MMAConvert.com

M-1’s Vadim Finkelchtein has confirmed there are “contract issues” with Strikeforce in regards to Fedor, however it sounds like everything is going to get worked out. From an interview with MMANews.su translated by TMR from the UG.

On this week’s edition of ESPN MMA Live, Jon Anik and crew preview WEC 47. Also, Scott Coker calls in to talk about the recent Strikeforce announcement. He addresses the Fedor rumors, but doesn’t really clarify what’s going on behind-the-scenes with M-1. As he put it, they’re merely working through a few last minute details and hope to have Fedor back in the cage in the second quarter or at least sometime in the summer. Coker also confirmed the reported Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers and Andrei Arlovski vs. Antonio Silva fights are set for May 15 in St. Louis. He says Overeem will fight twice more before the end of the year for Strikeforce, but didn’t say whether the Rogers fight will be for the heavyweight title.

When M-1 announced that Fedor was no longer on Strikeforce’s April 17 card it seemed highly probable that CBS would broadcast the May card he’s supposedly fighting on instead, and Showtime would take the reigns for the April card headlined by Dan Henderson and Jake Shields. Well, apparently not. Both MMA Junkie and Sherdog are reporting that CBS will in fact broadcast the April event and the May card will land on Showtime.

So it looks like Fedor and M-1 is thinking what everyone else is thinking in regards to Alistair Overeem.

Dutch site Mixfight.nl decided to get in touch with Fedor’s management regarding a fight with Overeem;  M-1’s Apy Echteld said that they were interested in fighting Overeem, however they would not fight unless Overeem was drug tested leading up to the fight. In response, Martijn de Jong from Overeem’s team expressed his belief that Fedor deserves a shot at this Strikeforce title, and that they look forward to a potential fight.

Can’t blame M-1 for that, but hopefully it doesn’t become a sticking point in negotiations ala the Mayweather/Pacquiao debacle.

HKL also mentions that a few Dutch sites are reporting that Overeem could face Brett Rogers in an upcoming Strikeforce fight. Scott Coker threw that fight out there as a possibility yesterday too, so perhaps that’s a fight they’re trying to put together. Fedor-Werdum and Overeem-Rogers on the May CBS card to set up their big pay-per-view fight for the end of the year makes a lot of sense. It would at least explain why Fedor’s fight was pushed back a month since Overeem is busy in April.

Image via Sherdog. Tip via BE.

M-1 Global has lost one of their two most significant fighters. In a report on Sherdog, both Gegard Mousasi and M-1 Global confirmed they have parted ways.

Gegard Mousasi has left his management team with M-1 Global, the fighter told Sherdog.com via e-mail on Friday. M-1 Global also confirmed on Friday that the fighter and organization would no longer be working together.

“After careful consideration, I have decided that it is in my best interest to part ways with M-1 Global,” Mousasi wrote in the e-mail. “During the time I spent under their wing, M-1 Global, as a promoter and management company, allowed me to achieve many great things. I appreciate all they have done for me.”

“The business relationship with M-1 Global is over,” said company representative Apy Echteld. “It was a business decision, but not a personal one and there are no hard feelings.”

No reason was given for the split. At the moment, it won’t have much of an impact from the fans’ perspective as Mousasi continues to fight for Strikeforce, but in the long-term, it’s a major obstacle the UFC won’t have to deal with if and when they make a bid to sign him. Dana White wants him so I’m sure this will bring a big fat smile to his face.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any indication that Fedor Emelianenko will follow suit. Unlike Mousasi, he has an ownership stake in M-1 Global so the chances of him leaving are probably still pretty slim. Everyone wanting to see Fedor in the UFC can still hold out hope though, right?

Image via Esther Lin for Showtime

Update: MMA Junkie has details on why Mousasi and M-1 split. Apparently, someone in M-1 declined to give Mousasi a similar deal to the one gave Fedor, which would have given him “lifetime security.”

Mousasi’s longtime manager, Apy Echteld, on Friday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the decision to leave was made when an M-1 executive elected not to sign a long-term management proposal that would have given the Dutch-Armenian fighter “lifetime security” – a deal similar to one held by Fedor Emelianenko.

Echteld, who spoke via telephone from Amsterdam, declined to name the executive who had rejected the offer. Echteld also said he was the only party holding a management agreement with Mousasi.

“Basically, what M-1 could provide for him was not what Gegard and me had in mind,” Echteld said.

A separate source with knowledge of the situation said Sergei Matvienko – son of the mayor of St. Petersburg, Russia, and a major M-1 backer – may have been the executive who turned away the proposed deal.

Although Echteld praised M-1 Global’s efforts in getting Mousasi exposure stateside, he said the decision to move on was based on a desire to move the fighter’s career to the “next level.”

“It’s not that difficult,” Echteld said. “The input of the marriage was like this: we wanted to make Gegard famous as soon as possible in the U.S. I think the co-branding with Fedor did well.”

So how crazy would it be if the UFC managed to sign Fedor Emelianenko, like relatively soon? Yeah, he’s currently under some form of contract with Strikeforce and it probably won’t happen, but in this interview with Sherdog, Dana White hints that it’s still a possibility. Via BE:

Typically, a fighter’s plans don’t extend past his next fight. Not the case with Gegard Mousasi. The first half of his 2010 fight schedule has already been mapped out.

Mousasi’s rumored fight against Gary Goodridge is now official, but will be contested under MMA rules, not K-1 rules, at M-1’s request. Before the fight was officially booked he had planned on competing in a professional boxing match on Jan. 8, but that was scrapped when the Dynamite!! 2009 fight finally came together just days before the event.

Looking past his fight in Japan late tomorrow night, Mousasi will compete alongside Fedor Emelianenko on Strikeforce’s second CBS card in April according to his manager, Apy Echteld. Then in May he will participate in the first round of DREAM’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix FEG apparently has planned. If he wins his first bout, he would then return to Japan in July for the second round of the tournament.

“We are waiting for the schedule of Strikeforce,” Echteld said. “It is a little bit surprising for us that there is no schedule yet. [Mousasi] will fight in April, together with Fedor (Emelianenko).

“After that, the 30th of May, he will have a fight in Japan – the first round of the light heavyweight championship. Then in July, he will have his second round of the light heavyweight championship.”

Mousasi’s plans for the second half of 2010 are still up in the air. He still wants to box so if his schedule permits, he’d still like to get back in the boxing ring. Either way, it appears Mousasi is going to be very active in 2010.

The question is, will he be tested?

I hope so, and I hope that test comes in the form of Dan Henderson.

Image via Esther Lin for Showtime

As he did last year, Gegard Mousasi will fight in a K-1 match this NYE at Dynamite!! 2009. He revealed the news to Fanhouse’s Ariel Helwani earlier today, though he doesn’t have an official opponent yet.

I want to fight soon, and I want to fight Alistar. I’m 100% healthy and took zero damage in the fight; so I’m ready to go right now. As I said Strikeforce is my home; I love Strikeforce and in my opinion Alistar holding the title belt is an insult to every fighter in this organization, every fan and to Scott Coker. Champions defend their titles. And either Scott strips him and real fighters battle for it; or I will take it off him the hard way.

—Brett Rogers telling M-1Global.com he wants a title fight with Strikeforce heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem

You gotta give Brett Rogers credit. He’s not afraid to talk himself into big fights. He tried with Kimbo Slice and now with Overeem. Problem is he’s coming off a loss. As much as I’d like to see Alistair and Brett throw down, Rogers needs to get a win under his belt before Strikeforce even considers putting him in a title fight. Overeem needs to fight Fedor next. Any other match-up would be a huge disappointment in my opinion.

Image via All Elbows