Fedor Emelianenko has finally signed! With Affliction that is, while the UFC and Fedor's management continue to find a way to finalize a deal with the top MMA fighter in the world, Affliction has signed Fedor Emelianenko as their next MMA fighter to promote their clothing line. We were recently at UFC 74 in Las Vegas where I would venture to say that 30% of the crowd in the Mandalay Bay Events Center was wearing the popular Affliction T-Shirts.
This is a pretty big announcement that hasn't gotten a lot of press because fans are currently sick of hearing about Fedor and the UFC's issues with their contract negotiations. On that note though, according to the most recent Beatdown on Sherdog, it was said that the only issue with the contract is Fedor's desire to continue his Sambo fighting. The UFC has always wanted their fighters to be exclusive to the organization, so it will be interesting to see what ends up happening in the next week which is when everyone believes a decision will be made.
Fedor will be attending UFC 75, but not for the reasons you may believe. He still isn't signed, so the UFC won't announce him but don't be surprised if they show him on camera to start getting fans accustomed to his face. Instead, Emelianenko will be in attendance at the O2 arena to promote the Affliction clothing line.
Tim's Take: I think Mark Cuban's offer for HDNet's MMA is a lot more serious than many MMA fans and news sites believe. Mark Cuban is as good as a negotiator as Dana White is for the UFC. This guy single handedly saved the Dallas Mavericks' NBA Team from mediocrity and is a self made billionaire. He goes toe to toe with the NBA Commissioner David Stern all the time, and he's not afraid to be blunt. If the UFC can't close a deal with Emelianenko by UFC 75 this Saturday, then Emelianenko will probably sign with Mark Cuban's MMA deal that he has going on, and that'll allow Cuban to sign other top fighters like Josh Barnett and possibly Mark Hunt. Mark Cuban has money, and he's not shy about using it.
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