Dit interview was oorspronkelijk een interview in het Russisch, Iemand van sherdog had het vertaald en ik vond het wel een interessante post omdat hij uitgebreid ingaat op Bas Boon en alle andere interessante feiten.
Let`s answer accumulated questions. In recent time there were a lot of negative interviews and attacks towards me. I want to answer and dispel some rumors that came along.
Q.: Will Shihshabekov fight for Strikeforce?
A.: He will for sure. In undercard in Strikeforce, there will be 5 fighters from M-1 Selection, from different countries from around the world, and Shihshabekov will represent Russia.
(Magomed Shihshabekov is 21 years old, 167.55 lbs, 11-0-0)
Q.: Do you have plans promoting other Russian fighters in Strikeforce or the UFC?
A.: There is no specific task to get in Strikeforce or the UFC. М-1 was created to help cultivate MMA and to find young talents, and we have a lot of them. I will gladly work with Dream, Astra or the UFC. We are open to work with all organizations. And I think we all have to work together, and not just some organizations like the UFC.
Q.: What are you doing to improve the entertainment value of your shows, like it was in Pride?
A.: It`s hard to compare us with Pride or the UFC. They have certain financial capabilities we don’t have. If we had unlimited financial capabilities, we would make ours show10 times better and prettier. But right now we are incapable doing so, but we are working on it and I think our shows can become better. I can`t say that they are worse and worse- there are mistakes, and I can`t say that everything is ideal. The recent show in Moscow, in my opinion was good. The finals in Saint Petersburg were wonderful. Upcoming shows that will take place in Finland and Ukraine will be on a good level.
Q.: What do you want to achieve with a co-promotion with either the UFC or Strikeforce?
A.: When you do co-promotion as time has shown, you have voting power. But if you just give away your fighter and they give you a contract on 50 pages filled with 1000000 tricks in it, you actually lose rights.
On any given day M-1 is created to cover even Fedor, because right now all contracts are signed with M-1 and not Fedor, and today he is free, and co-promotion organization knows that they cannot point* him what and how he should do. I think on a given day Fedor has a right for his opinion to be listened*. He hasn`t became who he is in UFC or Strikeforce.
On a given day co-promotion is an opportunity to use their potential, let`s say Strikeforce, CBS, Showtime to promote our fighters, to climb on a new level. In a future we want to do our own shows but at this point we just aren`t ready. Today we grow an army of good, talented guys, that are interesting for fans. For example UFC fighters are very advertised*. Our fighters lack only experience and recognition. If they can achieve it in upcoming two years, then any organization will want them and also M-1 will be able to make good, interesting event – in Russia, USA, Europe – anywhere.
So today we are looking for talents and M-1 Selection project is directed only on it.
Q.: Is a Fedor-Barnett fight possible in the future? If it is, then is it possible that this fight will be after Fedor-Werdum fight?
A.: Sure, it`s possible. We really want this fight. I think that Barnett is one of the best and most interesting fighters in MMA. I dream about this fight.
Q.: How Fedor training is going on right now? Is everything good, no injuries?
A.: I`ve just talked with Fedor by phone. He says “It’s hard” and that he runs 9 miles every morning. He trains very hard right now. He prepares for fight like always. He prepares for any fight very seriously. He is ok.
Q.: Is re-opening negotiations with the UFC possible after Fedor’s 3rd Strikeforce fight?
A.: Yes, it`s possible. You know, the press likes to tell fairy tales such as “crazy russians”, and that Fedor`s manager were offered a 30 million contract but they didn’t want to sign it, and so on. I`ve tried to answer Dana White`s and others words, but nobody has posted my answers, but nonsense that comes from Dana White or Bas Boon (Overeem’s manager) is posted with such love. And there`s some anti-Russian sentiment. Why – I cannot understand. If Dana White really wanted Fedor competing in the UFC, he would already be in the UFC. He doesn't really want to. He just makes it visible that he wants Fedor.
Fedor and M-1 are two different things. Fedor does not compete for M-1. M-1 is just trying to organize fights for Fedor with other good fighters. And if these fights will be on UFC's territory, no problem.
Fedor has his own company like Oscar De La Hoya has Golden Boy Promotions. This company was made around Fedor. And our current goal is to create new breed of young fighters, and not to compete with Strikeforce or UFC. We need those companies solely as an apparatus to use them for our fighters to grow and appear on big TV channels, so that viewers recognize them.
So don't make us into monsters, as if we are against certain fights. We REALLY want a fight with Lesnar. We are wishing for it so bad. Fedor wants this fight. But it does not depend on us, or that we are twisting UFC's arm and are demanding a co-promotion. We were ready to agree to other terms, but nobody offers them. They are just making us to be some donkeys, crazy Russians, that we are trying to steal their business.
If we are trying make an offer that gives benefits for both sides – we are crazy!
I tried to answer Dana White's comments many times, about him saying that we demanded to build an academy or other crazy things. I tried to send them all over, Sherdog, and other sites, but nobody would publish them. I understand them. They receive funding from that big monster UFC.
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