MMA Weekly is confirming that Fedor Emelianenko will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in matchup between two top five heavyweights on July 19th of this year. Previous rumors that have been leaked out suggest the bout will take place in Dallas, Texas at American Airlines Arena with HDNet providing the broadcast and Affliction footing the bill. Details aside, this matchup will be the first to prove if Fedor Emelianenko still has the tenacity and skills we've seen in the past, and it will put him well on his way to proving to the fanbase that he is in fact deserving of being the greatest.

This is a bout that has taken years to happen and has been years in the making. In the days when PRIDE reigned supreme and feud between which promotion's fighters were better, Tim Sylvia vs. Fedor Emelianenko was a dream matchup that fans very much wanted to see happen. Rumors surfaced that Fedor had ducked Sylvia, and Sylvia had ducked Fedor, but both rumors didn't have much weight behind them. Sylvia was bound by the UFC's contracts, and Liddell was chosen to head to Japan for the Grand Prix to take on Wanderlei Silva. Of course, we all know that the matchup between Liddell and Silva didn't happen, and the rumor surfaced that Sylvia was ducking Fedor. The fact is that the matchup just wasn't available in those days, and now we'll finally get to see the showdown.

The difference between then and now is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture. During Fedor's PRIDE reign, it wasn't inconceivable to believe that Sylvia had a great shot at defeating Fedor with his huge size. Today, many fans still believe he can simply stand and pepper Fedor to a victory. Nogueira submitted Sylvia with nice transitions, and Couture rocked Sylvia with an overhand that helped him neutralize Sylvia for the rest of the bout. Both fights made Sylvia seem vulnerable, a much different perception than the previous years he had.

How should this fight play out today? Fedor remains an explosive fighter with the best transitional MMA skills that we've ever seen. He's good to great in nearly all areas of the game, and his ability to reverse his fortunes in the middle of a fight is a testament to his survivability and diversity in his skillset. In my opinion, Sylvia is outmatched decisively in this matchup.

Sylvia has a non-existent ground game to finish a fight, and his only real advantage on the ground is his length. Length has been something that Fedor Emelianenko has never had problems attacking. His size likely won't stop Fedor from taking him down, and the only opponent that Fedor had problems taking down was the real life Goliath in Hong Man Choi. Fedor has explosively put bigger opponents to the ground with ease, and Sylvia will likely be no different.

The only advantage that appears to be valid is Sylvia's standup skills. While he does have crisp strikes that don't loop like many heavy handed heavyweights, will he be able to put Fedor out with a few? Not before he gets put to the floor. While I think this is a great matchup for Fedor and Sylvia, Fedor should prevail easily. One-dimensional fighters such as Sylvia are a beast of the past. Nonetheless, get ready for a showdown in the deep South.

Above is the bout between K-1 World Champion striker Semmy Schilt and Fedor Emelianenko. Schilt is a better striker than Sylvia by far, yet has no ground game. He shows some impressive submission defense, but gets crushed throughout the fight by Fedor's superior ground tactics. This could very well be what could happen. The only major flaw here is that this fight took place in Fedor's first PRIDE battle, and he's probably much better nowadays against seemingly the same type of fighter as Schilt.

Reports from yesterday revealed that Affliction was possibly behind the rumored deal that would bring former UFC heavyweight Tim Sylvia and PRIDE Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko together at the American Airlines Arena on July 19th. Affliction is a well known brand of MMA clothing that produces street clothes than litter most MMA broadcasts. Now, it looks as if the clothing brand will make its way into the actual business of creating MMA events.

Unfortunately, this could be their very last. Adam Swift at MMAPayout.com reported some unconfirmed rumors regarding Affliction’s role in the matchup:

MMAPayout.com has received multiple unconfirmed reports of an offer worth slightly more than $2 million per fight from Affliction to Emelianenko. Sylvia is under contract to Adrenaline, the successor to M-1 Global which dissolved last month after parting ways with Fedor.

Interestingly enough, the event will mix in three different promotions. Affliction and M-1 Global will co-promote with each other on this event while HDNet Fights will indirectly have a connection due to the use of American Airlines Arena, a television deal on HDNet, and of course the connection between the actual fight promotion and HDNet itself.

There is one glaring problem that can be seen by nearly any fan reading that quote. If this rumor ends up being true, how can Affliction blow over $2 million dollars on one fighter on the card? Sylvia alone was reported to grab nearly $300,000 per fight from Adrenaline, but that number may be only for Adrenaline MMA cards only. Regardless, Sylvia will get a substantial amount of money, not to mention the undercard fighters that will also get paid.

Unless by some miracle that Mark Cuban has a brain fart at the day of negotiations and somehow gives Affliction huge money to televise the fights, I don’t see how Affliction can possibly make a profit on this event. Sylvia is not a drawing power and neither is Fedor. HDNet isn’t available in every home, and it’s a subscription service that some people are simply not going to pay for just to see one fight.

Affliction must know something we don’t because it seems completely illogical from our standpoint as observers to believe that they could make a profit from this show. Their intention could be to come out with a bang to produce hype around the new promotion, but I think they are underestimating the amount of losses that they could see.

I guess we’ll find out in the coming months what Affliction has up their sleeves. It should be interesting to see if these rumors are true.

Yesterday was an exciting day for MMA fans everywhere. Tim Sylvia had reportedly signed on to fight PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko on July 19 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas, but reports are now coming out of Russia that contradict the previous report from Sherdog’s Greg Savage… big surprise. Fedor’s manager, Vadim Finkelstein, states on the M-1 Mixfight website:

“At the moment we can’t certainly say the bout will take place come July because the contract is not signed,” Finkelstein is quoted as saying on the website M1Mixfight.com. “However, the both parties are involved in the negotiation process and we are about to break the finishing tape although we haven’t come to an agreement concerning every detail as of yet”

Great, some more obstacles to bull through in order to make this fight happen is exactly what made other fights disintegrate. The quote makes it sound as if they are close to a deal which begs the question as to how much money was thrown Fedor’s way. I highly doubt they gave him the $2 million dollar contract, but it could have been close. Hopefully we will see this deal come through.

Kimbo vs. Thompson to be announced this week

Moving to the other end of the spectrum of quality matchups, Kimbo Slice will officially be announced to take on James Thompson later this week according to NBCSports.com. Sam Caplan reported recently that Thompson was the frontrunner to take on the street brawling Kimbo, and it’s definitely a smart move for EliteXC to feature this fight on CBS.

It may not be a quality matchup, but it will give the viewership tuning in a sense of what Kimbo does… knock people out! Thompson possesses one of the weakest chins in the MMA game today, and the light switch flips off once he gets tagged by a couple blows from most of his opponents. His matchup with Kimbo should be no different, but you never know what to expect from Thompson.

Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner

Evan confirmed on his website that he will in fact be taking on TUF winner Kendall Grove over the summer. On paper, the matchup is intriguing because Tanner’s history and quality of opponents far outweighs Grove’s record. Grove has been weak chinned in his recent fights, but he still possesses some range, a large reach, and a formidable height for him to use in all facets of the fight. 

I think this fight comes down to Evan Tanner’s abilities to pound out Grove. Can he get through the length of Grove? If so, he could easily expose Grove’s chin to a crushing blow to end it. Regardless of my assessment, it should still be a tough fight to call at this point. We’ll see how Evan does with the training.

Burkman vs. Hazelett confirmed for June 21

Josh Burkman will reportedly take on Dustin Hazelett in June according to MMAWeekly.com. I’m not high on Josh Burkman’s style of fighting, but he could spell trouble for Hazelett if he can maintain top control on the ground without getting submitted. Hazelett is a very slick grappler, one of the better grapplers in the UFC, and he has smooth transitions from guard to a submission position. I’ve been impressed by his jiu-jitsu skills, and I don’t see a reason why he can’t win this one. The only real threat is Burkman’s strikes, which are looping, slow, and very easy to spot.

Ben Saunders vs. Jared Rollins at UFC 86

Looks like the UFC is rewarding Rollins for a great fight against Koppenhaver with matchup in the Octagon. Saunders has some abilities to avoid the ground and pound, and his length will definitely cause some problems for Rollins. Also, Saunders is training out of American Top Team, which will likely increase his skills substantially by the time we see him at UFC 86.

Although this has been a rumor that has been flying around the MMA community for most of the day today, Greg Savage over at Sherdog.com is confirming that Fedor Emelianenko will in fact take on former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia on July 19 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. Savage and Evgeni Kogan were able to obtain this quote from the PRIDE Heavyweight champion:

"[Sylvia] is a good fighter, a strong fighter, the former UFC heavyweight champion, which is important," Emelianenko said via telephone from Stary Oskol, Russia. "I am looking forward to fighting him and training hard for this fight."

Details haven’t been disclosed as of yet, but the event is scheduled in Dallas on the 19th of July and it has been indicated to Savage that it will air on HDNet. The promotion behind the move could very well be Affliction, according to the article.

Get ready for a huge bout… literally. Sylvia’s size could cause problems, but as Sylvia stated after his matchup with Nogueira, “I hate jiu-jitsu”. This should be a classic striker vs. grappler, but Fedor possesses devastatingly quick striking coupled with awesome takedowns and unparalleled submission abilities. Fedor does, however, lack the tough skin to avoid cuts, and the match may take place in a cage which would give Sylvia a slight advantage.

I’m glad Monte gave us a quality fight for fans to be really excited for. This is probably one of the first times that I’m glad for both sides of the matchup. Fedor finally stepped up to take on a legitimately tough opponent in Sylvia, and Sylvia moved away from the UFC as he had hoped for more money and the opportunity to take on Fedor. Most importantly, it works out great for the fans of this sport.

Tim Sylvia wants to fight Fedor Emelianenko, but then again, what heavyweight in the top 10 hasn't said that in the last year? According to a recent article by Damon Martin of MMAWeekly.com, Tim Sylvia wanted to leave the UFC in order to fight the best heavyweights outside of the promotion that he would otherwise never be able to face in the Octagon. Specifically, he mentioned Fedor Emelianenko, but he stated that he would like to fight six to seven times next year:

“I’ve come to a crossroads in my career where I’ve fought all the best guys in the UFC. There’s a handful of guys outside the UFC that I really want to fight and I don’t think the UFC’s going to get some of them. Some of them are a little too high priced for the UFC to get. So I just think this is the best avenue for me right now.”

With multiple promotions in the United States including EliteXC, Strikeforce, the as yet unannounced Affliction/Golden Boy Promotion team and several more in Japan, Sylvia said he intends on fighting “six or seven” times next year.

The interesting part about all of this is that Monte Cox worked a deal with the UFC to allow Sylvia to be released from his contract. Sylvia apparently left on good terms and plans to make a move back to the UFC down the road in two to three years:

“We’ve been approached for a while about different organizations and stuff like that, and we were with the UFC,” Sylvia said on MMAWeekly Radio on Monday night. “Now, you know I had one fight left and just some great offers are coming in, and Monte’s like ‘hey, let me talk to Dana and see if maybe they’ll release you and see if we can go out there for a year or two and make some really good money.’

“So the UFC knew the offer and they said they would allow me to be released and that’s what they did. And Monte (Cox) obviously took the advantage that he has and signed me as soon as he could.”

It looks like a great deal for Sylvia, but I'd love to know who is offering such big money for a fighter who has disappointedly left us wanting more in each of his last few fights. Furthermore, how many fighters outside the UFC can provide able challenges and have Tim still fight six to seven times in a year? According to the quote, Sylvia stands to make some big money, so we'll definitely see if Tim can bring home the big bucks.

As for a matchup with Fedor, I don't think it will be happening anytime soon. Fedor is rumored to be asking for nearly $2 million dollars per fight according to MMAJunkie.com. At that fanatical rate, there isn't a promotion out there that will want to try to grab Fedor, an unproven PPV draw. Sylvia has other options though. Barnett, Aleksander Emelianenko, any of EliteXC's talent including Ricco Rodriguez or Antonio Silva, the list goes on. It should be interesting to see who his first matchup will be against.

Most of the MMA blogosphere and mainstream sites received emails yesterday from M-1 Global's Brian Patton regarding the recent shift of M-1 Global's American division to a new name. M-1 Global will now be known as Adrenaline MMA, and it also released a press release on two big name heavyweight signings:

Sylvia and Ben Rothwell have signed multi-fight contracts with the
newly-formed promotion.

Sylvia (24-4) is a former 2-time UFC heavyweight champion, while Rothwell
(31-5) was undefeated in the IFL for the champion Quad Cities Silverbacks.

Sylvia, 6-foot-8 and 265 pounds, has fought 13 times in the UFC and
defeated top performers like Jeff Monson, Andre Arlovski (twice), Brandon
Vera, Ricco Rodriguez and Assuerio Silva.

"Adrenaline is a new promotion, but it allows fighters to fight for other
organizations... that's huge," Sylvia said. "I've got 3 to 4 years left
and want to fight as much as possible, so this is the perfect choice for
me at this time."

Rothwell, 6-5 and 265, has won 13 straight bouts, including all 9 of his
IFL fights.

"Adrenaline will give me the chance to take things to the next level,"
Rothwell said. "I'm ready to see how I fare against the best heavyweights
in the world."

Sylvia and Rothwell both train at Miletich Fighting Systems in Bettendorf,
Iowa.

The big question here is whether or not Tim will actually have some upside in this small-time promotion. According to Monte Cox, the new promotion won't be the size of EliteXC or UFC, but it may reach a size equivalent to WEC. It'll also begin moving into larger midwestern markets with their first show possibly being in Chicago. With such a big market in Chicago, Adrenaline could start out with some profit on a small scale.

For Sylvia and Rothwell, this could potentially be a good deal for them if they manage to get bouts in other promotions that have some legitimate fighters. EliteXC is definitely going to be pursuing a way to grab the recognizable name in Sylvia for their CBS shows. Signing with a promotion that has non-exclusive clauses could work out great for Sylvia, but there still remains two huge problems.

Sylvia's reputation as a boring fighter that simply uses his size to win is renowned to UFC fans everywhere. He's booed in nearly every single performance he has even though he wins. Can this change? The consensus is that it's possible that Sylvia's style could pick up a step if he fights non-UFC competition in other promotions. Sylvia vs. Antonio Silva or Ricco Rodriguez could be exciting? I'm not exactly convinced, but if Sylvia doesn't do something to liven up his game, his UFC departure could spell disaster for his career down the road. Then again, Sylvia says he only has a few years left in his career, so maybe he can go out with a substantial amount of cash in his pocket before it is all said and done.

The big question for tomorrow will revolve around the former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. Sylvia, who stated in the past that he was displeased with the amount of money that Brock Lesnar was getting from the UFC, will make an official announcement tomorrow according to his blog post, and the news will be featured on tomorrow night's Inside MMA show on HDNet. With the news coming, the rumors are flying around as to where Tim Sylvia may end up after Friday's announcement. Let's go through the list:

1. EliteXC:  I'm more inclined to believe that Sylvia is moving to the promotion that can give him more exposure to a national audience. Sure, Sylvia has been a boring fighter in the UFC, but that was against top competition in the world. Against EliteXC's potentially lackluster talent pool, Sylvia could be a big problem for their list of heavyweights. He could also line himself up with a shot at Fedor if EliteXC can manage to actually sign him.

Since Tim Sylvia wants more money, EliteXC could be the way to go if they happen to have the finances to move forward. Most fans believe that EliteXC is banking everything on the CBS deal, but the fact is that one successful event could lead to huge things. A big name sponsor could step in, and fighters will receive more money for their own sponsors. That's exactly where Sylvia can make his money.

2. Golden Boy: I've grown tired of hearing what Golden Boy could supposedly do for the sport. There isn't enough talent out there right now for the promotion to make a splash in the sport. I don't see Sylvia going there, and there are even doubts as to whether the promotion will even take off now.

3. M-1 Global (American Division): MMAonTap seems to think that this may be a possibility, and some fans have emailed me regarding the probability of Sylvia going with his agent, Monte Cox. To be perfectly honest, Sylvia should only consider this if M-1 Global plans to still work with events such as EliteXC, Strikeforce, and other promotions. He can maintain a working contract in M-1 Global for the events that they are still planning, and then move to fighting some big name battles on CBS in EliteXC under the M-1 Global name.

4. UFC: The UFC is always in the running, and it could be that the UFC has simply given him the contract that he desired. According to the Fight Network, that isn't the case, and he will be moving away from the UFC.

5. DREAM/WVR: Highly doubtful. His drawing power remains in the American market, so I imagine he'll look for the higher payouts here.

Where will Tim Sylvia end up? I imagine he will either sign with EliteXC outright or move to sign with M-1 Global's new American promotion with Monte as a non-exclusive fighter. Either way, he's going to probably going to be making an appearance on CBS, and he could be more exciting while fighter the lesser competition in those promotions. Will Tim Sylvia make a big mistake in signing with a promotion like M-1 Global that may end up going under by the end of the year, or will EliteXC's recent rise to network television convince Sylvia to sign with ProElite? Both promotions could ultimately die out, and where would Sylvia be then? It's a huge decision that we'll find out tomorrow.

Tim Sylvia's recent comments regarding the possibility of leaving the UFC and heading to M-1 Global were refuted on his own forum this weekend. In the new quote, Sylvia had to say this:

"well let me just start off by saying people r f***ed up by saying that i want to leave the ufc. I dont its my home and i would love to be there for the rest of my carear. Second I didnt say i wanted or even was thinking about m1 u guys (forum users) asked about it and I told u my manager runs it thats it, so please dont take shit out of context. Some of u people are going to get me in trouble with the ufc."

It could be perceived that Tim is covering his ass. The UFC has strict clauses in their contract that restrict fighters from speaking with other organizations and publicly talking about other organizations, contracts, and any other business dealings. Not only will Tim not want to be in breach of his own contract, he's probably keeping his options open, especially if the UFC decides that the exodus of heavyweights is bad for business.

M-1 Global is still going to be his primary suitor considering the two talents in Aleks and Fedor. Arlovski, Rothwell, Monson, Rizzo, Hunt, Barnett, and others could follow suit and make the Heavyweight division in M-1 Global rival that of the UFC's own division. Sylvia can't fool us. Unfortunately for Sylvia, he still has one fight remaining, and he may find himself in Arlovski's shoes, waiting out his contract until the very last month.

In another chapter to the saga that is the UFC's salary structure, Tim Sylvia posted some news on his forum regarding his contract situation, Brock Lesnar's pay, and what he may do in the future:

“i have one fight left on my contract i want to stay with the ufc but i am going to go were the money is right now Brock is making more m0ney then me that has to change i have a better name then him and i am a better fighter then him, i case u didn’t know my manager runs m1 so i have a pretty good in so we will see what happens in the next few months."

There are a couple of things that are intriguing about this quote and bring up some issues for the UFC. First and foremost, their salaries are coming under fire from another big name Heavyweight. Lesnar is making substantially more money than Sylvia, but he's also a much bigger draw in terms of getting fans to crossover from wrestling to MMA. Sylvia, however, has the bigger name in MMA and the record to back it up.

Secondly, does the UFC even want to keep Tim Sylvia around? Sure, he's been successful, but at what price are they willing to pay a relatively boring fighter who really isn't as exciting as he used to be?

These are both issues that have come up in regards to other fighters, but the bigger issue is that of the salary structure. Obviously, Sylvia won't make $250,000 a fight like Lesnar for fighting in the same manner that he currently is using in the cage. Dana White certainly wants him to push the pace more and finish bigger names. Sylvia is going to most likely want more money, a large amount more for his status in the Heavyweight division. The UFC won't want to give it to him, get ready for some heated quotes in the future.

Sylvia also doesn't have the drawing power of nearly any of the big names at the top of the division. Lesnar is getting paid for his drawing power. Couture draws buys, but Sylvia, Nogueira, Mir, and other heavyweights don't produce big numbers. Matching up Mir vs. Sylvia or other potential rivalry matchups may solve that problem, but it won't produce the numbers that we could expect from fighters like Liddell or Couture.

The UFC is basing their pay not just on record and that's where Sylvia's thinking is flawed. The bigger paydays rely on drawing power, performance, excitement, and the abilities to get fans excited about seeing a fight. Sylvia has next to none of those abilities.

An exodus?

With those factors being the basis for pay in the UFC, we could begin to see some higher skilled fighters move away from the UFC. Lesnar making such big money for producing bigger PPV numbers could leave other fighters wanting more. Arlovski's situation may be the epitome of that problem. Crocop is also a mystery, Couture is done with the UFC, and Fedor is in M-1, it's definitely a possibility that more Heavyweights from the UFC will move elsewhere.

That possibility can also send the UFC into a spending spree as well. They may end up throwing more money at heavyweights in order to keep them in the UFC.

One thing is for certain, Sylvia is definitely thinking about leaving, but Dana will have to throw some more money at him even though he hasn't been particularly exciting in any of his last few fights. Will Dana strive to keep him? We think so, but other organizations may have more lucrative deals to offer.