M-1 Global’s Evgeni Kogan: “We’ve Agreed To the Fight with (Dan) Henderson Verbally”

The fight between Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko appears closer than ever to becoming a done deal.

The two parties have been undergoing negotiations for the past several weeks, but things are starting to get closer to finalized.

In the beginning, the sticking point seemed to revolve around finding the right weight for the bout to take place at, with the sides negotiating around a heavyweight tilt or a catchweight agreement. At this point, all signs are pointing towards a heavyweight bout if things get signed.

The other point of contention revolved around the show taking place on pay-per-view or  a Showtime broadcast. That appears to still be the biggest sticking point, and the only thing stopping the fight from becoming official.

M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan tells MMAWeekly.com that for their part, Emelianenko has agreed to the fight, they are just waiting on the official paperwork.

“It’s well known that M-1 has said this is a fight we want. We’ve agreed to the fight with Henderson verbally and are waiting for all parties to give this the green light,” Kogan stated.

It was just last week during the UFC 129 festivities that UFC president Dana White commented that his partner and co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta had entered the negotiations to try to get a deal done between Emelianenko and Henderson.

Henderson has echoed Emelianenko’s agreement in the fight happening as well, but the final nail won’t get hammered in until the situation around where the fight takes place gets settled.

Strikeforce has long talked about doing a pay-per-view, and this fight could be just the headliner they are looking for, but without everyone on board it may not happen and the card could end up on Showtime.

Once that debate is settled, all parties involved seem ready to sign off on the bout and Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson will happen in July.

Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
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