(Oh, come on, Vinny. You know that a belt is worthless once it has been in the bathroom! Photo courtesy of @VinnyMMA) 

Although we feel like we didn’t really get to know Vinny Magalhaes that well during his run on TUF 8 that took him all the way to the show’s finals, watching how he’s responded to his whole M-1 contract debacle has only endeared us to the guy all the more.

If you’re not familiar with the story, we’ll give you the gist: After winning the M-1 Light Heavyweight title back in October of 2011, Magalhaes got fed up with the promotion after they failed to offer him a single title defense under his contract, opting to attempt and resign him under a new one instead. M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan began a “he said/she said” contract dispute with Magalhaes that left the ADCC champion on the shelf for the rest of 2011 and all of 2012 to this point. After finally being told that he has been released from his contract, Vinny decided to put his belt up for sale on Ebay, figuring that it would at least sell for the 20 dollars worth of scrap metal it was composed of.

The bidding officially began on May 13th, and at a steal of just nine cents. It now stands at 14,600 dollars. 

What. The. Shit.

(In Brazilian culture, the “Easter Bunny” is two men, one small and one large, covered in body hair and scars. / Photo via SporTV)

It’s not Rolles Gracie, it’s not Bobby Lashley, and it’s not Todd Duffee. According to a tweet sent out today by M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan, Fedor Emelianenko‘s opponent at the June 21st M-1 event at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg will instead be three-time UFC heavyweight title contender Pedro Rizzo. Please, try to control your excitement.

A free-agent who’s been out of the elite circuit of MMA competition for years, Rizzo didn’t compete at all last year, partly due to an arm injury. Still, he’s riding a three-fight win streak dating back to September 2009, with victories over Jeff Monson, Gary Goodridge, and Ken Shamrock. Meanwhile, Fedor picked-up back-to-back wins over Monson and Satoshi Ishii late last year, which followed his disastrous 1-3 run in Strikeforce.

On one hand, Rizzo feels like a hand-picked opponent for Fedor. On the other hand, there aren’t many better options outside of the Zuffa umbrella. Anybody looking forward to this one?

Which means whoever made this picture just wasted a bunch of time.

If you were impressed with Vyacheslav Vasilvsky’s performance at Bellator 61, out gunning Victor O’Donnell en route to a unanimous decision victory, don’t get used to seeing him in Bellator just yet.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that M-1 Global has been awarded damages from a breach of contract by former M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion Vyacheslav Vasilvsky by a Dutch court, and is planning on pursuing Vasilvsky- who wasn’t present in court, nor were any of his representatives, mind you- in the United States. Okay, that sounds pretty rough, but at least M-1 is being reasonable in their demands and not trying to bury the guy, right? Um, have you heard of M-1 Global?

The promotion has been granted €1,000 for each day he’s been in breach of contract (which, according to M-1, is exactly one year today), €5,000 for each fight he’s had in another promotion (five since 2010), and court fees. I’m not exactly a mathematician, but I think that adds up to 1,000x more money than M-1 Global could have possibly made off of Vyacheslav Vasilvsky. Ken Shamrock could not be reached for comment.

(Big stakes for both fighters if this one happens.)

We’ll preface this story with the disclaimer that it’s simply a rumor at this point, but word on the street is that Todd Duffee may be the next opponent in line for Fedor Emelianenko.

According to a post on Fedor’s official website, “The Last Emperor” has been taking some time off to  nurse a thigh injury and likely won’t fight until the summer against a “former UFC legend.” Sure it’s a stretch to say that Duffee is a UFC legend, but remember that these are those Crazy Russians talking and what else are they going to advertise him as, the ripped dude that got knocked out by that flabby Mike Russow guy?

(Fight starts at the 2:38 mark. And is that Fedor’s new lady at the 29:22 mark? Alright, buddy. Upgrade. / Props: valetudorus via MMAMania)

It’s been a tough couple of years for heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko. First, a brilliant MMA strategist named Damian Demento went public with a groundbreaking strategy on how to defeat him, which involved putting the boots to Fedor’s belly and intentionally mispronouncing his name. Then, his next three opponents beat him by stoppage. Coincidence? I don’t know. You tell me.

What’s important is that Fedor finally got back in the win column on Sunday, winning a unanimous decision over American grappler Jeff Monson at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson, in front of a crowd of over 20,000 at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium that included Vladimir Putin. The full fight video is above, which shows Fedor in more controlled, measured form than his recent appearances, choosing to stay on the outside and score with leg kicks and long punches for the majority of the fight.

Monson, unfortunately, had nothing for him. In fact, the only times the Snowman was able to get the fight to the ground is when he fell over after getting punched in the face.

(Monson when he fought Tim Sylvia for the UFC HW title)

Longtime Mixed Martial Arts fans are very familiar with ‘The Snowman’ Jeff Monson. He made his name as a Division 1 wrestler for Oregon State University, made his professional MMA debut in 1997, and has been a dominate force in the submission grappling world for many years. He has fought for every major MMA organization and one of the few fighters in the world to have fought on all corners of the globe. Back in 2006, fresh off a decision loss toTim Sylvia for the heavyweight title he requested a release from the UFC with intentions of one day facing Fedor Emelianenko. Negotiations fell through and the fight never happened until now.

Fedor vs. Monson will be held on Russian soil under the M-1 Global banner on November 20th 2011. Jeff took time out of his day to speak to the Lowkick.com about his upcoming fight with Fedor, the future of Strikeforce, tattoos and the idea of an epic battle between him and the ancient Roman emperor Julius Caesar. No holds are barred from this interview and this is a must read for fans of one of the most interesting people in Mixed Martial Arts.

You’ll be facing one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport when you go to Moscow, Russia to face Fedor Emelianenko. What have you been working in your camp to ensure victory on November 20th?
His standup is up is probably one of his greatest assets. I’ve been doing a lot of striking in my camp. In the past I didn’t really feel confident in it, but now we’ve been working on it and I feel much better in it.

By Anton Gurevich, Lowkick.com

(Photo courtesy of Lowkick.com/A.Gurevich)

Next weekend, “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (32-4) will look to prove he still knows how to win fights, squaring off against the fellow MMA veteran Jeff Monson in the main event of M-1 Global’s “Battle of Legends” in Moscow, Russia. The event will mark Emelianenko’s first bout in Russia since the BodogFights encounter with the now-retired Matt Lindland.

The “black stripe” of Fedor Emelianenko‘s career started back in June of 2009 with what was then a shocking defeat to Fabricio Werdum in just 60 seconds. The negative streak continued with a painful-to-watch TKO loss to the “Bigfoot”Antonio Silva, and the latest disappointment just a few months ago against Dan “Hendo” Henderson.

Against Jeff Monson, Fedor and his team hope for a different outcome.

(Fedor poses with his new protege, Kiril Biebernov. Photo via MiddleEasy)

M-1 Global officials have confirmed that Fedor Emelianenko will return to action against Jeff Monson, November 20th at an M-1 Global event in Moscow. Both fighters have signed contracts for the match, which is expected to take place at Moscow’s Olympic Stadium.

It will be Fedor’s first fight in his home country since his first-round submission of Matt Lindland at BodogFIGHT: Clash of the Nations in April 2007. Fedor entered that fight on a streak of 23 fights without a loss. Now he finds himself trying to pull the emergency brake on a three-fight losing skid. As for Monson, he most recently lost a decision to Daniel Cormier in June.

M-1 Global has reportedly been in negotiations with Showtime Sports to broadcast the event on Showtime.

(Yeah, Putin’s gonna get a big kick out of that, buddy. / Photo via hookedonmma)

Nursing a three-fight losing streak following his shockingly unsuccessful run in Strikeforce, Fedor Emelianenko will reportedly return to action against heavyweight veteran Jeff Monson on November 12th in Russia. Monson announced the matchup last night on Twitter, adding that the fight will be promoted by M-1 Global and there will be a press conference on September 16th. (“Putin will be there. Gonna try and get pic with him in my ‘Communist’ t-shirt.”)

Following his unsuccessful UFC title challenge against Tim Sylvia in November 2006, Monson left the UFC to pursue a bout with Emelianenko for BodogFIGHT. Though the match was scheduled for March 2007, negotiations fell apart and Emelianenko wound up fighting Matt Lindland instead.

(Vadim’s revenge on Dana: Selling bootleg UFC shirts.)

Fedor Emelianenko’s manager Vadim Finkelchtein did an interview recently with Championat.com about the fighting future of his fighter whose career has hit a roadblock following his third straight loss two weeks ago to Dan Henderson. During the Q&A the Dana White’s favorite crazy Russian revealed that “The Last Emperor” will fight in the fall in Russia on the next M-1 Global show, possibly against fellow slumping former PRIDE standout Kevin Randleman, and that the event will likely be shown on Showtime.

Check out the full translation of what Vadim had to say after the jump.

(Phil Davis looking to steal Rashad Evans’s #1 contender status, says he “might have to use a little bit of craziness” to beat him. Props: philmrwonderful)

- UFC 129: Georges St. Pierre and the 10 Most Dominant Title Runs in MMA History (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Video: Mark Hominick, Sean Pierson Get Early Look at Rogers Centre (Versus MMA Beat)

- B.J. Penn: ‘Teammates Have to Fight Each Other’ (MMA Fighting)

- M-1 Global Insists They Aren’t Holding Up Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson Signing (MMA Convert)

- The Evolve MMA Chronicles: Day 1 (MiddleEasy)

- Dave Batista’s MMA Career Over Before it Begins (5thRound)

- Tom Lawlor vs. Maiquel Falcao likely for UFC: Rio in August (LowKick)

- UFC Live 5 Starts to Take Shape With Ludwig vs. Sadollah, “Magrinho” vs. O’Brien (Five Ounces of Pain)

- Mauricio Shogun Rua Goes Back to His Old Trainer at King’s MMA (MMA-Scraps)

- MMA Welterweight Rankings (Fight Magazine)

(If you ever wondered exactly how far you are from Fedor, this app has your answer.)

I don’t know how we missed out on this announcement last week, but apparently a company has just released a new Fedor Emelianenko iPhone application to allow fans to keep up with what the Russian heavyweight is up to, you know, just in case you haven’t quite figured out how to use Google.

(Video courtesy of RuTube/IronWorld)

During a recent interview with the Russian sports news website MixFight.ru, M-1 Global president and the manager of Fedor Emelianenko, Vadim Finkelstein spoke a bit more about his thoughts on the recent acquisition of Strikeforce by Forza LLC, an offshoot of the UFC’s parent company Zuffa LLC. According to the man often referred to by Dana White as one of the “crazy Russian,” he is one of a growing number of people who aren’t buying the UFC president’s claims that in spite of the purchase, things will be business as usual for both promotions.

“The news of the acquisition of Strikeforce by Zuffa caught me so off guard that I initially did not believe it when I got the call from our partners telling us about it, but the next day the deal was reported on both of their official websites. What are my impressions? First of all, I do not believe that Strikeforce will somehow maintains its independence from the UFC and the organizations will continue to work as they did before. I do not believe that they will fight for the fighters’ best interests. I think that the fate of Strikeforce is quite predictable and will be a repeat the fate of other organizations that the UFC purchased.”

There may be photos from the fights out there, but who cares?

Last night, Norfolk, VA played home to M-1 Global’s first solo endeavor on Showtime. Many fans look upon M-1 as nothing more than a small stain on the MMA landscape, like that thing on Gorbachev’s head. But there’s no need to rehash any of M-1’s previous dealings and maneuvers, as we now have an actual body of work to dissect and discuss. This event marked their first notable attempt to make a splash in North American MMA alone. No Fedor, no Strikeforce, no co-promotion. No one to blame for their shortcomings and no one to steal credit for their success.

With Zuffa’s purchase of Strikeforce, there’s a surplus of promotions striving to claim the #2 spot in the MMA food chain. So was this M-1’s Sputnik moment, or more of a Chernobyl style disaster? Am I done with these terrible Russian analogies? Keep reading to find out.

(Unconfirmed reports say the guy on the left is Jose Figueroa, who fights in the main event of a televised show this weekend. Care to guess which one? Pic: Sherdog)

Holy bejesus, there’s a lot of fighting on television this weekend. We already pulled your coat to the fact Bobby Lashley is fighting a middleweight at Titan FC on HDNet tonight. We assume you also already know that one of the most exciting young lions of the light heavyweight division (no, not Jon Jones, but close) will fight an old school warrior of the bygone Pride days (no, not Shogun Rua, but close) Saturday night in the UFC cage on SpikeTV. On the other hand, we totally forgive you if you forgot M-1 Global is also set to make its debut on Showtime on Friday night while Bellator offers up another show on MTV2 on Saturday. God knows we did, until we saw it on some random dude’s Twitter this afternoon.

It kind of begs the question: We know you really, really like MMA, but doesn’t four shows in two days seem kind of … dunno … excessive? After the jump, some things you’ll need to know to make an informed choice about where to set your DVR during this weekend’s other two shows …

“Konichiwa, bitches!”

There are a lot of things we’ve come to know about Dana White over the years. He loves his Pink Berry. He relieves stress by pulling mediocre pranks on his subordinates. He’s an astute, cut throat businessman. And he holds a grudge like a mother fucker. It’s these last two traits that we’ll be examining at this time. With the UFC’s latest acquisition, Dana is in the position of working directly with many of the folks he’s either banned from the UFC or burned bridges with when attempts to work with them didn’t pan out. Aside from the recent legal quandary surrounding Roy Nelson’s employment, Zuffa has proven through aggressive litigation and hard ball negotiation that they know their way around a contract. This makes it very likely that Dana will do just as he says in honoring all current Strikeforce related contracts.

But virtually all contracts come to an end at some point, and when Strikeforce’s agreements reach their expiration date it’s a whole new ballgame. Some Strikeforce staples, such as open, non-exclusive contracts and event co-promotion are sure to disappear. The same is certain for many of the organization’s familiar faces, both in front of the camera and in the cage. Despite Dana’s vindictive nature, he didn’t get where he is today by letting hard feelings get in the way of good business. Let’s take a closer look at who’s on the chopping block when the legal obligations dissolve and Dana is wielding the axe.

(Fedor and Vadim, in simpler times…)

By Anton Gurevich
Reminder: As part of a new content partnership, we will occasionally be passing along interesting articles from our friends at LowKick.com/MMA. So give ‘em a look…

Fedor Emelianenko’s dramatic defeat against Antonio Silva last weekend at the IZOD Center in New Jersey sparked a very heated, and I must admit quite one-sided, debate in the Mixed Martial Arts community. Who’s to blame for Fedor Emelianenko’s two consecutive defeats? It looks like everyone has an automatic answer to this question — Fedor’s management, M-1 Global.

People seem to forget that outside of being Fedor’s management, M-1 Global is a fighting promotion which organizes events all around the world. And just like any promotion, they have to protect their interests, and to defend their main asset, which in this case is “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko…

But blaming M-1 for Fedor’s lackluster performances makes no sense at all. Just like bringing up the “psychic” comments made by Fedor’s coaches. Yes, you can question M-1′s negotiation tactics, but this has nothing to do with Fedor’s performance inside the cage.

Continue reading at Lowkick

(Surprise, Strikeforce may be making a mistake with matchmaking.)

I never thought I’d ever speak out against a grand prix tournament, but because the proposed Strikeforce heavyweight tournament has so many question marks surrounding it, I’m almost hoping it doesn’t happen.

When Scott Coker mentioned earlier this year that Strikeforce was either going to piss or get off the pot when teasing its fans with heavyweight fights that never seem to come to fruition because of those crazy Russians for whatever reason, I thought he meant it.

What Sco-Co should have said was, "We’ll likely milk the current roster for whatever we can and if we can make the fights fans want to see, then we will, but we likely won’t."

According to Tatame, the California-based promotion is planning on stretching the tournament over three events and will likely anchor Strikeforce’s foray into pay-per-view TV — a move necessitated by the fact that it’s unlikely that CBS will be having them back on network TV in 2011 and the costs of greasing the pockets of M-1 Global for each Fedor-featured event are likely more than most Russians make in their lives.

(Uh-oh, I think we’ve got a workout video on our hands. Somebody get Jay Glazer on the horn, STAT. PicProps: Connect.in)

If you looked at yesterday’s reports that a bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was being considered for Strikeforce’s Jan. 29 show and thought to yourself, “Self, that seems awfully soon. Almost too soon,” well, you were right. We hate it when you’re right. Anyway, it turns out the aforementioned January date is “not on the table” for Fedor’s next yawn-worthy matchup in the Strikeforce cage, M-1 Global spokeshipster Evgeni Kogan said on Friday. As reported by MMA Junkie, Kogan wouldn’t elaborate further on the matter except to say that everybody involved has “been steadily working toward an agreement.”

The Junkie also notes that a couple months back M-1 boss Vadim Finkelstein said the rent-a-Fedor outfit was “negotiating primarily with Showtime to secure Emelianenko’s return.” Not to read too much into that, but it pretty much makes it sound like Strikeforce itself is the least important party in these talks. It also indicates that maybe Kogan wasn’t just blowing smoke recently when he said M-1 was trying leverage its own live fight events onto Showtime. If they can pull that off, well, I wonder if they could also speak to my mortgage lender.

(Propers: The Fight Nerd)

A two-for-one video sesh to get your Saturday started: At top, watch the aptly named Fight Nerd chat with M-1 Global Director of Ops Evgeni Kogan at the MMA World Expo 2010 this week. After the jump, find Chael Sonnen’s “exclusive interview” with HDNet’s Mike Straka following the California State Athletic Commission’s ruling to reduce by half his suspension for a funky UFC 117 drug test. First though, the Fedor stuff, because frankly we’re getting a little bit sick of talking about Sonnen’s gonads …

In this vid, Kogan – who you may remember as the dude who told Ariel Helwani that Fedor was MIA in New York City earlier this year when he no-showed his radio program — looks like he could seamlessly transition from a heated contract negotiation to playing bass for Weezer without even changing his striped belt. He also demonstrates that despite the fact M-1 Global’s biggest bargaining chip expended much of his political capital when he swan dived into the waiting legs of Fabricio Werdum in June, the Rent-a-Fedor company is still not afraid to make a bunch of totally ridiculous demands on both Strikeforce and Showtime. Follow the link to find out what they’re asking for this time. Seriously, it’s gonna blow your mind.

(…and I want Gus Johnson’s make-up artist to get me ready for each show.)

With just one fight remaining on his current Strikeforce contract, Fedor Emelianenko’s future with the California-based promotion could be decided this week, according to the Russian heavyweight’s manager Vadim Finkelchtein.

In an interview with MMAJunkie, Finkelchtein revealed that they are primarily negotiating with Showtime as they want to include in Fedor’s contract a deal to co-promote Emelianko’s fights with his M-1 Global corporation and Strikeforce’s broadcast partner. 

Does this strike anyone else as being a bit odd? Can you see Ed Soares sitting down with Spike TV to iron out the details of an Anderson Silva contract extension?

I’m actually starting to feel bad for Scott Coker. It’s becoming clear that the patients are running the asylum.

(“Cheer up my friend, it is not so bad. No matter what, we will always have each other. And I will always have my nearly incalculable personal fortune. And you? Well, you squandered your fleeting fame and gave most of your money to the church … *cough* … did I mention we will always have each other?” PicProps: M-1 Global)

Despite claims by Fabricio Werdum’s manager that his client’s impending elbow surgery is not as severe as initially reported and that he’ll be willing and able to get back in action later this year, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker says a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko isn’t in the cards, at least not right now. Coker told Sherdog.com on Saturday that when he restarts negotiations about Fedor’s future with M-1 Global next week his short list of prospective opponents will include Alistair Overeem, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Sergei Kharitonov.

As for M-1’s insistence that Emelianenko be granted an immediate rematch with Werdum in the wake of the Brazilian’s stunning victory over Fedor late last month, well, the suddenly badass Coker doesn’t appear to give a damn about that.

“I just don’t think they’ll have a choice,” he told Loretta Hunt.

(Props: twitter.com/evgenikogan)

It’s videos like these that make us think, damn, maybe M-1 Global should give up this silly MMA business and just go into model-hunting full-time. The Russian promotion recently set up shop in St. Petersburg to cast some new M-1 Girls, which we’re assuming is their team of bikini assassins who also hold round-cards during M-1 Selection events. The results were very, very positive; we’re partial to the girl at 0:49-1:15, and the girl at 1:23-1:43. Of course, as Dana White might say, "Oksana and Katarina are jokes, and wouldn’t be able to last five minutes blowing kisses at the camera next to Arianny." Your thoughts?

("Filthy" Tom Lawlor gives an interview to Aaron Tru while getting a colonic. Luckily, the years spent training with Seth Petruzelli have prepared him for this moment. Props: truplya777)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– Midseason MMA Awards: Best Knockout (MMA Fighting)

- Dana White: Vladimir Matyushenko Deserves Shot Against Jon Jones (Versus MMA Beat)

– GSP Says He’ll Retire Once He’s the Best Pound-for-Pound (Watch Kalib Run)

– FIGHT! Girl Galleries (Fight! Magazine)

– M-1 Global Is Launching Its Own TUF-Style Reality Show (LowKick)

- It’s Official: Dan Quinn vs. Aaron Brink Is Going Down August 20th (MiddleEasy)

– 5 Biggest Threats To Brock Lesnar’s Belt (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Rusty Business: Addressing the Problem of Ring Rust in MMA (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Jose Canseco’s Celebrity Boxing Record Drops to 1-2-1 After Losing to 60-Year-Old Athletic Trainer Gary Hogan (MMA Scraps)

M-1 Global has begun searching for new ring girls via a new contest open to only Russian women. Although we’re not quite sure what the site is about since we don’t speak Russian, the photos give off a feel of one of those annoying pop-up mail order bride ads, so unless you want to end up with one of these ladies (or their fatter, uglier facsimile) on your doorstep in 6-8 weeks, we don’t suggest clicking through the site.

Not that there’s anything wrong with ordering a bride from the Internet if any of you have done so, just be careful we hear the Russian mafia’s enforcer is a tough SOB whose only weaknesses are soft-serve and triangle chokes.

The black widows to be contestants are after the jump.

("Evgeni, remind me to thank Scott Coker for these swans when we get to L.A. Dana White never bought me waterfowl.")

Call me cynical, but it’s seeming more and more unlikely that we’ll ever see Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC’s Octagon.

Many will recite the old "never say, ‘never,’" saying, but when you look at what both sides are saying, it’s seeming like an implausibility.

(Fedor, didn’t I lay out the black tie for you?)

Ray Hui from MMAFighting spoke with M-1 Global director of operations, Evgeni Kogan and asked him why the heavily anticipated Fedor Emelianenko-Alistair Overeem Strikeforce bout has yet to materialize.

According to Kogan, contrary to popular belief, his company has very little to do with picking opponents for their client and he says that they would take a fight with Overeem if it were offered to them.

"The matchmaking for this is more coming out of Strikeforce than from our side. We are open to fighting basically whoever is put in front of us," Kogan explained. "There has never been a point where [a fight with Overeemt] was offered and turned down. M-1 management is not ducking Overeem, and once again, if that fight is presented to us, then that’s what that fight will be."

Up and at ‘em Potato Nation. Check out these articles from our friends around the MMA blogosphere, and keep Young Randy smilin’.
 
- Leonard Garcia Fights Hard, Embraces the Consequences (MMAFighting)

– Options: Next Moves for UFC 114 Winners (Heavy.com/MMA)

– The DREAM 15 Poster Finally Translated (MiddleEasy)

- One Flew Over the M-1 Nest: Affliction Countersues M-1 Global (WatchKalibRun)

- Michael Bisping Enjoys Being the Bad Guy (FightMagazine)

- Ten UFC 114 Fighters Receive Medical Suspensions (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Wanderlei Silva Stands Up for Fans at UFC Expo (MMA Scraps)

 
During a press conference following DREAM 13, Scott Coker told reporters that Fedor Emelianenko would finally make his Strikeforce return this summer, seven months after his second-round knockout of Brett Rogers: 

Better than nothing, I guess — although it’s still ridiculous that Fedor is fighting another contender, while Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem is booked for a non-title exhibition against Brett Rogers in May. No other matches have been announced for Strikeforce’s June card yet.

The relationship between Strikeforce and M-1 Global appeared strained in recent weeks, with reports of renegotiations making the rounds. But although the dispute may sound like a money grab, M-1 says that what they’re really after is greater brand visibility. From a report by Dave Meltzer on Yahoo!:

According to a report on Sherdog, Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi has ended his professional relationship with M-1 Global, the promotional outfit best known for handling the career of Fedor Emelianenko. As Mousasi wrote in an e-mail:

Mousasi added that he’d like to come back to the U.S. to train with Josh Thomson at American Kickboxing Academy; the two fighters recently became acquainted in Miami during the last Strikeforce show. So what spurred Mousasi’s split with M-1? Apparently, they wouldn’t keep him on the payroll for life. Mousasi’s former manager at M-1, Apy Echteld, told MMA Junkie that the Last Gypsy broke ties when M-1 refused to sign him into a long-term management deal that would give the Dutch-Armenian fighter "lifetime security" — a contract setup reportedly enjoyed by Fedor Emelianenko.

Mousasi is still under contract with Strikeforce for as many as seven fights, and plans to enter DREAM’s light-heavyweight grand prix later this year. His next match is rumored to be against Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal in April.