Fedor in talks with ufc?

[The Fury 65]

No this is not 5 years ago. After announcing he's coming back. On fox sports it is reporting that the man himself is claiming he is in talks about fighting for the ufc.

 

Fedr Emelianenko, who is considered by most as the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist of all time, might finally land in the UFC as he makes his return to the sport.

 

Emelienanko, 38, retired from fighting in 2012 after a career in which he went undefeated for a stretch of 28 fights over eight years before finally suffering a loss to Fabricio Werdum in 2010.

 

Following a hiatus from fighting, Emelianenko recently shocked the world by saying he intended to come back to MMA after some much-needed time off to allow his mind and body to heal from the rigors of a very long and hard career inside the ring.

 

With the fire back in his belly, Emelianenko is ready to pursue MMA once again while possibly reclaiming his title as the best heavyweight fighter on the planet.

 

"The desire to fight in my blood," Emelianenko said recently while appearing at a youth forum event in Russia (translation by Bloody Elbow). "I'm in the sport for 11 years, my whole life is training and competition. Over the years, there has been a thirst not only to participate in battles, but also to transfer their knowledge and skills.

 

"After consulting with trainers, with the support of the family, I decided to return."

 

As soon as Emelianenko announced his intention to return to fighting, the questions about which organization would land the prized Russian heavyweight began.

 

For all his accomplishments, Emelianenko never was able to come to an agreement with the UFC despite a ton of contract negotiations. At one stage, the UFC even pursued the idea of matching up Emelianenko with former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in a fight that could have earned some of the biggest numbers in MMA history, but the matchup never came together.

 

Emelianenko and his management team have a long, unhappy history with the UFC, but it appears all those past bitter feelings might be put aside to finally see the legendary heavyweight debut in the organization.

 

"Now this is being negotiated, in particular with the UFC, as well as some other promotions," Emelianenko revealed. "I think it will soon be finally determined."

 

FOX Sports reached out to the UFC to confirm if contract negotiations were ongoing with Emelianenko and officials offered no comment.

 

As far as matchups for his return fight, Emelianenko would like nothing more than to avenge the first loss he suffered in eight years when Werdum tapped him out with a triangle choke early in the first round when they met in Strikeforce just more than five years ago.

 

"I would like to face the strongest fighters in the world — UFC champion Fabricio Werdum," Emelianenko said. "Given that over three years I did not fight, during the first fight I would like to get involved, check for myself."

 

For his part, Werdum told FOX Sports last month that he is open to another fight with Emelianenko in the UFC to prove who is the greatest heavyweight of all time.

 

"I am hearing that Fedor is coming back. If he wants to be known as the best of all time, he has to fight the best. All the best heavyweights are in the UFC. I would be willing to rematch him to solidify who is the best heavyweight of all time," Werdum said.

 

Whether or not the UFC lands Emelianenko remains to be seen, but the door seems open to him finally making his Octagon debut.

 

 

 

So what do you all think? Too little too late or intrigued to see the last emperor in the octagon?

[Guest Jack]

It'll be good to see Fedor compete against the best but if he performs poorly, people will always wonder how he'd have done at his best and if he beats other top heavyweights, people will regret that we didn't see an even better version in the UFC, so regardless of how it plays out, it's too late to be what it should have been. Hopefully it happens though, just for the sake of the spectacle of Fedor being a UFC fighter. I'd like to see it.

[Mr.Windham29 35]

Why would the UFC want this guy now.

[DC 536]

For similar reasons to why WWE would want Sting; he's a big name guy who has never fought in the UFC and it's always better to have said all the top guys worked for you at one point or another.

[Guest Jack]

The UFC chose to go for CM Punk, which shows how eager they are to have 'names' in the company. Fedor is still one of the bgigest names outside of the UFC, so it's a logical move for them given the lack of stars they currently have,

[Guest bigmatt]

You'd have to think a Fedor PPV does more buys than anything at heavyweight right now. At least his first one. Straight up against Werdum? Cain? Someone else?

[Guest The Beltster]

I'd give him an immediate title shot vs Werdum just because at this age and after a long break, he might be one and done, may as well have all the bells and whistles: title on the line, huge rematch against the guy who ended his 10 year long winning streak etc. Why but him in there against some nobody on the undercard with the risk he loses to them?

[Guest bigmatt]

Fedor Emelianenko has picked a promotion for his MMA return, but at least for now, it won’t be for either of his main suitors.

 

“The Last Emperor” will compete for the first time in more than three years when he fights on New Year’s Eve in Tokyo for a new organization run by former Pride Fighting Championships President Nobuyuki Sakakibara. According to a release, Sakakibara is partnering with Bellator MMA for the event, which will be televised on Spike TV.

 

“I have decided to return. On this New Year’s Eve we’ll have a big event in Japan. And Spike TV are working with us on the show. Let’s start a new chapter of MMA,” Sakakibara said during the Bellator 142 "Dynamite broadcast on Saturday night.

 

An opponent for Emelianenko’s return was not announced, but the Russian will be headlining the card. It is currently unclear if Emelianenko will compete under the Bellator MMA banner in the future. Further details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

 

“I am a fighter,” Emelianenko said in English. “And I am ready. I will see you New Year’s Eve on Spike TV.”

 

Over the past few weeks, there were rumors that Emelianenko had signed with the UFC, but promotion president Dana White squashed that speculation when asked about the negotiations during a press conference in Melbourne this week.

 

“There is nothing to tell you. If there was, I’d tell you,” White said. “The Fedor thing has been a mystery for a very long time. We’ve obviously talked to them. I don’t know what they’re doing right now or what their plans are.”

 

Emelianenko hasn’t competed since June 21, 2012, when he scored a first-round knockout of Pedro Rizzo at an M-1 Global event in Russia. Regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all-time, Emelianenko is a former Pride heavyweight titlist and owns notable wins over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and Mark Coleman, to name a few.

Read more at http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Fedor-Emelianenko-to-Return-on-New-Years-Eve-in-Japan-Reunites-with-ExPride-Boss-92639#yQkY6WPfpvQAGjs7.99

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Fedor-Emelianenko-to-Return-on-New-Years-Eve-in-Japan-Reunites-with-ExPride-Boss-92639

[Guest The Beltster]

Boring. He wants no part of legit fighters anymore.

[Evil Gringo 279]

He's going to where he is going to be 'protected' if you ask me.

 

He dipped his toe in the US market, admittedly past his prime and got found out - all he wants now is a big final payday and his legacy protecting whilst he does

[Guest bigmatt]

The figure going around is that Fedor is getting 2.5 million dollars for this fight.

[Guest paidimartinez]

I'd give him an immediate title shot vs Werdum just because at this age and after a long break, he might be one and done, may as well have all the bells and whistles: title on the line, huge rematch against the guy who ended his 10 year long winning streak etc. Why but him in there against some nobody on the undercard with the risk he loses to them?

I agree at most they'll get a few fights out of him and he'll get wrecked by most top guys anyway so there's not even a point in giving him tune up fights. Even now that he's fighting in Japan there's still rumblings of negotiations with Zuffa.