Fedor To Finalize Contract With Strikeforce; A Future With UFC Unlikely?

After defeating Brett Rogers in November of 2009, there was much anticipation surrounding when Fedor Emelianenko would fight again. There there were rumors and suspicions that he may not finish out his contract with Strikeforce, but Sherdog.com reported that Emelianenko and his management met with Strikeforce simply because they thought that “the terms needed a little bit of tweaking.”

At the moment, nobody knows exactly what such "tweaking" entails, but it probably involves similar negotiation demands that M-1 Global fought for with the UFC. Strikeforce is probably eager to keep "The Last Emperor" since he draws in big numbers, and although they're probably willing to give him and his organization what they want, MMA fans worldwide are often left to hope for more when it comes to Emelianenko.

Where does this contract re-negotiation with Strikeforce put Emelianenko and the UFC? The M-1 Global Director of Operations assured reporters that nobody from M-1 Global has planned or made negotiations with the UFC. That gives little hope to fight fans wishing to see "The Last Emperor" join the UFC anytime soon since such negotiations would likely not take place until at the very earliest 2011. And despite rumors of possibly joining the UFC in the wake of recent failed negotiations with Strikeforce, Emelianenko will now more than likely adhere to the same structure of his original multi-fight contract by fighting Fabricio Werdum over summer of 2010 and Alistair Overeem later in the year.

Fans desiring a match between Emelianenko and current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will likely never see it unless Lesnar can stay champ while M-1 Global and the UFC can somehow negotiate a deal in 2011. This seems even more unlikely as when given the opportunity, M-1 and the UFC were hung up on a few key issues despite a lucrative, multi-fight contract that Dana White aggressively offered Emelianenko.

With Emelianenko’s management constantly speaking for him, nobody truly knows how eager he is to join the UFC versus fighting more esoteric fighters in Strikeforce. However, the real tragedy is that by the time Emelianenko might be willing to sign with the UFC, he would be bordering on his late thirties and probably past his prime, thus not offering as much competition.

As far as why Emelianenko didn’t join the UFC when he had the opportunity, I believe that Mr. White is perfectly justified in saying, “I feel sorry for the real fight fans. I wanted to make the deal, but it takes two and it is very obvious Fedor doesn't want to fight the best, and doesn't give a sh-t about the fans!”