Fedor Emelianenko...

Its official, Fedor Emelianenko has let down all of the real MMA fans by signing with Strikeforce. As we recently learned, Fedor was set to fight Josh Barnett in Affliction’s “Trilogy,” but that all came to a halt when Josh Barnett tested positive for steroids. Not that this was a super huge fight or anything, but it was a chance to see Fedor in action nonetheless.

In case you are unfamiliar with the MMA superstar, he is the consensus number one-ranked MMA heavyweight fighter in the world. He holds a record of 30-1 and is probably more feared than Brock Lesnar. Outside of having one-hit knockout power, Fedor is a submission specialist. To sum him up, the guy is the real deal.

With Affliction struggling financially, once Fedor was no longer able to fight Barnett, the company called it quits and folded. At the time, this appeared to be great news. This meant the whole Affliction roster became free agents. After the punishment Brock Lesnar dealt to Frank Mir at UFC 101, everyone immediately started chattering about a must-see fight between Fedor and Lesnar.

UFC’s president, Dana White, has been known to cater to the fans, and through recent interviews sounded very open to getting Fedor a deal in the UFC. Dana White is also a very good businessman. From what I’m hearing, a three fight offer was made to Fedor and the amount of money was somewhere close to $2 million a fight. If you are not familiar with UFC salaries, here are some of the figures from UFC 100:
• Brock Lesnar ($400,000 to show) vs. Frank Mir ($45,000 to show, $45,000 to win)
• Georges St-Pierre ($200,000 to show, $200,000 to win) vs. Thiago Alves ($60,000 to show, $60,000 to win)
• Michael Bisping ($150,000 to show, $100,000 to win) vs. Dan Henderson ($100,000 to show, $150,000 to win)

Mind you, these numbers do not include sponsorships or pay-per-view money that fighters receive, but it is clear that no one is making a salary close to $2 million per fight.
Fedor and M-1 Global decided to decline Dana White’s offer. Apparently Fedor and friends want to go to a company that will break the bank. Dana White is not that kind of person. After he received the news that Fedor signed with Strikeforce, he said, “Fedor is a f*cking joke…he turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for money…I feel sorry for the real fans I wanted to make the deal, but it takes two and it is very obvious Fedor doesn't want to fight the best, and doesn't give a sh*t about the fans!”

As a fan, it is very disappointing to know that Fedor was unwilling to join UFC and truly prove that he is the best heavyweight in the world.