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)

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.

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.

Reljic recently signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and is undefeated after seven professional bouts.

Gouveia is coming off a come-from-behind victory over Jason Lambert at UFC 80 and is currently 10-4 in his career and 4-1 in his UFC career.

UFC 84 is expected to take place in May and will most likely feature a lightweight title fight main event between current UFC lightweight champion, B.J. Penn and former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk.

Read more UFC 84 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com