» Posts Tagged ‘M-1’

M-1 Selection will stream live from Dagestan at Noon EST Saturday afternoon at M-1Global.com, the promotion announced Friday. The stream will be free.

The card features 15 bouts fights between Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko’s (30-1) Red Devil Sport Club and Sochi Star and Dagestan’s Gorec gym will fight against athletes from Legion.

M-1 Selection is M-1 Global’s qualifying event for Russian fighters to make their M-1 Challenge team competition.

So called “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidelnikov (6-3) will compete on the card.

On the walls of MMA fandom there are two contrasting posters of Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1).

If you’re not North American or you’re one of the 50,000 or so North Americans who plunked down $34.95 for PRIDE 32, your poster depicts Emelianenko within a golden aureole striding a mound of pummeled flesh bags that includes fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1), tenth-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-7), and former UFC heavyweight champion “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-6).

If you’re North American and cut your MMA teeth on The Ultimate Fighter circa 2007 or anxiously anticipating the first F5 stoppage in MMA history, your poster depicts Emelianenko cowering within the block-headed shadow of the man-mountain that is second-ranked UFC champ Brock Lesnar (4-1).

Read More About MMA Is Strictly Business for Fedor Emelianenko – Fighters.com’s September Heavyweight Rankings…

Regardless who wins the middlweight matchup at UFC 102 in Portland Saturday, Demian Maia (10-0) and “Great” Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) might get a second shot at each other 25-27 September at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Fighting World Championships 2009 in Barcelona.

Both UFC title contenders will compete in the -87.9kg division, along with “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (11-3). Sengoku judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) and DREAM welterweight Andre Galvao (3-0).

UFC welterweight champ “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will compete in the -76.9kg division, along with the UFC’s “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3), Japanese free agent “K-Taro” Keita Nakamura (15-4-2), and Brazilian free agent “Uirapuru” Marcelo Azevedo (3-5).

Read More About UFC Champ Georges St. Pierre, Strikeforce Heavyweight Contender Fabricio Werdum Among Grapplers at 2009 ADCC…

Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) and Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) flopped around the pale M-1 Global ring in an exhibition at M-1 Global Breakthrough in Kansas City Saturday night, but Mousasi got the worst of it and tapped in an armbar to Emelianenko after a vigorous approximately four-minute roll.

Glowing in a fresh sweat, Emelianenko remarked afterwards, “I had a great time. Thank you so much, Gegard. He’s a great partner, a great friend.”

Mousasi entered the arena first rocking a white uwagi, red belt, and black board shorts and flanked by Polish heavyweight Michal Kita (6-2). He grinned and shadowboxed playfully in his corner awaiting the “Emperor’s” entrance.

Read More About Fedor Emelianenko & Gegard Mousasi Rattle KC’s Memorial Hall At M-1 Global Breakthrough Exhibition…

“King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) TKO’d late replacement “Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr (14-11) in 25 seconds at M-1 Global Breakthrough in Kansas City Friday night, sending Kerr’s mouthpiece zipping across the mat at the end of a right hook while Kerr lie flat on his stomach.

Lawal had crouched low out of his corner; and, Kerr threw a low kick. Lawal caught Kerr’s low kick and dumped Kerr on his stomach, beginning the onslaught of punches that ended the fight.

For Lawal, the “W” is Pyrrhic as the talented light heavyweight wastes time versus opponents, like Kerr, who don’t develop his talent.

Read More About Mo Lawal Sends Mark Kerr’s Mouthpiece Flying in TKO at M-1 Global Breakthrough…

Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) will display his skills for a sure-to-be tough crowd of New Yorkers at Fighthouse at 122 West 27th Street Wednesday at 3:30 PM EST.

Media and fans will have an opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with Fedor in an open workout and meet-and-greet.

Emelianenko is scheduled in an exhibition sparring match with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) at Friday’s M-1 Global Breakthrough in Kansas City.

Read More About Meet Fedor Emelianenko at Open Workout in New York City…

Light heavyweight über-prospect “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (3-0) and middleweight Brazilian “Spartan” Lucio Linhares (11-3) highlight Friday’s M-1 Global Breakthrough in Kansas City that features an exhibition sparring match between Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1) and Strikeforce light heavyweight champ “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1).

Breakthrough gets started at 7:30 PM local time at Memorial Hall in KC and the meat of the of the card will be broadcast on HDNet at 10:00 PM EST. Outside of the United States, the entire card will be streamed via the Internet. Details are available at M-1 Global’s website. Tickets starting at $25 can be purchased at Ticketmaster and there’s a buy-one-get-one-free offer.

Fighters.com asked Mousasi to explain the exhibition sparring format last Thursday. “It’s just like a light sparring,” he said, and added that the exhibition won’t turn competitive in front of thousands in Kansas City. “We are not animals. We can control ourselves.”

Read More About Mo Lawal, Lucio Linhares Highlight KC M-1 Card Featuring Emelianenko/Mousasi Sparring Exhibition…

In advance of M-1 Global’s Breakthrough in Kansas City 28 August where new Strikeforce light heavyweight champ “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) will spar with Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1), Fighters.com put it to Mousasi tougher than “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-9) did in their one-minute title fight Saturday in San Jose in which Mousasi TKO’d the former Strikeforce champ and UFC challenger.

Mousasi first revealed his plans to join Emelianenko and his Red Devil camp in St. Petersburg exclusively to Fighters.com in September 2008. Ever since, the Dutch fighter of Armenian descent has been tied to Emelianenko and M-1 Global, Emelianenko’s MMA promotion. But, Mousasi is his own man, his own fighter.

When Fighters.com quizzed whether Emelianenko is Mousasi’s mentor, Mousasi answered emphatically, “No. We have trained together,” then added, “but, I do look up to him.”

Read More About Strikeforce Champ Gegard Mousasi: Fedor Emelianenko Is Not My Mentor, But I Look Up To Him…

Fighters.com doesn’t blame über-prospect “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (3-0), but the main event for M-1 Global Breakthrough just went from bad to worse. Forty-year old “Smashing Machine” Mark Kerr (14-10) will bring his four-fight losing streak into the ring in Kansas City 28 August to replace Lawal’s original opponent, forty-three year old former UFC champion “Predator” Don Frye (20-7-1).

Perhaps Frye is to blame? M-1 Global Chief Operating Officer Joost Raimond thinks so, saying Monday, “Don Frye had a signed contract with M-1 and part of that signed commitment allowed us to change the venue if needed. From our perspective, Don should still be in this fight. However, for reasons that we aren’t exactly sure of, he has backed out. Don still has not provided us with a clear reason as to why he is refusing to fight. It just doesn’t make sense because the old Don Frye was willing to fight anyone, anywhere, and at anytime. Perhaps the fire is gone and he underestimated the challenge that ‘King Mo’ presents?”

Ostentatious former NCAA wrestling champion “King Mo” won a unanimous decision over Pancrase veteran Ryo Kawamura (9-3-2) at Sengoku Seventh Battle in Tokyo last March. He’ll fight for the first time in his home nation at Breakthrough.

Read More About Mark Kerr Replaces Don Frye Versus Mo Lawal at M-1 Breakthrough…

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) returned to the open, enabling arms of his adoring Japanese fans Saturday, making an appearance at Pancrase’s Changing Tour 4 in Tokyo.

He stepped inside the ring during an intermission and addressed the crowd: “I’d like to fight next time I enter the Pancrase ring.”

Barnett is the reigning Openweight King of Pancrase, but hasn’t fought for the promotion since tapping Yuki Kondo (49-23-6) in a rear naked choke at the 10th Anniversary Show in 2003.

Read More About Josh Barnett Wants To Return to Pancrase, UFC’s Dana White Doubts He’ll Return to The Octagon…