Jeff Monson: Thank the Russians for their attitude towards me

Jeff Monson, who is fighting Alexander Emelianenko on Nov 15th, has been giving seminars in Russia.  I am excited to see this fight.  Monson fought Alexander’s brother Fedor a little less than a year ago.

“I arrived in St. Petersburg to see my friends. I like to spend time in this beautiful city. Here I have any friends. I want to thank the company M-1. Thanks to her, I became popular among Russian fans. Every time they have a warm welcome for me, so I decided to give back to them to reciprocate. I want to help those who have decided to learn grappling. I’m in great condition. Now I am preparing hard for the next fight, which I have scheduled for November 15. I intend to have a good training to during the battle to be ready one hundred percent. Thank the Russians for their attitude towards me. There is a feeling that everyone here treats me as if I was his cousin, “- Jeff Monson

Strikeforce Going Out of Business

According to multiple high profile (and usually accurate) sources, Strikeforce will be closing it’s doors soon.  After two high profile fighters dropped out of the upcoming card, Showtime has decided to end the promotion.  This will be the second time Zuffa (owners of Strikeforce and the UFC) will have had to cancel a card.

Around 1.5 years ago, when Zuffa bought the majority stake in Strikeforce, UFC President Dana White claimed it would be “business as usual” for Strikeforce.  This lie had barely finished falling from his lips when Zuffa started taking all of the high profile fighters from Strikeforce and moving them to the UFC.  As Zuffa had already done with Pride Fc, WEC, and other (superior) promotions, they buy them and then work to dismantle them by taking all of their high profile fighters.

I have to say, my love of MMA is at an all time low.  Most of the promotions I loved have been dismantled and all that is left is a watered down WWE wanna be version that attracts the lowest common denominator in society.  The sport has become plagued with terrible reffing, horrible judges decisions and corrupt leaders.  I must not be alone in my feelings because UFC PPVs and TV ratings have been in the dumps for a while now (with a few exceptions here and there).  It’s sad that a sport which was once about skill and honor has become about over hyping a bunch of mediocre fighters and brainwashing fans.

I hope M-1 Global or some other organization can take Strikeforce’s place on Showtime.

Inside MMA ‏@InsideMMAaxstv
DEVELOPING @Strikeforce tenure on @sho_network potentially ending. Nov. 3rd event in jeopardy.
FrontRowBrian ‏@FrontRowBrian
Hearing @Strikeforce is being disbanded immediately. It is no more. Another promotion goes by the wayside.

@arielhelwani
Re: the Strikeforce rumors, according to a Showtime official in the know, as of tonight, 11/3 and beyond is a go for them.

FrontRowBrian ‏@FrontRowBrian
There was also a Facebook post from the wife of a Zuffa exec saying SF was shutting down. The post was then deleted. This was earlier todayFrontRowBrian ‏@FrontRowBrian

I got rumor from excellent source. Cross checked it with a high profile journalist who said he/she heard same thing from 4 excellent sources

Junior Dos Santos: ‘Fedor Is the Greatest of All Time’

“Fedor is the greatest, no doubt,” said Dos Santos. “For me, in a matter of admiration, he is the greatest of all time. He is a heavyweight who beat everybody. He certainly was ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet.’ If he came back to fight, it would be incredible for the sport. I’m a big fan of his.” – Junior Dos Santos

Recently Fedor won a poll in Brazil, with 73 percent of the voters declaring him as the greatest of all time.  Surprisingly, Anderson Silva came in second with only 12 percent of the votes.  It’s good to see Junior Dos Santos speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to say what he believes.  I have a lot of respect for him.  Unlike a lot of MMA fighters these days, he acts respectfully and with class.

Fedor on Self-Defense

Turn on the CC to see what he is saying in English.

Pride FC: Fedor vs Cro Cop

With the current state of MMA being in the gutter it really makes me miss the old days when Pride was King.  Videos like the following are just one of a billion reasons why the Pride era is the greatest era of MMA we have ever seen.  In Pride we didn't get crappy rock music talking about being the ultimate warrior, we received classical music, epic promotional videos and real background on fighters.  It was an amazing time in MMA and if you missed out on that I am sorry, I don't think we will ever see anything like it again.

Fedor Emelianenko’s M-1 Contract Revealed. UFC Payment Clause Included

Hey guys, it looks like Fedor's M-1 Global Contract has been posted online.  I assume it's legit.  It's long but worth a look by Fedor fans.

http://vendettafighter.com/news/fedor-emelianenkos-m-1-contract-revealed-ufc-payment-clause-included/