The excitement level in the world of mixed martial arts has begun to churn with the news that Fedor Emelianenko will be parting ways with M-1 Global next week. Monte Cox confirmed the possibility of M-1 Global moving on without Fedor Emelianenko earlier this week in an interview, and it seems that Apy Echteld has confirmed with ESPN Magazine that Fedor will indeed be moving on without M-1 Global.

What does this mean for M-1 Global?

First and foremost, what will happen to M-1 Global without Fedor Emelianenko behind the promotion? Probably not a whole lot will change in the vision of the promotion. For the most part, it seems that the promotion is focusing mainly on international events with a focus on Germany, Holland, and Russia at the moment. They have some ties in Japan as far as co-promoting events with other Japanese promotions, but that may have been mainly to lure Fedor into matchups to up the ratings for K-1.

This could signal the potential unraveling of M-1 Global's power. It was never actually perceived that M-1 Global could do much with their promotion without the star power that the UFC yields in each division. It was rumored that M-1 Global may be trying to put together an intriguing heavyweight division with Fedor anchoring it, but now those rumors have been squelched with the recent news.

I give M-1 Global till the end of the year before completely folding due to the small amount of talent that they can actually make coin on.

Is Fedor vs. Couture possible inside the Octagon?

According to the ESPN article, Dana White was quoted as stating he would "absolutely, 100 percent, in a heartbeat" try to create a deal to bring Fedor to the Octagon. After the year long negotiations before Fedor's signing with M-1 Global ended in Dana White pointing fingers at Fedor's management team, it now seems that the tone has changed with the potential for Fedor to make a splash in the Octagon.

The deal would also bring back appeal to the division for fighters like Arlovski and Sylvia. Arlovski's contract is up, and he will seek the money out in the free agent market, while Sylvia has one fight left, but has stated his unhappiness with the purses he has received. We could see a resurgence of talent coming toward the UFC's heavyweight division, and minds change in the process of current fighters looking to leave. All of this in order to get a shot at Fedor in the cage.

One thing is for certain... if the UFC signs Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture would take the fight in a heartbeat, and Zuffa could finally resolve the situation between itself and Randy Couture, protect a court from finding its contracts to be unenforceable, and get an answer to the great Fedor vs. Couture saga. The UFC stands to gain considerable financial benefits in order to put on a dream fight that should happen for MMA fans everywhere.