Two of MMA’s big name heavyweights choose opposite paths at the same crossroads

By Ron ‘The Yacman’ Yacovetti

Yes, I made Fedor the neater one and Kimbo the sloppier one. Their works, at present, back this jest.

Now, a closer look at these two and what they seem to be doing with their futures.

THE WHO:

Kevin Ferguson aka ‘Kimbo Slice’: A heavyweight who holds the record for the most viewers of any one MMA fighter’s bout (CBS Primetime I, May 2008). Famous from his backyard brawls on YouTube, Slice is unproven as a mixed martial artist and has been trying to live up to his hype, which transcends the MMA community. Slice is a man in his 30’s with athletic potential, yet much like an adult school student going for an equivalency degree, he chases after something most others in his field, achieved earlier on.

Fedor Emelianenko aka ‘The Last Emperor ‘: Regarded by most MMA enthusiasts as the best heavyweight cage-fighter in the world (by some the best pound for pound fighter as well). Fedor is and has been a man who is battle tested and proven, but has little hype outside of the hardcore MMA community. Emelianenko is a well-rounded mixed martial artist who exemplifies being a polished fighter. Unfortunately for him, he hasn’t gained fame beyond his ability via the internet…or as I like to call it, pulling a Dane Cook.

COMMON GROUND:

Both Slice and Fedor would benefit from mainstream notoriety. Both men recently found themselves with two viable choices to continue their MMA careers, as their given promotions (EliteXC and Affliction) sank beneath the tide of MMA hopefuls.

THE CHOICES:

Strikeforce or The UFC.

Strikeforce comes with all the bells and whistles that make any fighter looking for exposure a happy camper. Showtime’s continued support of MMA is a major plus for the sport and especially, Strikeforce. As most know, this deal was inherited as EliteXC (Kimbo’s launching pad) went bankrupt. Should CBS add itself to the media outlet list for Strikeforce, the deal gets a whole lot sweeter.

The UFC, like it or not, is the prime brand of mixed martial arts. If not for Dana and the gang, Scott Coker would still be promoting fights longer than them, but it would most likely be only in the realm of kickboxing. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not flawless or without room to improve, but it is responsible for putting MMA on the map. And, with its outlets on Spike TV and a successfully established following on PPV, exposure is also a very alluring characteristic to signing with them.

LOGIC WOULD SUGGEST:

The best heavyweight in the world signs a multi-fight deal with the biggest promotion in the world while the most hyped heavyweight signs with the number two promotion, as he continues to pad his record during his quest to improve.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED:

Kimbo Slice makes the wise choice in what is truly a win-win for the UFC as well, signing with them as a contender on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10. There is NO downside to this deal. None.

If Kimbo shines, he earns his MMA kudos and respect as a legitimate cage-fighter. And this is even if he does not win the show. If he merely looks good, shows improvement and pulls out a few key wins, both The UFC and Kimbo gain a lot. If he gets his ass handed to him, Dana has already said that Kimbo is “sh*t”, so an “I told you so” gets the promotion off the hook for having him.

Fedor Emelianenko ended up going to Strikeforce, making the second mega-fight he ‘could’ have had with a UFC Heavyweight Champion (the first one versus Randy Couture; this time versus Brock Lesnar), likely to never happen.

It would’ve been reasonable to assume Slice would go to Strikeforce and take advantage of the exposure, win some and lose some, all while riding his undeveloped potential to a quick and profitable end. It would be hard to fault him for it, he is in his 30’s with time ticking away fast. However, that option, he did not pick.

Kimbo chose the high road, regardless of how it works out for him. Truth be told, the only way he can ever get serious respect as a mixed martial artist is to earn his stripes in the UFC, even on The Ultimate Fighter Show. Four years of being unbeaten in Strikeforce wouldn’t have provided him the same respect from fans that a strong showing on TUF 10 will.

Fedor however, gets the utmost respect from MMA fans. He also had access to his most desirable fight according to fans, against Lesnar, the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. This bout would garner serious attention for the UFC and MMA overall.

The Last Emperor is the big fish amongst heavyweights, right? So why choose the smaller pond? This is not to say going to Strikeforce and Showtime is a bad move. It is not. But in actuality, his reign there, even if he beats Rogers, Overeem and Werdum, should he do so, would be less impactful on fans new and old, than taking on Velasquez, Carwin and of course, Brock Lesnar.

Critics of this deal and what information is available, suggests that the deal breaker was that M-1 Global would not let Fedor Emelianenko sign with The UFC because of a denial to co-promote with M-1. The deal Fedor was offered was good too. He was shown the money and all other requests that he wanted before, when trying to set up a fight with Couture. A no-brainer right? Well yes, it would seem the choice by Fedor’s management did choose to reject the UFC by using absolutely no brains.

A FLIP SIDE?

In today’s conference call with Showtime executives, President of Strikeforce, Scott Coker and Fedor Emelianenko himself, this very choice and issue inevitably, came up. In short, M-1’s Vadim Finkelchtein had this to say, when asked why they turned down The UFC:

“The advantage in making the deal with Strikeforce is really great because the UFC didn’t give us any chance to develop. The UFC wants Fedor to be a fighter only for the UFC. That’s all they offered us. They didn’t offer us anything else. Dana White stated that Fedor and M1 rejected a huge amount of money and decided to fight for nothing. But, that’s not true. Nothing special was offered to M1 and Fedor during the negotiations with UFC. When we made the deal with Strikeforce we had opportunities to show our fights in many other countries. But the UFC wouldn’t give us these opportunities.”

When asked directly about the lost match up with Brock Lesnar, the one man MMA fans would like to see him take on and how his choice to sign with Strikeforce deprives them of that match, the Last Emperor himself replied,

“I really feel sorry that the fight could not happen and I feel sorry for my fans. But, I think I also deserve some respect and I also think my personal interests should be taken into consideration.”

Fedor then addressed his point of view on The UFC and that the very offer that he and M-1 turned down from the UFC differed from the one presented to him:

“From my viewpoint, the UFC does not have the proper attitude to fighters. The UFC attitude towards fighters is not a good one. They don’t treat them like human beings. And I don’t like their policy. The offer that we got was one kind, and then on the Internet they published really different numbers. The offer they gave us was really miserable.”

So how this all washes out and what it means to the heavyweight division is yet to be seen. Perhaps the best case scenario did take place, bolstering the number two promotion even more. Maybe, just maybe, the best scenario for now is not the best one for MMA long term, as a sport.

Other promotions need to exist in order for more fighters to be able to fight full time with no day job. Their money comes in large part, from sponsors. Those folks pay more, if at all, knowing you’re going to be on TV, such as Showtime or even CBS. If the only outlet for serious TV coverage is Spike and PPV, less fighters will receive decent sponsorship checks and end up fighting part time.

The net result of this? A slower developing, weaker talent pool.

PIE IN THE SKY OR REALISTIC?

What if Fedor’s presence in Strikeforce not only means something by his personal contribution, but also what if he dominates then becomes a magnet for the current and future crop of elite heavyweights in MMA?

This scenario could boost Strikeforce as a whole, in ways that would exceed the crushed hopes and dreams Showtime and EliteXC laid upon the shoulders of Kimbo Slice himself, in 2008.

Imagine if a Shane Carwin wanted a shot at Fedor and didn’t re-sign with the UFC. Such a situation is not out of the question.

However, it is also possible that Fedor Emelianenko cleans out the Strikeforce heavyweight crop like an old attic on moving day, and then rides out his career in lackluster fashion.

In the same galaxy not so far away, what if Kimbo Slice wins the Ultimate Fighter Season 10? That would be insane and boost his cache excessively. Again, even a solid showing where sincere effort and improvement show, will help Kimbo and The UFC for taking him in.

Should Kimbo be a wash and get eliminated as quickly as William Hung on an old American Idol (go ahead, Google it), then he goes back to obscurity and trying to make a living as a pseudo-celebrity.

Ultimately, what’s best for MMA as a sport is what would be best to see happen. The UFC isn’t going away and a solid, second promotion who serves up a lot of cage-fighting to the public sure is great to have around too.

-Yacman