Fedor Emelianenko‘s management team M-1 might not be able to bring the former PRIDE star into the UFC; however, Emelianenko still envisions himself competing inside the Octagon at some point.
The 34-year-old has been long wanted by UFC fans and, more importantly, by UFC President Dana White, to test his skills against some the heavyweight division’s top competitors. At one point, a heavily-rumored bout between Emelianenko and Brock Lesnar had surfaced, but it never materialized as “The Last Emperor” opted to sign for then-rival Strikeforce.
However, after going 1-3 in Strikeforce, Emelianenko was released from Strikeforce and now wants the opportunity to compete in the top organization in mixed martial arts. Emelianenko exclusively told news.sportbox.ru (translated by MMAMania.com) he has a desire to fight in the UFC, despite the ongoing negotiations.
“Of course I would like in UFC too, but to this day, all the times we had negotiations with them.. possibly they have allergy on me (laughs), and for some reason we can’t make an agreement now,” Emelianenko said. “Vadim (Finkelstein) met them, but for example if we had some agreement in talk, the contract that they sent then were different. But I have a desire to compete in UFC.”
When PRIDE FC disbanded in 2007, Emelianenko was the most sought-after free agent in MMA at the time. While popular fighters like Wanderlei Silva, Maurcio “Shogun” Rua and Mirko Cro Cop made their way to the UFC, it was the Russian heavyweight who White actively pursued more than anyone.
While Emelianenko might have the UFC high on his priority list, he isn’t necessarily on the UFC’s radar any longer.
The constant rift between M-1 and the UFC/Zuffa LLC had reached it’s climax in 2009 after the Russian’s management team tried to negotiate co-promotion on all UFC events featuring Emelianenko. The UFC immediately declined.
While Emelianenko continues to fight internationally, his transition to the UFC will likely never happen, and it might be the only detriment to his legendary career. It will ultimately leave UFC fans pondering on what could of been of the Russian’s UFC career.
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