ED SOARES & STEVEN SEAGAL - JUNEBUGGED!

 Submitted by June 

Every once in a while, MMA managers do more than handle contracts, negotiate business deals, and yell into their BlackBerrys.  In fact, sometimes they end up doing stuff that's just plain unusual.   Here's last Wednesday's a.m. conversation with Ed Soares:
 
Ed: "What's up?"
Me: "Going through emails and stuff.  You?"
Ed:  "Oh I'm heading to Russia.  With Steven Seagal.  Gonna meet the Russian President."
Me: (long confused pause)  "...ok."
 
Then, I couldn't help but crack up, because the whole thing sounded like the elements of a sketch comedy.   
Ed + the Glimmer Man + Vladimir Putin = WTF?

Turns out, 'Sensei Seagal' is HUGELY famous in Russia, and Ed was accompanying him as a guest of Prez Putin for a private MMA show.  Pictured below is Putin's private 737 in which they flew to Moscow (with a quick stop-off in Iceland to fulfill a Make-A-Wish request). 

Also pictured is Ed and Seagal in front of the emperor's throne in Red Square, which he described as "fucking breathtaking."

He didn't take any pictures of the food there, which didn't surprise me because he said the food in Russia wasn't all that great: "It was okay. Lots of heavy, bloody meat and of course vodka offered with every meal, including breakfast. Of all the places in the world I've traveled to, the food in Russia definitely wasn't my favorite."