M-1 Challenge

(Photos courtesy of Sportsnavi)

Though it was officially ruled "no winner" due to its status as an exhibition match, Fedor Emelianenko pretty much manhandled Shinya Aoki earlier today in Tokyo during their Sambo-ish bout at DEEP/M-1 Challenge 3rd Edition, tossing the Japanese lightweight around the ring before finishing him with a leglock. According to one fan's report on BloodyElbow:

("Well, it was nice knowing you." Photo courtesy of M-1 MixFight; props to BloodyElbow for the heads-up.)

M-1 is holding an M-1 Challenge event today in St. Petersburg, Russia, with Team Russia Red Devil taking on Team Korea, and Team Russia Legion facing Team Holland; the full lineup is here. Headlining the team competition will be two "superfights" that reflect the card's nation vs. nation theme. The Legion/Holland main event will be 1-1 rookie Alexander Timanov vs. Dutch bad-boy Gilbert Yvel, while the Red Devil/Korea feature will be none other than Alexander Emelianenko vs. Spirit MC/DEEP/M-1 vet Sang Soo Lee (10-4). Soo has won four of his five fights this year, including a submission victory over Emelianenko's Red Devil clubmate Roman Zentsov. The Korean fighter may be a step up in competition from Aleks's last opponent, but we still think The Grim Reaper should be able to take this one relatively easily. More photos from yesterday's weigh-ins are after the jump, courtesy of M1MixFight.com.

Finland took on South Korea in the third installment of the M-1 Challenge on HDNet, and the one who really shines in this highlight video recap is the announcer who's tasked with pronouncing the plethora of difficult names. That guy is a pro. Finland turns out to have some tough bastards on their team from the looks of it. South Korea, on the other hand, has one totally awesome and very happy ass-kicker in the form of Hyun-Gyu Lim. That one guy might not be enough to win the M-1 Challenge for them, but dammit, his enthusiasm is downright infectious.

After the jump check out Inside MMA from Strikeforce: Payback in Colorado. A little after the ten-minute mark they talk with Frank Trigg. I dare you to watch it and pay attention to anything other than his ear. No, fuck that. I double dare you.

(P.S. Bas Rutten also interviews Kimbo Slice before his fight with Ken Shamrock, or so he thought. Ever the seer, Kimbo advises us not to blink. Oh, irony. You cruel bitch.)

We haven't been giving it much attention on this site, but HDNet has begun airing the very entertaining M-1 Challenge (Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET), where ten teams from around the world do battle for MMA supremacy. Above is the recap of episode 2, in which Team Holland — led by Gegard Mousasi — blanked Team Germany 5-0. It wasn't even close; Bogdan Christea, Romano de los Reyes, Jason Jones, Mousasi, and Jessie Gibbs all scored first-round stoppages over their German counterparts at the March event. We also learn that Russia's Red Devil Team succumbed to France 3-2 in the premiere episode. (Ouch. Good luck explaining that one to Fedor.) Don't forget to catch episode 3 this Friday, as the Finns take on the South Koreans.

Gina Carano, her form-fitting yoga pants, and an extremely drowsy dog hang out with Shape magazine. Remember, girls — it's okay to be you! Props to Showtime Sports.

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Courtesy of FiveOuncesofPain, here's the new trailer for M-1 Challenge, which premieres on HDNet this Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Ten MMA teams from eight different countries competed against each other in a series of tournaments held around the world over the last year; the TV series shows how it all went down. Friday's episode showcases the battle between Team France and Team Russia (Red Devil).

Something truly awful awaits you after the jump...