Fedor All-Access: Jerry Millen’s Photo Journal of Showtime Promo Shoot
I I’ve had the unique pleasure of knowing Fedor and Vadim Finkelchtein for many years, dating back to my work…
I
I’ve had the unique pleasure of knowing Fedor and Vadim Finkelchtein for many years, dating back to my work for the PRIDE Fighting Championships. When Vadim decided to created the M-1 Challenge, it was an honor to be asked to join the company as a U.S.-based Vice President and the person in charge of producing the weekly M-1 Challenge show.
I also have a long-standing friendship with Strikeforce CEO and Founding owner Scott Coker, so I was more than happy to be on the set of the SHOWTIME-sponsored promotional photo and video shoot and work with everyone. Fedor and I are pictured hear talking to each other just before the shoot was about to begin.
The next photo is one of the first-ever meetings between Fedor and Brett Rogers. One of the things I love about MMA is the sportsmanship that exists between so many athletes.
While Fedor and Rogers will look to take each other’s head off come fight time, the two were extremely cordial and respectful towards each other during the entire shoot and there were no issues on the set.
I’m not sure in boxing if two guys who were slated to fight each other could have spent as much time together on a set as Fedor and Brett did together.
The primary shoot was conducted inside of an old warehouse that gave a very edgy feel to the whole production. But prior to that, in New York, a lot of footage was taken of Fedor working out.
While some people have claimed Fedor’s training is basic and not state-of-the-art, a lot of programs have emulated some of his training technique, such as using sledgehammers to smash tires. In this photo, Fedor is merely getting ready to do a few rounds of jumping rope.
