CHICAGO -- Fedor Emelianenko says he's committed to continuing to fight in the United States over the next year, saying Thursday that after his upcoming fight with Brett Rogers, he'll fight at least twice more in the United States in 2010."I'm planning on performing in the United States of America – definitely -- next year," Fedor said at a press conference to promote his fight with Rogers. "I know for sure I'll have two more fights in the United States next year and then we'll see how the contract works. Maybe I'll sign another contract."
The contract Fedor was referring to is a three-fight deal that he and his promotion, M-1 Global, signed with Strikeforce three months ago. Prior to signing the deal with Strikeforce, Fedor rejected a lucrative offer from the UFC because of the UFC's refusal to co-promote with M-1, and all indications are that Fedor has no intention of signing a contract with the UFC in the future.
The big question – and the reason so many MMA fans were disappointed when Fedor rebuffed the UFC – is whether Strikeforce can find worthy opponents for the fighter who's universally regarded as the best heavyweight in the sport. Fedor said he considers Rogers – who needed just 22 seconds to knock out former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski -- a formidable challenger.
"I watched the fight, Brett vs. Arlovski," Fedor said. "I know that Brett is very strong, he has a really strong knockout punch. We train for all our fights in the same way, with slight differences regarding the opponent. This time we made some (minor changes) regarding the technique of Brett."
But if Fedor dispatches Rogers as expected, can Strikeforce put him in the cage with opponents who will test him? Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he's confident that it can. Coker noted that the winner of Saturday's fight between Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva could be next for Fedor, as could Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, who's currently focusing on his kickboxing career in Japan.
"We will get (Overeem) in the mix," Coker pledged.
And in something of a surprise, Coker suggested that Strikeforce is close to signing some other heavyweight fighters who could also potentially fight Fedor in 2010. Coker didn't name any names, but he promised an announcement "in the next week or so."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-05-2009 @ 5:13PM
j said...
If Fedor doesn't join the UFC and keeps on ducking the high level of competition that the UFC has to offer him he will become the Floyd Mayweather of MMA - someone who calls himself the best without bothering to fight the best. I think $$$ is obviously Fedor's top priority, and he joined Strikeforce so he can extend his status as No. 1 P4P fighter by fighting guys he knows he can beat. But in the end who can really blame him? After all, he is human and humans love money and fame. If he joined the UFC White would've put him up against that monster Brock Lesnar, and - let's face it - that's a huge risk since Brock is a monster and is capable of handing Fedor his 1st loss.
Reply
11-05-2009 @ 6:42PM
piprocks666 said...
thanks dana for your thoughts.
how are you btw?? i saw you just crashed your car. good thing you didn't hit anyone. must have alot on your mind these days. try not to stress out on the road, driving angry can affect your judgement. toolbag.
what a tool this guy. how much did dana pay you to write that??
11-05-2009 @ 7:43PM
j said...
Dana White is not here, buddy. Just my honest thoughts concerning Fedor's plans and outlook. I think he's a great fighter, and probably (that's the key word here) better than all of the other MMA heavyweights. But I'm not ready to give him the benefit of the doubt since some of the UFC's top heavyweights seem to have the potential to beat him. We'll never know for sure until Fedor signs the contract to fight the best competition which he probably never will do.
11-05-2009 @ 8:21PM
MidnghtRider21 said...
Actually when the UFC's heavyweight division was weakest, Fedor was beating the best hw's in Pride. Fedor could care less about fame if you watch some of his interviews or comments about fighting. Im not even a fan of Fedor but I respect his skills as one of the top p4p fighters.
11-05-2009 @ 8:40PM
johnnynumber5 said...
The only problem I have with your statement is the claim that Fedor actually cares about P4P rankings (he doesn't) as anyone who has a modicum of understanding knows that Fedor doesn't consider himself the best and has no desire to engage in that type of discussion. If it were solely about the money and the UFC made this lucrative offer then he would have taken the deal. I'd say it's more about respect and being treated like an equal and not like a piece of meat. You act like he has a suite at the kremlin or something ... he still lives in his home town of Story Oskal where he has a small apartment where he is comfortable.
Is Fedor really ducking anyone? Even Dana came out and admitted recently that Fedor wasn't ducking anyone. Seriously, why would he give a damn? He even says that MMA isn't one of his passions in life it's more of a job which would explain his demeanor in the ring. Think about the fact his previous three fights were all against former UFC champions. Arlovski, Sylvia and Barnett. If he were afraid of competition then why would he fight former UFC champions? It's not in these guys blood to be afraid. They FIGHT for a living.
Who does the UFC really have in the heavyweight division thats great anyway? Lesnar, Carwin, Dos Santos, Duffee and Velasquez are all as green as Rogers and are completely unproven fighters. Fedor beat Heath Herring, Cro-Cop, Mark Coleman & Noguiera when they were in their primes. So, who do they really have? Paul Buentello, Frank Mir, Cheick Kongo, Gabe Gonzaga or Randy Couture? Those guys aren't any better than Werdum, Overeem or Big Foot Silva.
In terms of heavyweights it's really Fedor, Noguiera and everyone else. Once Lesnar cleans out the UFC heavyweight division then we can talk about him as being a beast. As it stands he hasn't really proved much more than Brett Rogers. or even Velasquez. Lesnar beat an old and 18 month layoff Couture he outweighed by 40 lbs, Herring in the twilight of his career and spilt fights against Frank Mir. Let's see Lesnar beat Carwin, Noguiera, Dos Santos, Duffee and Velasquez. He really needs to do what Silva did to the middleweight division before he can be considered one of the best hwavyweights in MMA.