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M-1 Global in Talks with UFC…again.

Things are getting really interesting.  Here is what I mean.  MMAJunkie is reporting that M-1 Global, the company that manages Fedor Emelianenko and Gegard Mousasi, and the UFC have entered into talks again.

This is what I find interesting, Dana White has always said that he will not negotiate with a fighter that is still under contract.  Both these fighters are under contract.  Fedor with Strikeforce and Mousasi with Dream.  While details are scarce, Vadim Finkelstein said via his Twitter account that talks have started again with the UFC.

I have sent an email to Strikeforce, but have received a response to the news of M-1 Global and the UFC back in talks.

I think it is a bit messed up for both the UFC and M-1 Global to be talking about contracts of fighters that are currently under contract to another promotion.  That being said, the UFC and M-1 could be working on partnership details in anticipation of Fedor and Mousasi’s contracts ending with Strikeforce.  I don’t know and the only people that do know will not give any details any time soon.

If Fedor and Mousasi do jump ship before their contracts are up, I would bet…this is my opinion here…that Strikeforce would have all the ammo it needs to go after M-1 Global and the UFC in court and win.

Let’s up everything is on the up and up.

(Update) According to Josh Gross of Sports Illustrated, the Vadim Finkelstein Twitter account that posted the news that talks were on between M-1 and the UFC is a fake.  This statement is on Josh Gross’ Twitter account.

Gotta love Twitter…

Here are the posts from Josh Gross’s Twitter account (http://twitter.com/SI_JoshGross) in regard to the latest M-1/UFC news:

Re: this M-1/UFC rumor, Jerry Millen from M-1 denied any new talks. W/Fedor and Mousasi under contract to Strikeforce, doesn’t seem likely.

Jerry Millen just called and said @vfinkelstein is a fake twitter account. He vehemently denied any new talks between M-1 and UFC.

Of course Millen denied the Pride sale to UFC a million times. But I’m not buying anything brewing between UFC/M-1. Guys are under contract.

—

Until we hear a denial from the UFC and from Finkelstein himself…questions are still there about whether or not something underhanded is going on.

(Update #2)

MMAJunkie has now been in contact with M-1 Global Exec Jerry Millen and Millen is saying that there is absolutely ZERO communication between the UFC and M-1 Global.  I would say look at the final comment from Josh Gross of Sports Illustrated on the reliability of Jerry Millen, but we now have a strong denial. Let’s see what happens in the next year or so. Fedor has a couple fights left on his contract and I am not sure what Mousasi’s contract is like. This is going to be fun.

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