Living With The Fedor Backlash

Few men have caused so much trouble by doing so little. In the past year Fedor Emelianenko has sparked controversy and debate, provided the impetus for the creation of one new company and strained relationships within another, and all while barely maintaining an active career as a pro fighter.
We of the MMA media are [...]

Fedor to M-1: I Just Need My Space Right Now

It was a whirlwind romance, but it seems the flame has burned out.  Fedor and M-1 are breaking up.  At least, that’s what one of Fedor’s agents, Apy Echteld, told ESPN’s Ryan Hockensmith.   Echteld claimed that an announcement was forthcoming in the next few days, and that Fedor would officially be a free agent.
It’s not [...]

Fedor Armbars Choi, Finds It A Hollow Acheivement

In case you haven’t heard, Fedor Emelianenko won his circus fight with Korean giant Hong Man Choi in the Yarennoka New Year’s Eve show. The outcome was never really in doubt, especially when you consider that Yarennoka changed the rules for this bout to ban knee strikes, one of Choi’s best and only weapons.
The [...]

Couture Remains Adamant About Fighting Fedor

Say this for Randy Couture: once he gets an idea in his head, he doesn’t let go of it very easily. Couture showed up at HDNet Fights this past Saturday and made it very clear that he hasn’t given up on fighting the world’s top heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko. To hear Couture tell it, [...]

Fedor-Choi To Revive Japanese MMA Tradition of Freak Show Bouts

We all miss the great shows Pride used to put on — the unbelievable production value, the Grand Prix tournaments, the giggling ring girls who all seemed to be about fourteen years old.  What we don’t miss (or at least I don’t) are the circus fights they organized for no discernible reason.
Well, now that big [...]

Pithy Thoughts For a Monday Morning

The new edition of my weekly column is live at Crave Online . It focuses, naturally, on the issue of the moment regarding Dana White and Randy Couture. While I thoroughly enjoyed the back and forth between these two last week, I’m still baffled by some of White’s comments. Did he really [...]

In A Posh Manhattan Loft, Fedor Meets the U.S. Media

A strange thing happened last night. Through some twist of fate, I found myself sitting in fashion designer Marc Ecko’s posh 23rd Street loft, surrounded by other members of the MMA media, sitting just a few feet from Fedor Emelianenko.
Now that I think about it, strange doesn’t quite explain the situation. Bizarre is [...]

Arona Signs With M-1, Could Fight Fedor First

Update: No, he didn’t. Read this.
According to MMA-Europe.net, former Pride fighter Ricardo Arona has signed a four-fight deal with the M-1 organization. The report claims his debut will come in December, and his opponent may be Fedor Emelianenko.
According to “Vale Tudo News”, Brazilian ace Ricardo Arona (13-5-0) announced that he has signed a [...]

Randy Couture Leaves UFC

According to a shocking report by the Fight Network, Randy Couture has resigned from the UFC in a letter to Dana White, citing the organization’s inability to sign Fedor Emelianenko as a contributing factor in his decision:
“I appreciate this opportunity the sport of MMA and the UFC has given me,” the UFC Hall-of-Famer said. “However, [...]

Fedor Signs With M-1, So Now What?

The Fight Network is reporting that Fedor Emelianenko has committed to the M-1 organization, which was until recently owned by Vadim Finkelstein, Fedor’s longtime friend and manager. Now M-1 has apparently been sold to an unnamed American company with plenty of cash to throw around in the interest of expanding the organization’s reach, and [...]

New Fedor Story at Crave Online

My weekly MMA column is now available at Crave Online, and yes, it’s about Fedor Emelianenko. In the article I lay out three good reasons why the UFC should do whatever is necessary to add Fedor to their roster, even if it means letting him compete in some Sambo tournaments back home in Mother [...]

The Myth of Fedor (or: Why Russians Are Naturally 20% Tougher Than The Rest of Us)

I’ll admit it, I think a lot about Fedor Emelianenko. I wonder about whether he’s a cyborg, whether he truly could be, as the T-shirt I have claims, “The Russian Last Emperor.” I wonder if he has ever accidentally killed any of his children while spanking them for making eye contact with him. [...]