Fedor Emelianenko signs with Strikeforce
After a week of rumors, “done deals,” and negotiations involving multiple organizations, Fedor Emelianenko has finally chosen his new destination. Strikeforce and Fedor have agreed to terms on a contract. Here is the press release from Strikeforce:
After a week of intense negotiations and speculation, the hottest topic of discussion in the professional fight world has come to a head as the world’s number one heavyweight and most sought after mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko has signed a historic, multi-fight agreement that will see him headline mega-events co-promoted by world championship promotions STRIKEFORCE and M-1 Global.
Emelianenko, known globally as Fedor, will make his premium television debut this Fall when his first fight under the new agreement airs live on SHOWTIME®. Up until now, Emelianenko’s live fights have aired exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States.
“I am looking forward to going back to work and fighting at the highest level,” said the 33-year-old Emelianenko. During his nine year professional fight career, which included a four and a half year stay with the world’s former top MMA promotion, the now defunct PRIDE Fighting Championship, the Russian native has faced and defeated all comers.
In his last effort, the 6-foot, 235-pound Emelianenko decimated the number two ranked heavyweight at the time Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski with a single punch in the first round (3:14) of the main event of Affliction: ”Day of Reckoning” at Anaheim, California’s Honda Center on January 24.
“STRIKEFORCE is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world,” continued Emelianenko. ”I am prepared to fight any of them.”
“We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to work with M-1 Global and Fedor,” said STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker, a martial arts fight promoter of over 25 years. ”Fedor has been the reigning king of MMA’s heavyweight division for quite some time now so being able to work with M-1 and Fedor will substantially increase the level of competition amongst the athletes in this weight class.”
The fact that Strikeforce caved to M-1’s demands to co-promote is not all that surprising. It was assumed all along that they would be more accomodating to the Fedor camp’s insistance on co-promotion. It’s a risky move for Strikeforce because Fedor has not yet proven to be a pay-per-view draw, but he is also going to be fighting on Showtime. Fedor brings more credibility to an already solid organization.
With Fedor selecting Strikeforce as his next organization, MMA fans lose the chance to see fights such as Fedor/Lesnar, Fedor/Couture and Fedor/Carwin. However, there are a few solid fights for him in Strikeforce. His first challenger is expected to be Brett Rogers, who is coming off a lightning quick knockout of Emelianenko’s last challenger, Andrei Arlovski. Alistair Overeem is another fight that I’m sure Strikeforce will make in the not too distant future. But for those of us looking forward to seeing Fedor test himself against the very best of MMA heavyweights, this isn’t what we had in mind.
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Related posts:
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- Report: Fedor Emelianenko headed to UFC
- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers Scheduled for Nov. 7th on CBS
- When will Fedor Emelianenko make his Strikeforce debut?
- Report: UFC offers Fedor 30 million dollar contract
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