Arlovski could pose Fedor’s toughest test to date.

Fedor’s potential toughest test is also set to occur on the heels of his first loss in the World Combat Sambo Championships in nearly eight years. Fedor responded to the loss by claiming that it had little to no bearing on his career in MMA and that Combat Sambo was merely a hobby for him.

Despite what he had said publicly, Emelianenko still ultimately elected to cancel an-early December press trip to the U.S. so that he could begin his camp early in preparation for Arlovski. The decision created a great deal of skepiticism with Arlovski at the top of the list of skeptics.

“After his loss in the Sambo tournament, I think he’s messed up a little bit,” Arlovski said during a December press conference to promote ‘Day of Reckoning.’ “He says it’s not important, but c’mon, let’s be serious. He was unbeatable, like, five years, six years in Sambo, and he’s not beatable in MMA. When you lose something, of course it’s [expletive] important. For me, it’s really hard to believe that he doesn’t care about it. Of course he cares. He’s not like 100 percent sure of himself.”

In addition to Arlovski’s comments, Fedor has recently had verbal salvos fired at him by both Arlovski’s boxing trainer, Freddie Roach, and UFC President Dana White.

While Roach made several complementary remarks about Fedor, he still was critical of his standup and pointed out several flaws of his during an interview with Josh Gross of SI.com. And during a recent radio interview on “The Carmichael Dave Show” on KHTK in Sacramento, White attempted to discredit Emelianenko’s first round submission over Sylvia during Affliction and M-1’s “Banned” event this past July.

“Tim Sylvia!? Everybody knocked Tim Sylvia down in the first round,” White said during the interview. “Randy Couture knocked Tim Sylvia down in the first round too and took his back. Randy just couldn’t choke him out or he would have choked him out the same exact way Fedor did!”

Despite being secluded for his training camp in his Russian home city of Stary Oskol — a small town in which cell phone connectivity is spotty at best and Internet access is almost non-existent — Emelianenko still responded to an interview request by FiveOuncesOfPain.com. With M-1 Global Vice President of Legal Affairs Steve Bash serving as a translator, Fedor addressed our questions about recent comments made by Arlovski, Roach, and White.

Sam Caplan: You train in your home town of Stary Oskol, which is very isolated from the rest of the world. With so many world class camps popping up that have some many top coaches and training partners, why do you choose to keep things simple?

Fedor Emelianenko: My training is not simple. I believe I train harder than anyone else in the world. The strength and power I obtain can only [be done so] here in Russia. I feed off my surroundings and I do not believe I would be as prepared if I trained somewhere else. I like to have everything I love around me when I train.

Sam Caplan: During a recent press conference to promote “Day of Reckoning,” Andrei Arlovski questioned the sincerity of a statement you made last month regarding the your loss at the Combat Sambo Championships. Can you respond to that statement?

Fedor Emelianenko: Maybe Andrei is trying to convince himself that I have been weakened in some way. But it [doesn’t] matter [as] we are not fighting Sambo with Andrei. The only thing I am 100 percent sure about is that I will be 100 percent ready to fight MMA against Andrei. And that is the only thing I care about right now.

Sam Caplan: One of Arlovski’s trainers, famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach, questioned some aspects of your standup from a technical boxing perspective, most notably your footwork. Do you feel Roach’s criticisms are relevant to MMA?

Fedor Emelianenko: The beauty about MMA is that every fighter has his own unique style and preferences. But it’s not a beauty contest. We fight to see which fighter’s approach prevails. But again, we are not boxing and we are not fighting Sambo. We fight MMA.

Sam Caplan: How do you feel about an opponent’s trainer saying picking a part your standup like that?

Fedor Emelianenko: Sometimes it is a trainer’s job to point out weaknesses in his fighter’s opponents. And sometimes it is a trainer’s job to convince his fighter that his opponent has weaknesses. We will see.

Sam Caplan: During a recent radio interview, UFC president Dana White once again made some negative remarks about you. He especially tried to discredit your victory over Tim Sylvia. Could you respond to that statement?

Fedor Emelianenko: I think if Dana White says something negative about his [former] champions then he is only saying something negative about his own organization. I have victories over many of the UFC’s champions. If he says something bad about them or me then he only makes his organization look weak.

Sam Caplan: White has said many negative things about you in the past. Is it at a point where he has burned a bridge with you, or would you still consider fighting in a promotion he’s involved with under the right circumstances?

Fedor Emelianenko: I do not pay too much attention to what Dana White says in the media. He is trying to sell one thing as good and make you not buy another thing by saying it is bad. I just want to fight the best fighters in the world. I am lucky that the best heavyweight fighters in the world right now are with M-1 Global and Affliction. If the situation is right and there is someone really good in the UFC that will fight me, then I would be fine fighting [for] them.

Sam Caplan: If you fought for the UFC, do you think Dana would be referring to you as the number one heavyweight in the world?

Fedor Emelianenko: (Laughs) I think if I fought for the UFC, he would try to sell me as the greatest MMA fighter that ever lived.

Sam Caplan: White has blamed your management as the reason why you are not in the UFC. Do you agree with his assessment?

Fedor Emelianenko: No.

Sam Caplan: There have also been questions raised about how much control you have over your career. Could you set the record straight and comment who has the final say in regard to who has final say: you or your management?

Fedor Emelianenko: It depends on the decisions. I am not a specialist in some thing. Sometimes I make the decisions and sometimes we make them together. If I stop fighting tomorrow, I stop. If I want to fight Sambo, I fight. If I need to finish my training camp and miss a press conference, I need to. But I am lucky to have good management with my team, M-1 Global. I am part of M-1 Global so it is easy to make decisions together.

Sam Caplan: White has proclaimed Anderson Silva the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Do you have any interest in fighting Silva and if so, how do you see that fight going down?

Fedor Emelianenko: If this was a fight that the fans would want, why not? I also never make predictions on how a fight will turn out.

Sam Caplan: M-1 USA Vice President Jerry Millen made the statement that in a fight with Brock Lesnar, he would not make it past the first round against you. Do you agree with that assessment?

Fedor Emelianenko: I just do not like to make predictions [because] anything can happen in a ring. Lesnar has some natural talent. It would be an interesting fight for fans to see.

Sam Caplan:  Your protege, Kirill “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov will also be competing at “Day of Reckoning.” At only 20-years of age, do you think he’s ready for such a high-profile match against a seasoned veteran such as Paul Buentello?

Fedor Emelianenko: Kirill has improved greatly with his fights in the M-1 Challenge and helped out Red Devil Team reach the world finals. I think Buentello is a good test for Kirill but I know Kirill is ready.

Sam Caplan: During some recent interviews you revealed that you weren’t looking forward to a possible fight vs. Randy Couture because he’s a friend. But if he were to suddenly to become a free agent, would you refuse the fight?

Fedor Emelianenko: I would not refuse the fight because I believe Randy and I are both ambassadors for the sport of MMA and we would help grow the sport very much with the fight. This was the main reason why I wanted to fight Randy, even if it meant to fight someone I admired.

Sam Caplan: If you are able to defeat Arlovski, it’s been said your next fight could come against the winner of the Barnett vs. Yvel fight. It’s also been said that you are friends with Barnett. You said you weren’t looking forward to fight Couture because he’s a friend, so how do you feel about the possibility of facing him?

Fedor Emelianenko: Yes, Josh and I are friends. But once again, the best should fight the best for [the good] of the sport of MMA. It would be okay.

Sam Caplan: Ideally, how many times would you like to fight in 2009?

Fedor Emelianenko: God willing, it will be nice to fight three times in 2009 and have one more fight New Year’s Eve.

In Part I of FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s exclusive interview

In Part II, Finkelchtein addresses questions about whether Fedor’s current contract with Affliction and M-1 would prevent him from fighting for the UFC; how his dealings with Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were from a behind-the-scenes perspective; whether he truly believes that White doesn’t consider Fedor to be the number one heavyweight in the world; and more.

Sam Caplan: Dana White has said he’s still willing to talk with Fedor about having him fight for the UFC. However, would Fedor’s current contract with Affliction even allow him to fight for the UFC?

Vadim Finkelchtein: Affliction is M-1 Global’s partner. We have an agreement with Affliction where we collaborate on these shows. Unfortunately, with the show that happened before, it may not have appeared that way and this is something we’ve resolved with our partners at Affliction. But the first show with Sylvia and this upcoming one is an Affliction/M-1 Global show and the agreement that we have in regard to Fedor is that Fedor is signed to M-1 Global. Fedor’s promoter is M-1 Global.

Affliction is our partner in having Fedor fight in the United States and the contract that in essence controls Fedor is the contract that Fedor signed with M-1 Global, which is essentially that same contract that the UFC offered in terms of money and all of the terms that should have been included in a promotional deal. The only thing missing is whatever Fedor would either not agree to or at least wanted to talk about, which were the restrictive terms that Fedor had concerns with.

Today, if M-1 were to have Fedor fight whoever is considered the heavyweight champion of the UFC at this point, whether it’s Lesnar, Mir, or whoever, the possibility of having Fedor fight any of them is certainly out there. We’ve always wanted to collaborate with good partners. The problem is that Dana White is not letting that happen. Whether it’s a desire to monopolize everything or simply a desire to not want to work with others, the reason why it’s not happening has nothing to do with M-1 or their relationship with Affliction. We have good partners and are putting on good shows but that doesn’t preclude having Fedor fight in the UFC.

Sam Caplan: But as it stands today, if Fedor were to fight in the UFC, he would have to be promoted as part of Affliction and M-1 Global?

Vadim Finkelchtein: Today, it’s hard to say who Fedor would fight because they are trying to tell everybody who they happen to have at the time is the best heavyweight in the world, whether it’s Frank Mir or Lesnar. But if Fedor were going to fight one of these guys today, it would have to be a co-promotion where M-1 Global and our partner Affliction is involved. It can be done just like it is all over the world like it’s done with boxers and any two promotional companies that have an opportunity to bring the public the best possible fight. At this point today, it cannot be a one-person show.

Sam Caplan: In Part I of the interview, you spoke of the rigid nature of one of the UFC’s former attorneys. Can you describe the demeanor of both Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta during your dealings with him?

Vadim Finkelchtein: When we met, in our conversations, everything has always been very cordial. Both Dana and Fertitta has come off as very pleasant, professional people. I think a lot of the problem is whatever Dana puts into these interviews. Maybe that’s his style? Maybe there’s a reason why he goes out there and calls us “crazy Russians” and things like that.

I’ll tell you one thing, we would have really been “crazy Russians” if we had signed that contract that they had offered. Fedor is an athlete who deserves a certain amount of respect and recognition. We don’t make the rankings. We don’t decide who is the number one fighter in the world, consensus wise. These are things that are out there in the world.

I think in my dealings with those guys, everything has always been very cordial and very friendly. But publicly, they’ve created — and I don’t know whether they have an inferiority complex — but I don’t know what it is. But they’re trying to create a monopoly and I believe that regardless that bubble is going to pop because very soon, the sport is going to become bigger than them.

Again, my dealings with them have always been great and I don’t have anything against them as people. But publicly there have been a lot of things said that are maybe said for ulterior motives that have no truth in them.

Sam Caplan: Do you think that White is sincere in his opinion of Fedor or that his comments are simply the words of a promoter trying to do what’s best for his business?

Vadim Finkelchtein: Of course it’s because Dana is trying to protect whatever is his. I do not believe that Dana really feels that Fedor is not the number one heavyweight in the world. If Fedor were to fight for the UFC, I am sure you will hear Dana saying other things about Fedor, such as that he is the number one heavyweight. But we’re talking about about a man who is trying as hard as he can to have a monopoly and maintain his monopoly.

However, don’t get me wrong, the UFC is indeed the number one MMA company in the world, bar none. They were the first to get there and they are continuing in many aspects. And in many weight classes, they have many great fighters. However, there is an evolution of sorts and there are other organizations out there and there are other fighters out there and it’s not correct for the UFC to just clamor onto their own fighters and say “Only our fighters are the number one fighters in the world,” because that is not true. And the public, especially the people that know the sport have seen that there are other organizations out there and other fighters out there and there are other champions.

What’s so wrong about wanting to prove that your fighters are the number one fighters in the world by having them meet other great fighters in other great organizations? Let the public decide who the number one fighters are in the world, not Dana. But Dana doesn’t like that. Dana doesn’t like when the public, or journalists, or anyone else writes that some other fighter that has nothing to do with the UFC is just as good, if not better, than some of the fighters in the UFC.

He killed Randy (Couture). He had an opportunity for giving the public and everyone a fight between Randy and Fedor and he simply killed that opportunity. And we didn’t want that. We don’t want for Fedor to by some mythical creature or this mythical person that people hear as being the greatest in the history of the sport with those same people not getting a chance to see him fight the best in the world so that he can show them that.

Fedor is not a myth. He’s a great person and a great sportsman. He’s a great athlete and all we’ve been trying to do is have Fedor fight the best fighters in the world, and that’s what we’re doing. That’s what he’s done in the past and that’s what he’s doing now. And if Dana really wanted to prove that he has the best heavyweights then he has the capability of doing that with Fedor.

Sam Caplan: Is it true that Dana White and Fedor have never met?

Vadim Finkelchtein: Yes, this is true. It’s true but to put in perspective, I am not only Fedor’s manager but his friend and partner in many different projects that we do. We don’t have any secrets from each other and Fedor knows every move I make. He doesn’t handle a lot of his own business affairs.

I flew to Vegas to meet with Dana. At the time, Fedor was unable to fly out to Vegas. But believe me, if Dana ever wanted to meet with Fedor or wanted to come to Russia, we’d welcome him with open arms. And he has every opportunity possible to sit down face-to-face and have a conversation with Fedor.

Sam Caplan: In an interview, you extended an invitation to Dana White to attend “Day of Reckoning” and meet Fedor. Has M-1 received an official response yet from the UFC?

Vadim Finkelchtein: No, of course not. There has been no response in regards to my invitation. Our arms are open and we’ve always welcomed not only the UFC but other organizations to work with us. Because if this sport is indeed so popular, and indeed has such great growth potential worldwide… well, today – and there will be others as well – but today we are the ones trying to advance the sport.

The UFC has leverage now. They have a great company that they’ve done a wonderful job of building up and building the sport, but mostly in the United States. Today, all over the world in places such as Japan, Korea, Europe, and Australia, the sport is becoming more and more popular. At some point, whether they like it or not, enough fans are going to say “Don’t feed us bulls— with these marketed fighters and hype jobs.” The fans are going to want to see the best fighters in the world fight the best. And whether they like it or not, they don’t have all of the best fighters. There’s actually companies out there more than willing to work with them on making that happen and even even popularizing them all over the world beyond what they have today. But now, Dana just wants to eat his cake and doesn’t want to share any pieces with anyone.

Sam Caplan: I wanted to know if you had a direct response to the things Dana White stated during his radio interview on Monday night?

Vadim Finkelchtein: I have answered the question many times, and at this point, my only response is take who you think is your best fighter and have Fedor fight him. And don’t make it where Fedor has to give up his career and owes him his life to do it. If you want to say that any one of your fighters in the UFC is the best, then prove it. Just stop yelling and prove it.

Why don’t you try and eliminate any doubt? Just give us who you think is your best fighter and let’s work together and let’s co-promote and make the fight happen.

Sam Caplan: During past interviews Dana has raised the point that M-1 and Fedor asked for things that the UFC has never granted to a fighter — not even its top superstars such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. Can you respond to that point?

Vadim Finkelchtein: We did not make any unreasonable demands. There was nothing out of the ordinary that we demanded on that contract. In fact, we never asked for more money. We were satisfied with the financial offer that was made. The only thing that we weren’t satisfied with were human factors. Essentially, the initial proposed contract made Fedor a slave to the UFC and there were certain aspects that as a self-respecting man, and if you know Fedor, you know his pride and his principals are very important to him. There were just certain things that he didn’t understand. It wasn’t so much that he disagreed with them, he just didn’t understand why those things needed to be given up.

Since then, Dana White was more or less agreeable with the concerns Fedor had. The one sticking point — and as minor of an issue as it was — the one sticking point he wasn’t able to overcome was this thing about Sambo. And we tried to explain to him and people just have to understand, this is an amateur sport and it’s a hobby for Fedor. But it is the national sport (of Russia) and Fedor made a promise to the President of Russia.

He promised the President of Russia that he would compete in Sambo because for young people all over Russia, this is something that they watch and compete in. You’re essentially trying to kill a national sport by having the face of the sport not participate in it. So as minor as it sounded it was a major obstacle and hurdle and for some reason that was just the one thing Dana couldn’t get over when it came down to it.

Sam Caplan: But considering Fedor lost the World Combat Sambo Championships for the first time in seven years, is Fedor still going to continue competing in Sambo?

Vadim Finkelchtein: If he’s given the opportunity and if it doesn’t interfere with his professional career, it is Fedor’s intention to continue in Sambo.

We have a new team now with the Red Devil Team now being called “The Imperial Team.” And the entire team is comprised of current and former Sambo champions. All of these guys owe their future careers and their future economic prosperity that they hopefully will attain in the sport of MMA to the sport of Sambo.

And Fedor has to be an example for everyone else. He’s a role model for a lot of the younger guys and despite the fact that he’s a celebrity and makes a lot of money not only doing MMA but now doing movies, endorsements, and other things… for Fedor, this is who he is. He is giving back to what got him to where he is today. Sambo is like his parents. You will still go back to them and thank them for raising you a certain way.

It’s the same reason why (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira will go back and and participate in a jiu-jitsu tournament because that’s where he came from. You have to respect that in somebody (that) in spite of the success they’ve attained, that there are still things more important to them than just money and fame.

Sambo brings Fedor such great pride and pleasure when he’s just simply asked “Will you please participate in this?” He does it and he does it for free. Sambo does not pay a penny. And he also does it to show everyone that no matter what he’s achieved that he’s still capable of competing on the world level of this sport.

We don’t see a lot of Americans or other athletes who came from wrestling or judo and can thank those disciplines for the success that they are achieving now and go back to those roots and participate in these tournaments. They have probably already forgotten where they came from and what it was that got them to where they are. And Fedor is never going to do that. That’s just not the kind of person that he is and not the kind of person he’ll ever be.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com

Finkelchtein granted FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s interview request on New Year’s Day and conducted nearly an hour long interview via phone from his home in St. Petersburg Russia.

During the extensive interview, Finkelchtein was asked detailed questions regarding M-1’s past negotiations with the UFC regarding WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. In response, Finkelchtein provided detailed answers that were translated through M-1 Global U.S.-based executive Steve Bash.

Below is Part I of FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s conversation with Finkelchtein.

Sam Caplan: When was the first time the UFC and Fedor ever discussed the possibility of him fighting for the promotion?

Vadim Finkelchtein: The first time that we ever discussed Fedor with the UFC was in Japan, when the UFC bought out PRIDE.

Sam Caplan: Can you describe the frequency and volume of communications between M-1 Global and the UFC regarding Fedor since that time?

Vadim Finkelchtein: The first time we spoke in Japan we were talking about different things that we’ve been talking about since, because at first the UFC had promised that PRIDE would continue in Japan and that they would not only continue but expand all over the world. We were very interested in that because obviously Fedor was the champion and in reality what happened when they bought PRIDE was that they buried it and killed it. So since then, our discussions have been different.

Sam Caplan: When was the last time formal communications took place between the UFC and M-1 Global regarding Fedor?

Vadim Finkelchtein: The last official sitdown and official negotiation that we had was right before we formed M-1 Global in essentially the structure that exists today. At that point we were very interested in working with the UFC but the terms and restrictions that they had brought forth to Fedor, mainly, as well as us with M-1 Global were not acceptable. Things such as Fedor would not be allowed to participate in Sambo tournaments, which to him is a very important part of his life. It’s the national sport of Russia and a hobby for him. We felt that it was actually a minor detail in trying to get a deal done but the UFC was categorically opposed to really having Fedor do anything in his life unless the UFC was involved and unless he was doing it under the UFC banner.

Sam Caplan: Many things have been reported in the public as far as what M-1 has asked from the UFC. I wanted to see if I could run them by you and see what was fact and fiction? First, there was a report that in order for the UFC to sign Fedor, they would also have to agree to co-promote events in Russia with M-1?

Vadim Finkelchtein: No, that’s false. There were never any demands made that the UFC come to Russia and promote shows. The contract that the UFC offered was a very, very rigid contract. And it was rigid for Fedor. Fedor was simply not in agreement with having so many freedoms (restricted) at the level he’s at in the sport.

There were maybe ten things that simply he never imagined he would have to give up in his life and in his career to be a part of the UFC. And what happened in result, M-1 Global had been formed. M-1 had always existed (since 1997) but the “Global” version – the new company – was formed and essentially the same offers that were made to Fedor by the UFC – except for what Fedor did not want in that contract – were basically made to Fedor and Fedor signed the same contract without those rigid terms, with M-1 Global.

Sam Caplan: The restriction of competing in Combat Sambo tournaments has been identified, but could you speak to some of the other clauses in the UFC contract that Fedor felt were restrictive?

Vadim Finkelchtein: Honestly, it’s been awhile and the lawyers were handling the negotiations at the time. I don’t remember all of the restrictive terms that Fedor wasn’t agreeable with. I just recall that there were a lot of terms that he wasn’t used to. A lot of things just didn’t seem to make sense or didn’t seem to be very fair.

There were terms in there where certain payments and purse withholdings — basically terms that said he wouldn’t get paid if he did something wrong. And the list of things he could have done wrong was pretty large and it made him feel that there would have been a chance that he could have done his work and not been compensated for it.

There were terms in there about the UFC’s power to change opponents at any minute without Fedor’s permission where if he was fighting one opponent for a fight and then last minute they would switch another opponent. There were things in (the contract) that would have put all of the control in the UFC’s hands.

The negotiations didn’t go very far and the reason why was because the UFC had an attorney that is different from the one that they have today. The attorney at that time, all we did essentially was send them notice that we were not happy with certain terms and that we wanted to discuss them. But the response we got from the UFC attorneys was “This is the contract, you either sign it or see you later. There is no other conversation.”

That’s really where the negotiations ended because at that point we felt that he’s the number one fighter in the world, at the very least you could hear him out why certain terms should be negotiated and discussed. After that point we didn’t even concentrate on all of those terms because we didn’t even get a chance to talk to them about changing them.

Sam Caplan: Was it true that a contract that the UFC presented to Fedor included a “champions” clause, which stipulated that if he won the UFC heavyweight title, he could not become a free agent if he was a champion even if he had fulfilled his contract number of fights?

Vadim Finkelchtein: Yes, there was a clause like that. It was something about an automatic extension in the event he became champion. And that’s another example of how the contract was too one-sided and we couldn’t just sign it and go on. We had to talk about things and that never happened.

Sam Caplan: Did M-1 ask that Fedor be referred to as an “M-1 Fighter” during all UFC telecasts and did M-1 ask that its logo be featured in UFC commercials and inside the Octagon?

Vadim Finkelchtein: That’s not true. It’s not true because at the time we sat down with the UFC to discuss the potential of Fedor fighting in the UFC, M-1 Global didn’t exist. M-1 existed for many years but it was basically just a company that did MMA fights in Russia and other parts of Europe.

The reason why M-1 Global was formed was after the discussions with the UFC because we didn’t really care about having M-1 on a UFC mat or anything like that until we realized we couldn’t work with the UFC. I have a partner now, Sergey Matvienko, he came forward and essentially the idea of having this global MMA company such as M-1 Global was never even in our minds when we were speaking to the UFC. It was only something that was born after we realized that the UFC wasn’t even going to talk to us about the concerns that we had.

The only thing we said to the UFC was that we wanted to have some open dialogue about some points. We told them, “Hey, wouldn’t it be great if Fedor is a part of the UFC and he’s the best heavyweight in the world and he happens to be Russian for us to do a show in Russia?” But it was never a demand. It was never us saying “This is something you must do in order to have Fedor.” It was simply a request for some open dialogue.

In a press release received by FiveOuncesOfPain.com, M-1 officials claimed that the reason for the cancellation was due to inclement weather conditions in the Seattle area that prevented its athletes that were traveling overseas from arriving in time.

Team Russian Red Devil had been scheduled to take on Team Holland in a best-of-five series to determine the first-ever champion of the M-1 Challenge, an International team competition that M-1 has billed as the “World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts.”

A new date for the finals has yet to be finalized but the release indicated that Russian Red Devil and Team Holland are expected to square off in Holland within the next two weeks.

Squaring off in the first-ever M-1 championship will be the Russian Red Devil Team against Team Holland. Fighters representing the teams in five separate weight classes will go head-to-head with the first team to win three fights being declared the first-ever M-1 Challenge champion.

According to M-1, the lineup for the final is as follows: Mikhail Malutin (Team Russian Red Devil) vs. Bogdan Christea (Team Holland) at lightweight; Erik Oganov (Team Russian Red Devil) vs. Romano de slos Reyes (Team Holland) at welterweight; Dimitri Samoylo (Team Russian Red Devil) vs. Jason Jones (Team Holland) at middleweight; Mikhail Zayats (Team Russian Red Devil) vs. Kamil Uyghun (Team Holland) at light heavyweight; and Alexey Oleinik (Team Russian Red Devil) vs. Jessie Gibbs (Team Holland) at heavyweight.

Olenik, who defeated Sherman Pendergarst during the first round of YAMMA’s heavyweight tournament this past April, will be replacing young Russian phenom Kiril Sidelnikov, who is now scheduled to face Paul Buentello during Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning” event on January 24.

In addition to the Russian Red Devil vs. Team Holland final, Mactar Gueye (France), Tommy de Pret (Belgium), Mike Dolce (USA), Whi Cunhg Bae (Korea), Fysal Akabar (New Zealand), and Toni Valtonen (Finland) are all expected to compete on the card in “superfight” bouts that will be separate from the team championship.

The announcement was made official late this week on the promotion’s English-language website.

Strikeforce became the first promotion ever to host a show at the Mansion on Sept. 29, 2007. The promotion then returned to host a second event against this past September.

The Feb. 21 date is expected to be one of the first events of 2009 for the second season of the M-1 Challenge, with the first season set to conclude on Dec. 26 in Seattle, Washington with Team Russian Red Devil set to square off with Team Holland in the finals.

The M-1 Challenge can currently be seen in the United States on a tape-delay basis every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on HDNet. However, the announcement on the M-1 English-language site indicates that the Playboy event is under consideration to be televised live on HDNet.

According to the promotion’s announcement, matchups for the Playboy show are expected to consist of Team USA vs. Team Brazil, Team Japan vs. Team UK, and the Russian Imperial Team vs. Team Spain.

M-1 Global has been running MMA events for over 10 years and in addition to promoting the M-1 Challenge, the company represents some of the world’s top fighters, including WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko and his younger brother Aleksander, DREAM middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi, and 19-year old heavyweight prospect Kiril “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov.

Officials with M-1 made the official announcement in a press release that was sent out Tuesday morning.

Yvel, 33-12-1, has been competing professionally in MMA since 1997 and is known for being a vicious striker. He is also known for unsportsmanlike conduct and in 2004 he was disqualified for assaulting a referee during a fight against Atte Backman.

The 2004 incident combined with several other instances prompted the Nevada State Athletic Commission to reject Yvel’s license application in anticipation of a scheduled bout vs. Sergei Kharitonov at PRIDE 33. After being denied a license, Yvel was forced to pull off the card.

Despite his history of unprofessional conduct, Yvel has earned a reputation for being a top heavyweight thanks in large part to notable victories over K-1 standout Semmy Schilt, current UFC heavyweight Cheick Kongo, and former PRIDE and UFC veteran Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

Yvel’s addition to “Day of Reckoning” serves as the third M-1 contracted fighter to be added to the card. Already scheduled to compete from M-1 are Fedor Emelianenko and Kirill Sidelnikov, who will be fighting Andrei Arlovski and Paul Buentello, respectively. FiveOuncesOfPain.com was also the first to report over the weekend that Sean Wheelock and Jimmy Smith, the announce team for M-1’s M-1 Challenge, will be serving as the announce team for the pay-per-view telecast.