Fedor Emelianenko hasn't fought since April and hasn't beaten a top 10 heavyweight in more than two years, yet he remains one of the most talked about mixed martial artists on the planet.
Come Monday, MMA fans will have even more water-cooler and message-board content.
Fedor will announce his future fight plans and contractual status at the New York City offices of fashion designer Marc Ecko during a media availability, scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. CDT. The 31-year-old Russian, who sports a gaudy 26-1 record, has been MMA's most-sought-after free agent since the UFC purchased Pride and dissolved the organization earlier this year. He couldn't come to terms with the UFC, despite a reported contract offer that would have guaranteed him in the neighborhood of $1.5 million per fight.
Over the last couple of weeks, speculation has been rampant on MMA Web sites that Fedor has signed with M-1 Mix-Fight Championship - a Russian-based promotion formerly run by his manager Vadim Finkelstein.
Rumor will finally be put to rest Monday with Fedor's first visit to the Big Apple. It's a genius PR move to make the announcement in the media hub of the universe and speaks to the level of sophistication behind this deal. It sure beats a fax!
The media event also could shed some light on the M-1 organization itself. Dallas Mavericks and HDNet Fights owner Mark Cuban confirmed to the Chronicle's Brawl Sports last week that he has interest in M-1, but wouldn't confirm that a deal was done.
Come Monday, MMA fans will have even more water-cooler and message-board content.
Fedor will announce his future fight plans and contractual status at the New York City offices of fashion designer Marc Ecko during a media availability, scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. CDT. The 31-year-old Russian, who sports a gaudy 26-1 record, has been MMA's most-sought-after free agent since the UFC purchased Pride and dissolved the organization earlier this year. He couldn't come to terms with the UFC, despite a reported contract offer that would have guaranteed him in the neighborhood of $1.5 million per fight.
Over the last couple of weeks, speculation has been rampant on MMA Web sites that Fedor has signed with M-1 Mix-Fight Championship - a Russian-based promotion formerly run by his manager Vadim Finkelstein.
Rumor will finally be put to rest Monday with Fedor's first visit to the Big Apple. It's a genius PR move to make the announcement in the media hub of the universe and speaks to the level of sophistication behind this deal. It sure beats a fax!
The media event also could shed some light on the M-1 organization itself. Dallas Mavericks and HDNet Fights owner Mark Cuban confirmed to the Chronicle's Brawl Sports last week that he has interest in M-1, but wouldn't confirm that a deal was done.
