Aleksander Emelianenko (12-3), a highly ranked heavyweight (and the younger brother of famed fighter Fedor Emelianenko), will next fight April 11 for the upstart M-1 Global organization, and the Russian expects his opponent to be Josh Barnett (20-5).
The as-of-yet-unannounced M-1 Global event is expected to take place in Chicago.The Emelianko brothers’ manager, Vadim Finkelstein, recently sold the M-1 organization to a group of American investors who restructured the fight promotion.
As its first order of business, the organization signed Fedor to a long-term deal. The organization’s CEO, longtime MMA agent and promoter Monte Cox, recently stated that the organization had planned for a February debut date but instead pushed it back a few months to allow more time for signing talent.
If the organization does sign Barnett for the fight, it could signal another loss for the UFC.
UFC President Dana White has been continually asked about the possibilty of Barnett returning to the UFC. To say he isn’t overwhelmed by the idea would be understatement. Barnett and White have been on the outs since Barnett lost his heavyweight title after failing a UFC 36 drug test due to steroids.
Still, Barnett remains one of the heavyweight’s division’s top-ranked fighters, though he hasn’t fought since PRIDE Shockwave 2006 — more than a year ago. Barnett fought exclusively in the organization from October 2004 until its eventual demise last year when Zuffa LLC (the UFC’s parent company) purchased the organization.
In addition to the likely Emelianenko vs. Barnett bout, another major bout is in the works.
Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), who most recently defeated Hong Man Choi at a New Year’s Eve show in Japan, is expected to take on Semmy Schilt (25-14-1) on the same card. The fight would headline the event.
The M-1 Global show could take place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., which is located just outside Chicago.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Aleksander Emelianenko to Face Josh Barnett
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2 comments:
Fedor V. Semmy? That's actually supposed to be a fight? Fedor is 27-1 and is the most feared heavyweight on the planet.....and for good reason! His opponent has 14 losses. I know that you shouldn't always judge a fighter soley by his record but come on......hope this guy has a will.
I wonder if the lousy competition is gonna mess Fedor up at all? He hasn't fought a worthy opponent since Matt Lindland but that was almost a year ago. Tim Sylvia does have a point when he says that although Fedor is ranked #1 and feared, he isn't facing any tough opponents at all and then calling him a pussy. Fedor publicly said he doesn't match up well against Sylvia. However, Sylvia sucks
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