With Leather stock Russia image.

Russian fighter Aleksander Emelianenko, brother of Fedor, has long dreamt of leaving the mother land behind and starting a new life in America, as an ass-kicking UFC champion. For a while, it seemed like that dream was goulash, because Aleks had been linked to both Hepatitis B and C for quite some time. But as recently as March, it seemed like he could, in fact, be on his way to a UFC contract and fighting in the States, but that seems squashed because it has been 5 months and nothing has happened.

As for why he’s not here pummeling opponents right now, fellow Russian fighter Sergei Kharitonov offered his own insight in a recent interview with Valetudo.ru. Aleks blamed Fedor’s loss to Dan Henderson on his trainers, but Sergei defended those trainers because he previously worked with them, too.

“All organizations in the world know about his hepatitis C and nobody wants to have business with him. He has drunk himself into this disease. He is drug addicted alcoholic and criminal. All his disrespectful remarks to the athletes are just a bullshit. How can he fight with hepatitis? Nobody’s gonna take him to any tournament. He lies that he hasn’t been to prison but it’s not true. He has.” (Via Cage Potato)

Hey Sergei, why don’t you tell us how you really feel?

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s the hard sell, as our free fantasy baseball game through Draftstreet takes place today and is COME ON something you should sign up for. I’m going to put that link in every second word. I wanted to get today’s reminder up early, as a lot of you leave work early during the summer and because more than one person (including me) has had to go back in and replace Rickie Weeks. He hurt himself, and will miss 2-6 Rickies.

But yeah, the big major link is SIGN UP FOR YOUR GAME TODAY! It’s fun, it only takes a few seconds and gives you a shot to win free money for doing squat. Also (and this is a lie) if you sign up it removes all further mentions of the game from your With Leather feed.

Elsewhere on With Leather

Seattle Mariners’ Losing Streak as Told by Sad Dogs - Honestly, the most wonderful thing we put up all week. I can’t wait until basketball season gets itself going so we can work a “The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Baby Sloths” feature every week. [With Leather]

The Dugout with Charles Bukowski -be sure to take a whiskey sh**
this dugout will be arriving soon
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The Best and Worst of WWE Raw 7/25 - I spent last night at TNA/Impact Wrestling’s live show in Austin, and I can say without reservation that I’d enjoy doing The Best and Worst of Me Talking To AJ Styles About Air Paris. And if that gets enough readers, one about me talking to Mickie James about Richmond Lucha Libre and making her laugh, causing me to feel awesome and cool for the first time in my life. [With Leather]

Sports

The KSK Sex/Fantasy Football Mailbag - “You’re in. I suggest taking her to a Phillies game. You can tell her all about how you admire Chase Utley’s grit while denigrating Ryan Howard’s laziness.” [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

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Now that the Yankee Mutant Ninja Turtles have been eliminated from the World Cup, we can pretend to stop enjoying soccer and focus on the more traditional sports in America. Like MMA. Feder Emilianenko hadn’t lost a fight in ten years or thereabouts, so I guess he was due to just walk into an armbar against, if I can read the card here, Fabricio Werdum, who shocked the world Saturday after forcing the Russian polar bear to tap out. I don’t know if that’s really Fedor’s nickname, but I’m just gonna go with it.

Now there’s a lot of discussion about whether there will be a rematch, but really, I’m done with Fedor. He dodged the UFC and now he doesn’t have much equity to stand on. He’s ugly, uncharismatic, and technically boring. It’s like watching the Tonya Harding sex tape. Watch the full fight after the jump, provided it’s still on the net. Read the rest of this entry »

I know that Strikeforce isn’t as deep as UFC in terms of talent, but this is ridiculous. It’s Fedor Emelianenko working a standard boxing ring against six Koreans. I’m told their there they’re Koreans, anyway. They certainly don’t seem to be too excited to mix it up with the MMA great, not that anyone could blame them. –Watch Kalib Run.

Here’s the entire fight, and it was a good one; Rogers managed to gussy up Fedor’s nose with one of his first jabs of the night, busting the Russian’s nose wide open. They punched each other, and whenever Fedor seemed to have Rogers caught in a potential submission hold, the wily American would escape. Rogers eventually got out of the first round; he was the first Fedor opponent since 2006 to do so, according to the broadcast.

Both fighters were winded in round two, and with neither man taking initiative, Fedor fired a lunging right hand that caught Rogers in the jaw, and put him on the mat. Just like that, it was over.

The fight card was unimpressive in the ratings, but delivered a good night for MMA, and possibly another rising star in Rogers. Fedor proves to be a terrific import, and this fight is probably the best that we’ll see before the new year.

The punchy American is an 11-2 underdog going into his fight tonight against Fedor, but everyone seems to be wondering if Brett Rogers has any chance at all. To be fair, neither fighter seems to be getting his due of late, as Fedor Emelianenko has drawn the ire and disappointment of the MMA faithful since turning down UFC to fight for Strikeforce, generally considered to be the CFL of MMA. LOL…They’re even calling Fedor fat now.

If Rogers can get this fight out of the first round–and he seems to have the tools to do so–the grief will only mount for the pudgy Russian. His career choices aside, Fedor is widely considered to be the class of MMA, the fat white Rouskie whale that somebody will have to conquer to make his own name in the sport. It could happen tonight. Full rundown of the card here.