Fedor Emelianenko: What's Next?

Following a shocking loss to Fabricio Werdum in June, the one thing on Fedor Emilianenko’s mind was revenge.

The rematch made a ton of sense; Fedor did not have a legitimate loss in a 10 year professional career.

He should get a chance to show people that Werdum just got lucky or caught him on an off day.

However, Werdum announced he would need elbow surgery shortly after the summer showdown with Emilianenko and reportedly will not be able to fight for the rest of 2010.

Emilianenko is known for only fighting once or twice a year, which is not that uncommon at this point, but when you are supposed to a company’s top draw, it is a little off putting.

Granted, his contract was a three fight deal as opposed to a three year deal, so Strikeforce is clearly willing to go at Fedor’s pace.

This part is relevant because the obvious fights, with Werdum on the shelf for a few months, are with either Allistair Overeem or Antonio Silva.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker essentially said neither fight is going to happen though, since he plans to pit Overeem and Silva against each other in the fall. Rumblings have also surfaced that Emilanenko’s management refused both fights.

Whatever the case may be, the fact of the matter is that neither fight is happening any time soon. 

Fedor has a laundry list of accomplishments that has had him regarded as a top tier heavyweight for years now. However, he is at a point in his career where he should really not be passing up admirable competition.

Fans are tired of seeing Fedor tap out inferior opponents in a minute or two. In an ideal world, Fedor would have been in the UFC years ago.

Can you imagine the appeal of Emilianenko vs. Junior Dos Santos?  Fedor vs. Shane Carwin? And what could very easily be the greatest heavyweight showdown of all time, Fedor Emilianenko squaring off against Brock Lesnar.

Unfortunately, Fedor making his way into the UFC is nothing more than a pipe dream at this point.  Even still, he should not be looking for a cupcake opponent prior to his rematch with Werdum.

 “The Last Emperor’s” last stand may be in the foreseeable future, but he should certainly go out in a blaze of glory.

He has never been shy to square off against the best before, and now is not the time to start.