M-1 Signs 10 year Deal Where UFC Fails in Mainland China

M-1 Signs 10 Year Deal In Mainland China; Kharitonov Headlines Nov. 11 Card in Beijing



Russian MMA promotion M-1 Global has signed a 10-year agreement to promote events in China on a yearly basis.

M-1 CEO Vadim Finkelchtein on Wednesday announced the news via press release, additionally revealing that the organization’s first event will take place Nov. 11 at MasterCard Center -- formerly known as Wukesong Arena -- in Beijing. That card will be headlined by former Pride Fighting Championships and Strikeforce heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov against an opponent to be determined.

MasterCard Center is primarily a basketball arena and was built specifically with the 2008 Olympic Games in mind. According to the release, it is one of the largest venues in China and can hold up to 18,000 spectators.



“It is a big deal for M-1 and MMA to have an event in China,” Finkelchtein said. “We plan to feature some of our best heavyweight fighters, including one of the best Russian fighters, Sergei Kharitonov. I think he will represent Russia as one of the strongest countries in MMA.”

The 33-year-old Kharitonov last competed in the MMA realm in March, when he scored a second-round TKO against Tyler East at a Tech-Krep Fighting Championship event in Russia. More recently, Kharitonov fought at Glory 16 in May, losing a decision to Anderson “Braddock” Silva in the semifinals of the promotion’s one-night, heavyweight tournament.

The heavy-handed Russian owns notable triumphs over Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Pedro Rizzo during his MMA career.

“This event is very important for me,” Kharitonov stated in the release. “I am very pleased that Vadim Finkelchtein thinks I’m an elite athlete. I’m glad I got the invitation to fight, and I gladly accepted the offer.”

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/M1-to-Promote-Annual-Shows-in-China-Kharitonov-Headlines-Nov-11-Card-in-Beijing-70993

M-1 CHALLENGE 53: Battle in the Celestial Kingdom - Beijing, China 11.11.14

Dennis Smoldarev   vs.   Marcin Tybura   Confirmed
Main Event | Title Fight | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120.0 kg)

Sergei Kharitonov   vs.   Satoshi Ishii   Confirmed
Co-Main Event | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120.0 kg)

Damian Grabowski   vs.   Konstantin Gluhov   Confirmed
Main Card | Heavyweight | 265 lbs (120.0 kg)


M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Marcin “Tybur” Tybura (11-0-0, 4 KO/TKO, 5 SUB), of Poland, will make his first title defense against undefeated challenger Denis Smoldarev (8-0-0, 3 KO/TKO, 3 SUB) on this explosive event.

M-1 Challenge 53 will be streamed in high definition on www.M1Global.TV, live from China. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Andriod and Apple smart phones and tablets.

The 6′ 4″, 260-pound Kharitonov, fighting out of Russia, has defeatedFabricio Werdum, Pedro Rizzo,Andrei Arlovski and Alistar Overeemduring his 5 ½ year MMA career.

Kharitonov has been more involved in kickboxing than mixed martial arts of late, but his return to MMA and M-1 Global finds him in the ring with rising Japanese star and judo sensation, Ishii, in a Special Heavyweight Attraction.

Ishii has beaten, among the more notable MMA fighters, Jeff Monson,Pedro Rizzo and Tim Sylvia. Last month, Ishii suffered a cut that cost him his fight against Mirko “Crop Cop” Fillipovich.

The 5′ 11″, 240-pound Ishii will be fighting in his third M-1 Global event having lost in 2011 to legendary Fedor Emelianenko by way of a first-round knockout by punches. Satoshi defeated Monson last October in M-1 Challenge 42 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

M-1 Global originally planned to match Kharitonov against former M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion, Damian “Polish Pitbull” Grabowski (19-2-0, 6 KO/TKO, 6 SUB), who recently lost his title to Tybura. Plans will soon be announced for Grabowski’s return.

Russian welterweight Muslim “King of Kung Fu” Salikhov (2-1-0, 1 KO/TKO, 0 SUB) is also scheduled to fight on M-1 Challenge 53.

fka wrote:Absolutely wonderful step in the right direction.

All my bitching yesterday LOL atleast they are expanding past its domestic audience and making moves where others failed.

wekka wrote:The UFC's idea of expansion in China was to go to Macau, use a couple of Chinese fighters, and fill out the rest of the card with mediocrity, and maybe a solid main event.

wekka wrote:The UFC's idea of expansion in China was to go to Macau, use a couple of Chinese fighters, and fill out the rest of the card with mediocrity, and maybe a solid main event.

M-1 is going all out and giving us three fantastic fights on the largest possible stage in mainland China.

Not hard to see why M-1 is already doing far more successfully.

wekka wrote:The UFC's idea of expansion in China was to go to Macau, use a couple of Chinese fighters, and fill out the rest of the card with mediocrity, and maybe a solid main event.

M-1 is going all out and giving us three fantastic fights on the largest possible stage in mainland China.

Not hard to see why M-1 is already doing far more successfully.

Hamilcar wrote:This is too cool.  I love to see the UFC fail and others succeed.  Although, I'm still unsure what these companies expect out of China.  I feel like it will always be an even more niche fanbase there than it is anywhere else.  Maybe M-1 and ONE FC can change that.

nodogoshi wrote:
I've been impressed by the production quality and crowds of the Wulinfeng events I've caught. I watched part of a New Years Eve show before, which almost seemed Pride-esque, if I dare say.

China is a very promising market, because of the rapid emergence of a 'middle class' looking for places to spend their disposable income. The potential of tapping into that expanding market, if you can be successful in doing so, is immensely appealing to legions of business people. People can be cynical about China all they want. I don't buy any of it. China's emergence is the real deal. That is why China is the wet dream of substantial numbers of business people.


In the interest of economic data, renowned economic historian Angus Maddison convincingly demonstrated that China's 150 years of weakness from roughly the 1830s (in particular coinciding with the First Opium War) to the 1980s was a historical anomaly. In the re-emergence of China, what we are witnessing is a return to normalcy.




Don't listen to the naysayers. Much of it is just sower grapes. Fuck China haters. They won't even be a footnote in the history.

LEGENDMMA=PRIDEFC wrote:I am not sure about popularity of MMA in China but I think that combat sports are very popular because I watched documentary in which...
Parents give their life savings to send their children (who are 14,15 years old) to fighting school (stand up) in hope that their kid becomes some kind of champion. And if kid succeeds that family will not be poor anymore. And from thousands only few will succeed. That is some kind of kickboxing/muay thai
maybe different rules like only leg kicks(just maybe)  In documentary they told its big in China and that there are bunch of fighting schools like that all over China. But thing I dont get is how from all those thousands, no one came to K–1 or Glory?