With the rampant rumors circulating around the Internet regarding Fedor Emelianenko's possible deal with a non-UFC promotion, the prospect of losing Fedor Emelianenko to a lesser organization that will not be able to create the great matchups, the challenges, and the simple entertainment value that an organization like the UFC can is souring the MMA community. The simple facts of the deal are also being reported incorrectly throughout the blogosphere of the 'Net and the notion of how Russian sports agents have worked in the past? Here's a little education that hopefully will answer some questions for many of you. Will Fedor be fighting in the UFC? Or will he simply fade into the MMA world as a fighter who never challenged the best?

The Russian Deal

First off, the rumor throughout the Internet has been reported inaccurately in many different places. It's amazing how many journalists aren't checking facts by just listening to the TAGG Radio broadcast. Here was the breakdown that Trigg stated during the show:

• Fedor Emelianenko signed with a NEW Russian MMA promotion. M-1 disbanded and the new promotion includes some former M-1 backers as well as some new investors. Trigg stated later in the show that it was a possibility that the backers were part of an oil tycoon group that had recently bought some premier soccer clubs in the country.
• Trigg also stated during the show that he hopes that the rumor is not true and that it sounds fishy, but stated that his source was inside Fedor Emelianenko's camp.

Most sites are merely saying that Fedor Emelianenko has signed with M-1, which is blatantly untrue. Some analysis articles begin to knock the M-1 promotional aspect of their organization and go on to say that signing him is absolutely horrible because they would not be able to promote him correctly. If it was M-1, that'd be true. However, it's a brand new organization that is beginning in Russia. There is no data or factual information out there stating anything about this new organization that is rumored to have formed. If the backers are what Trigg has stated, we could be seeing the beginning of a brand new international organization looking to begin a big push in the Asian market.

A new organization in the Asian market with a lot of money could do some big things, and it almost makes the Fedor signing a legitimate business move. Since Fedor is regarded as the #1 Heavyweight in the world and is absolutely adored in Russia and a huge market draw in Japan, it would only be smart to sign him and begin to build a roster of fighters around him. A few TV deals and an already steady number of venues that can be used in Russia along with some sort of cooperation in Japan that can guarantee events there as well could spur the second coming of a PRIDE type organization. Obviously, this is pure speculation, but we won't know anything until it is official that he has signed.

Is his agent at fault?

With the rumors flying, why would Fedor sign with a Russian promotion in the end when he has stated he wants to fight the best in the world? There are probably a great number of reasons as to why. Here's my little list of reasons he would sign in Russia:

• Fedor has stated he wants to fight in Russia. Since Finkelstein, Fedor's agent, was wanted some type of co-promotion cut and the UFC was unwilling, they opted to not take the deal.
• Money? Fedor would have been paid the most in the world of MMA if the rumored $2 million dollars per fight was true that the UFC was offering. I doubt this was a reason, but it is reported they offered him $10 million.
• Fedor may want to be around his family more. He simply has many obligations to his family, friends, and gym as well as students. He could be thinking about sticking around in Russia.
• Fedor's agents are playing games and possibly not telling him everything.

You could add many reasons to that list, but as of late, I have been really thinking about the last reason on that list. With the amount of time the negotiating with a number of organizations has been taking and the fact that we have been littered with many rumors saying that he has signed and hasn't signed, it makes me wonder whether or not his representation is looking out for themselves and not Fedor himself. As evident with the talks, Finkelstein wanted to work out a co-promotion deal with the UFC that really has no bearing on Fedor's career or actual committment of fighting. Is he telling Fedor everything? I'm assuming Fedor doesn't troll the Internet for the talk news in the deal or for what fans feel he should do. The way I see it, he waits for news from his agents and worries about his everyday life without ever seeing what is really going on.

Logic isn't in this deal

If the deal is actually confirmed this coming week, logic has apparently escaped what Fedor stated that he wanted and what his agents eventually decided to do. Instead of signing with the biggest MMA organization in the world that boasts the most challenging and talented Heavyweight pool of fighters in the world, he decided to sign with an organization that probably has consumed M-1's pool of fighters that is basically made up of the Red Devil camp fighters. For awhile, it'll be M-1 with some extra money backing it. So what's wrong with that? More money, maybe some more fighters?

Fedor won't be getting the challenges that he initially stated he wanted. Unless the Russian promotion can solidify events in Japan and sign some new talent, who else is out there? Josh Barnett is the only significant fight that Fedor could potentially field if the promotion is willing to make it happen. What's after that? There really isn't anything after that. You can make the case for another Fedor vs. Hunt battle if his contract expires with Zuffa, but to be honest, it isn't intriguing.

There are rumors that have been talked about regarding contracts in Russia. Trigg stated that agencies sometimes sign some of these fighters to contracts that give the fighter an amount and then the promotion gets the rest, regardless of sponsorships and advertising deals. In that case, Fedor could possibly make over $50 million dollars in sponsorships, advertising spots, and television deals, but would only see $10 million dollars of the money. That would be enormously profitable to the MMA promotion in Russia. The UFC does a contract locking a fighter into a certain number of fights with promises on purse amounts. They make their main amount of money on the Pay-Per-View dollars and advertising. Could that be the type of deal that both benefited Fedor and the new promotion? It's a very old school type of deal which makes me believe that isn't the case, but who knows with what has been rumored to be happening now. This may be logical to an MMA promotion in Russia looking to grab a market share, but for Fedor, this could mean locking him into fighting cans for the rest of his career.

As a fan of Fedor Emelianenko, I was definitely hoping to see him have a go at proving he was the best in the world in the heavyweight division. When I initially had heard that Fedor wanted to fight only the best fighters if he signed with the UFC, it dawned on me that this guy wants a legacy, a legendary status that says he went through the best in the world and beat them. If this deal actually has happened, that thought is gone from the MMA community. He will be called a coward, scared of the cage and of the UFC. I don't exactly believe that, but it will be disappointing. I think the main goal that Fedor felt was more important to him than his own career would be to keep MMA growing in Russia. He signs in Russia, he's the face of the new promotion, he's on television, on billboards, in papers, on magazines, and the face of MMA in Russia. The more exposure, the more people will become fans, the more fans will come to events and root for him. It's a smart move by a promotion in Russia. For fans like us who want to see those dream matchups, we hate the idea that the best heavyweight in the world won't prove it.

Final thought

With all the rumors, I do feel that this would be a bad move for Fedor on a personal level for himself. He would drop in rank and probably slowly fade into the MMA world as a guy who never came overseas to fight the best in the world. We will never know if he could have ripped through the UFC's veterans or not. As far as for the sport of MMA in Russia, this would be a brilliant move by an organization in Russia. The best pound for pound fighter would be the promotional vehicle for their promotion and if the promotion plans on being an international organization, it still leaves time for us to see his greatness on display against some of the best cage heavyweights in the world. We can only hope that the rumor is false and that Dana White will be signing Fedor Emelianenko toward the end of the year after the Combat Sambo championships.