Fedor signs with UFC, to face Brock in his debut?

[RyPrax]

Credit: Wrestlezone.com

According to The Los Angeles Times, UFC will be announcing at a media conference call this coming Friday that they have signed the world's best Heavyweight mixed-martial arts, Fedor Emelianenko.

This comes off the breaking news that Affliction was cancelling their "Trilogy" show scheduled for this Saturday, and folding the company, returning to UFC as a sponsor.

According to UFC president Dana White, once signed, Fedor will fight Brock Lesnar for the Heavyweight title in his debut. He claims Lesnar won't fight anyone else until he fights Fedor, and the same for Fedor with Lesnar. No tune-up fights for Fedor in the UFC, he'll come in straight against the champion.


If the rumors are correct, we should have confirmation after the conference call this Friday afternoon.

WOW! Will post an opinion later, on the air now

[Leonardo Lunchbox]

Report of Fedor Emelianenko finalizing a deal with the UFC "not true," says source

                             by Dann Stupp on Jul 29, 2009 at 10:20 am ET                   
                                   A recent report that top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianeko and the Ultimate Championship are "finalizing a deal" and that the fighter will be introduced on Friday as the organization's newest signee is "untrue," a source close to M-1 today told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com).

Emelianenko had been slated to fight on Aug. 1 against Josh Barnett, whose failed drug test (due to alleged anabolic-steroid use) triggered a series of events leading to the cancellation of "Affliction: Trilogy" and eventually the demise of Affliction's entire promotional arm.

The cancellation was followed by a report from the L.A. Times stating that Emelianenko will sign with the UFC, but a source speaking on the condition of anonymity said no such deal is likely.

(Additionally, SI.com's Josh Gross spoke to M-1 Global executive Apy Echteld, who also said the report is "not accurate.")

Emelianenko and M-1 officials have a media call and press conference in Los Angeles planned for today. The Russian fighter and former PRIDE champion is expected to update the press on what the future may hold for him. (MMAjunkie.com will have a full recap from the meeting posted at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET today.)

The UFC may be an option, though multiple sources have told MMAjunkie.com that Emelianenko is unlikely to have his next fight under the UFC umbrella.

The UFC also has a press conference planned for this week. On Friday company president Dana White will "break all the latest news and developments in UFC," according to a UFC release. White is expected to announce some Affliction fighters, including Ben Rothwell and Chase Gormley, have been added to the UFC roster.

But for now, Emelianenko doesn't appear to be one of them.

Emelianenko (30-1), who's unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a contract with the UFC on multiple occasions, has also reportedly drawn interest from Strikeforce. M-1's new "premium fight series," which debuts Aug. 28 in Los Angeles with "King" Mo Lawal vs. Don Frye, is also an option for the fighter. (M-1 President Vadim Finkelchtein is also Emelianenko's manager.)

HUJMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[Mini Kong]

Fedor turned down a $30 million contract with UFC. It was for 5 fights, with the first being against Brock.

[Big Texy Cool]

As much as I'd love to see Fedor in the UFC, I think that he may want to hold back for the time being to see if any better, longer term deals roll. Sure it's not easy to find a deal like that but with a fighter like Fedor I'm sure the offers are pouring in right now and he'll want to look over all of them very carefully.

I will be surprised if we don't see him in UFC by mid 2010 tho.