MMA News: Fedor Emelianenko to Continue Fighting for Bodog

With the UFC purchase of PRIDE there were immediate rumors recently swirling that PRIDE heavyweight title holder Fedor Emelianenko could sign a long term contract with Bodog Fight.  Emelianenko this week told CBS Sportsline that a contract extension he reportedly signed with Pride late last year was not officially completed.

Sports911.com can confirm that Bodog Fight has been given the same indication.

Calvin Ayre, founder of Bodog Fight, tells Sports911 "We have been told verbally and in writing that there is no binding contract between Fedor and Pride at this time. We are happy to have an opportunity to showcase Fedor's talents on BodogFight."
 

Last year's Forbes billionaire cover boy has been working on luring other top fighters to his organization as well.  Seasons 3 and 4 of the BodogFight reality series just finished shooting in Playa Tambor, Costa Rica.

Fedor Emelianenko will fight Matt Lindland April 14 in Russia for the BodogFight organization. 

UFC president Dana White at a press conference last Tuesday indicated that Emelianenko was locked in with Pride.

"He is signed with Pride," White said.  "We're still figuring out all the details of that deal.  We'll do everything we can to keep the Pride heavyweight champion intact."

Emelianenko is considered by many to be the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter. According to Emelianenko, an agreement with Pride was in place at one point but never finalized.

"Yes, we have agreement with Pride, but I and (agent) Vadim Finkelshtain have not come to terms with them," Emelianenko said.

Why Leave PRIDE?

Robert Rousseau of ExtremeSports.com has offered his own speculation as to why Emelianenko might want to leave PRIDE.

"Fedor Emelianenko was born in Luhansk, Ukraine and currently lives in Stary Oskol, Russia. Along with this, his homeland is very important to him. Important enough, in fact, to make sure that there was a clause in his PRIDE contract that would allow him to fight in his homeland of Russia, regardless of the organization putting on the show."

But what was billed in the press as a "one fight deal" is looking more and more like something entirely different.  Fedor only has one fight left on his PRIDE contract.

"Fedor Emelianenko is no fool; and it's likely that his agent isn't, either. To lose their current heavyweight champion to an upstart mixed martial art organization would be a major blow to PRIDE," remarks Rousseau.

PRIDE has already shunned the Bodog organization, forcing fighters to remove any items that display the Bodog logo when appearing at events. 

Bodog has also indicated that they are willing to pay their fighters top dollar.

"The UFC treats its fighters like a piece of meat," said one fighter in Playa Tambor. 

The Bodog organization pays well and is known for paying to put up fighters, trainers and - in some cases - family members at top resorts across the globe.  The beautiful Caribbean island of Antigua will be showcasing a future Bodog Fight event, Sports911.com has learned.

"Losing Fedor Emelianenko would be a major blow to the PRIDE organization," says Rousseau.  

Sports911.com will have an opportunity to sit down with Fedor Emelianenko this week.

Bodog Fight Partners With the MFC

Bodog Fight is a partnership with the established MMA brand, Mixed Fighting Championship.

From ExtremeSports.com: 

"The MFC has been, in essence, trying to make MMA an international team sport by pitting one country against another for awhile now ( with the intent of a team concept ). Ayre is a savvy businessman and the money behind the operation. His Bodog Entertainment has their hands in sports gambling, casino gambling, and hosts of other things. He's simply a very good businessman."

One of Ayre's more savvy moves was to entice legend, Royce Gracie, to take part in the third and fourth installments of the BodogFight series.  Gracie spent the entire time in Playa Tambor during shooting and a lot of that time interacting with Ayre. 

The MFC - a US based organization - had its first fight card on March 13, 2004 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On the fight card, a team of nine Russian MMA fighters challenged American counterparts. Since MFC 1, the MFC has hosted six other major fight cards.
 

Calvin Ayre Timeline 1961 - Wallowed in the mud with pigs in home town of Lloydminster, SK.  Was born in a barn. 1989 - Graduated from University of Waterloo.  Famous alumni include Heather Dale, a Celtic singer, and Canadian anarchist Ann Hansen.  1995 - Ayre becomes a pioneer of online gambling. 2000 - Rebrands to the now famous Bodog.com. 2002 - Bodog and Ayre are featured in stories appearing on Sports911.com. 2002 - Bodog and Ayre suddenly become a household name.   2006 - Calvin Ayre lands on the cover of Forbes prestigious Billionaire issue. 2006 - Ayre enters the world of MMA with BodogFight

The current rules for the MFC were originally established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that New Jersey established has been adopted in other states that regulate mixed martial arts, including Nevada, Louisiana and California. These rules are also used by many other promotions within the United States and are mandatory for those states that have adopted the Unified Rules, and so have become the standard de facto set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across the country.

Bodog will be adhering to similar rules.

"Gouging, clawing, spitting and inserting a finger into any orifice... all things you WON'T be seeing on BodogFight."

It is also unclear as to whether BodogFight will show some of the more brutally disturbing segments of the fights that transpired while filming in Costa Rica.  One fighter's ankle bone came dislodged and popped out while another's nose was broken.  The later fighter continued and painted one half of the mat in his own blood.  Outcomes of filmed fights are strictly forbidden by the press as per a confidentiality agreement signed by Sports911.com.

Ayre's organization will likely remove all scenes of the former fighter writhing in pain. 

The next installments, Ayre promises, will gain even more exposure in households throughout the United States.  BodogFight currently airs on the former PAX Network, with a larger distribution than SpikeTV.  Pax (now ION) originally featured programming that was family-oriented and contained little or no sex, overt violence, or strong language.  My how things have changed.

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Christopher Costigan, Sports911.com

Originally published April 8, 2007 10:47 am ET