BEHIND THE SIGNING: FEDOR TO STRIKEFORCE

By TLOS contributing columnist, Phil Lanides

In what many will consider a shocker, StrikeForce has signed the man considered to be the top heavyweight in the world, Russia’s Fedor Emelianenko, to a multi-fight contract that will have him fighting on the Showtime network this fall. Financial terms were not disclosed, but it was announced that StrikeForce has agreed to co-promote with M-1 Global, Fedor’s management and promotional company. This was seen as a major hurdle in negotiations with Dana White and the UFC.

Fedor was scheduled to headline Affliction’s “Trilogy” event, but it was canceled after fellow co-main event participant Josh Barnett tested positive for an anabolic steroid. Affliction discontinued operations as a fight promotion shortly after, and “The Last Emperor” became a free agent. Negotiations with the UFC ensued, and Dana White has publicly stated that the promotion acquiesced to nearly every demand, including Fedor’s continued competition in Sambo. But White balked at the prospect of co-promoting events with an unproven commodity like M-1, and the deal fell apart. Enter StrikeForce.

Analysis: This must be considered a huge coup for StrikeForce. Fedor is, without a doubt in my mind, the top heavyweight in MMA history. He will simply demolish pretty much anyone on the active StrikeForce heavyweight roster. On the other hand, Fedor is not a proven pay-per-view draw. His three U.S. bouts have drawn less than 300,000 pay-per-view buys, which is not even 1/3 of some big UFC events. Can StrikeForce elevate his profile enough to make him the draw that can allow the promotion to turn the corner? That remains to be seen. Affliction’s approach to promoting MMA events was flawed at best. No TV presence, inconsistent events, catering to the hardcore fan instead of trying to attract new ones…Fedor’s prospects with Affliction were doomed from the beginning. Here’s hoping Mike Afromovitz, Scott Coker, and the rest of the StrikeForce brass can succeed where Tom Atencio and Affliction did not. Fedor’s legacy may be riding on it.