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Fedor Emelianenko's never-ending con job

Fedor Emelianenko is one of the all-time greats. (MAZA FIGHT / Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Expert
14th June, 2016
3

For what feels like the millionth time, Russian heavyweight GOAT Fedor Emelianenko claims he’s on the verge of signing his first UFC contract.

The 39-year-old prizefighter appeared on The MMA Hour on Monday, indicating that he is “closer than ever” to penning a deal with the elite mixed martial arts promotion.

“We did receive an offer, but there are some finer points that we wanted to discuss,” Emelianenko said with the assistance of a translator.

“I always wanted to fight for UFC and I would fight for UFC. At this moment, we’re looking at the deal and the deal has to satisfy both parties,” he added. “Until there’s no friction and until we are 100 per cent in terms of seeing eye-to-eye, we are all in limbo.”

The former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight king fights Brazilian punching bag Fabio Maldonado on Saturday in his second fight since coming out of retirement in 2015.

Rumblings of Emelianenko ditching these second-rate promotions to finally join the UFC roster have caused real excitement, but history suggests that this is again all a part of Emelianenko’s never-ending con job.

It’s a cruel cycle for supporters of the former Russian champion. Emelianenko has basically used the UFC as a bargaining chip for the better part of a decade, teasing a deal with the Nevada-based promotion just to bump up his value to rival promotions.

Even though the once-great fighter is passed his expiration date, is creeping toward his 40th birthday, and hasn’t beat a meaningful top-ten heavyweight since 2009, public interest in the Sambo champion has never disappeared.

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And luckily for fans looking to catch one final glimpse of ‘The Last Emperor’, he is not a broken-down, beat-up fighter.

Sure, his prime years are in the rearview mirror, but in the dumpster fire known as the heavyweight division, the pudgy Russian all-rounder could still beat the majority in the weight class.

Here in 2016, with fighters like Andrei Arlovski and Mark Hunt resurrecting their careers in the UFC, it seems unlikely that the greatest heavyweight to ever strap on a pair of fingerless mixed martial arts gloves couldn’t also find late-career success.

And yet, it probably won’t happen. Emelianenko will – in all likelihood – waste his final competitive years beating on washed-up fat guys in Russia and Japan.

Truth be told, Emelianenko has returned to the sport to milk the cow one more time before really hanging up his gloves.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. With all the news stories of broke athletes in a large cross-section of sports, it’s always good to see a real legend of his chosen craft with a healthy bank account.

The problem is since the Russian wrecking machine has dollar signs in his eyes, a UFC deal just isn’t very appealing.

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Under the current set-up with contracts, the UFC offers opportunities, not guarantees. Fighters are promised a sum of money for competing and a fee for wearing the Reebok-sponsored gear – in Emelianenko’s case, as a first-time UFC fighter, it would be a laughable payout of $USD2500.

Aside from that, fighters are rewarded with additional cash for winning, scoring best-of-the-night awards, or discretionary, under-the-table bonuses for outstanding in-cage performances.

Not only is that a risk, but the power is ultimately in the hand of the promoters, who decide who gets the bonus loot.

When Emelianenko fights for these other lesser promotions, he is usually guaranteed his money – win or lose – and has free rein over the sponsors that cover his fighting attire.

If veteran journalist Dave Meltzer’s report that Emelianenko demanded a salary of $2.5 million for his MMA return on New Years Eve is accurate, you can understand why he would choose to fight for cash, not to further his already untouched legacy.

Over the next couple of weeks, there will again be whispers of Emelianenko’s imminent Octagon debut, but the chances of it becoming an actuality are slim.

So, until you see Emelianenko’s tubby belly overflowing in a pair of skin-tight Reebok shorts, you can safely ignore the rumour mill.

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