Vot a cahntry!
Affliction and M-1 Global, the Turner & Hooch of mixed martial arts, are the latest tandem to join forces in hopes of expanding their share of the market in the combat sports world.
And "The Donald" makes three.
The trio are expected to announce a new partnership during a press conference tomorrow around noon at the Trump Tower in New York City. In attendance will be Donald Trump, Affliction's Tom Atencio and M-1 Global's Vadim Finkelchtein.
With current WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko perched atop the bow of the partnership like a wooden maiden, Trump will likely announce the fruition of "Fighting Fedor" and M-1 Challenge.
Fighting Fedor is a reality show that pits sixteen fighters against each other in a sequestered environment with the winner getting a shot at the current title holder.
Sound familiar?
See for yourself:
Unfortunately the series has been in pre-production longer than Duke Nukem Forever and despite the hackneyed narrator trying to sell us the premise as "Groundbreaking" and "The likes of which have never been seen before on American television", that sales pitch only works on people without SpikeTV - or brains.
Not to mention the ending is a bit anti-climatic. Imagine if Amir Sadollah had to fight Anderson Silva at the conclusion of the Ultimate Fighter 7.
M-1 Challenge on the other hand, has already been taking place around the world. It has also produced some quality fights - though the premise is basically The International Fight League (IFL) on tour.
A summary from the M-1 Web site:
M-1 Challenge is a series of events planned to be held in different places of the Earth where the 10 best MMA clubs compete against each other.The Challenge introduced by Vadim Finkelstein presents an international team competition among young prospective fighters who aspire to gain more experience and prove themselves at the international level. The most talented ones will earn an opportunity to be chosen to partake in major M-1 events. The teams consist of 5 athletes (in every weight class), one trainer and one coach. Every participating country brings two complete teams which then compete against each other. Every team members fights at least 4 times totally.
The idea has merit, but again the question remains as to how they will capture a stateside audience that has already been branded by the UFC.
Outside of Fedor, how many fighters come to mind when you think of M-1 Global?
The absolute worst case scenario for all parties involved is a defeat by Emelianenko at the hands of Andrei Arlovski at their upcoming Affliction bout in early 2009.
UFC President Dana White has already watched one promotion collapse at the hands of a fighter the UFC didn't want when Seth Petruzelli knocked out Kimbo Slice. Imagine his joy if Arlovski stopped Fedor in similar fashion.
Stay tuned for more of the finer details following tomorrow's presser.
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