WILL FEDOR FINALLY LAND IN THE UFC?

[Guest baseball25]

Friday was a day that drastically changed the landscape of the mixed martial arts world, but it likely was just the beginning of an even more drastic reshuffling of fighters.

With Affliction Entertainment shuttering its MMA promotional business, all of the fighters it had under its wings are left to find new homes. Some will end up fighting for Strikeforce, some for M-1 Global, some for the UFC, and elsewhere.

But there is of course, one fighter in particular that draws the MMA community’s attention like a laser... Fedor Emelianenko.

Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White has long made it no secret that he wants the consensus No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world under his roof.

"I want Fedor too, contrary to popular belief," he has stated on several occasions. The only thing he’s ever really argued is Fedor’s position among the ranks of heavyweight fighters, and, more recently, amongst the mythical pound-for-pound best.

“It drives me crazy that people put him in the pound-for-pound (rankings),†said White while a guest on ESPN 1100’s radio-thon fundraiser for The Caring Place cancer support center. “We can argue (his position amongst heavyweights) all day. There’s only one way to find out; let’s get him in there.â€

And that’s exactly what White has been trying to do: put Fedor in the Octagon.

“Regardless of what I think of Fedor or where I think he sits in the heavyweight division, it doesn’t mean anything. What matters is that the fans want to see it. I’ve been trying to get this guy in the UFC. We’re still trying now.â€

It has been a tough go however. There are sticking points between Fedor’s management and the UFC that neither party has been able to set aside. One of the key issues appears to be the UFC not wanting to co-brand its events, and M-1 Global, Fedor’s management company, refusing to do a fight without its brand attached. But even that isn’t abundantly clear.

"I have no idea what they want. Everything makes no sense to me,†said a frustrated White earlier this year. “I think they thought, 'You know, we'll partner up with these guys and we'll own a piece of this thing.' It's all mixed signals.

"When I first met with these guys, (Fedor's) manager is like, 'Here's what we want to do. My brother is the biggest rock concert promoter (in Russia). So here's what we want. We want you to build an arena in Russia.'"

That was obviously not high on the UFC’s list of acceptable concessions.

However, if the two sides are eventually able to come to an agreement, Fedor’s first challenge in the Octagon will be to vie for the UFC heavyweight championship currently held by Brock Lesnar.

“He’ll fight for the title (in his first UFC fight),†said White on Friday.

But if it actually does come to fruition, the brash UFC leader wavered on the outcome of that fight. “Here’s the thing, Fedor has a ton of experience. The guy’s been around forever, but you can’t take anything away from Brock Lesnar. What this guy has accomplished in a short amount of time is phenomenal.

“It’s a very interesting fight.â€

Indeed. It would also be the coup that solidifies the UFC’s heavyweight champion as the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world, but only time will tell if it will ever happen.

[SET-RB_99]

I like the guy but he wont take the belt from lesner.

[venom33]

I like the guy but he wont take the belt from lesner.

there are fighters right now in ufc's weakest division that given the opportunity will take lesnars belt from him!