Tag: Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko Talks Future with Strikeforce, Retirement and UFC

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceConducting a phone interview with Fedor Emelianenko on fight week is a little bit like trying to communicate with the Oracle at Delphi via a can and a string: you only get a few questions, filtered through a couple differen…

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Conducting a phone interview with Fedor Emelianenko on fight week is a little bit like trying to communicate with the Oracle at Delphi via a can and a string: you only get a few questions, filtered through a couple different channels, and the answers all seem like riddles unto themselves.

To be fair, it could just be this particular fight week (or even this particular interviewer), but the world’s top heavyweight wasn’t exactly in the most loquacious of moods after he finished up his open workout in San Jose on Wednesday afternoon.

Nonetheless, MMA Fighting finally got some time with “The Last Emperor” to talk about his upcoming Strikeforce bout and the future of his fighting career in general, and he was as efficient with his words as always. Check out the full interview below.

‘Cuddles’ vs. ‘Cyborg’ — The Staredown [PHOTO]

(Jan’s hair was done by her mortician. He figured, "hey, why not get a head-start." / Props: Esther Lin for Strikeforce) Journeywoman Jan "Cuddles" Finney (8-7) throws the dice on a real long-shot this Saturday as she steps up to…

Jan Finney Cris Cyborg staredown Strikeforce
(Jan’s hair was done by her mortician. He figured, "hey, why not get a head-start." / Props: Esther Lin for Strikeforce)


Journeywoman Jan "Cuddles" Finney (8-7) throws the dice on a real long-shot this Saturday as she steps up to take on 145-pound queen Cristiane "Cris Cyborg" Santos (9-1) at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum. Finney describes MMA as a "hobby" that compliments her day-job as a personal trainer, but warns fans not to sleep on her: "I’m going to come right back at her. I’m not going to cower away. I’m probably going to be one of the strongest opponents she’s faced. I’m not saying I’m as strong as her, but you never know — I might be…I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I would also say I’ve got a pretty nice right hand."

After the jump: Fabricio Werdum shows off his size advantage against Fedor Emelianenko.

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Brock Lesnar Comments on Fedor’s Future, Dave Batista’s MMA Hopes

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsEarlier this week during a Strikeforce conference call, Fedor Emelianenko was asked about the upcoming UFC 116 fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, and on Tuesday, the roles were reversed, as the UFC heavyweig…

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Brock LesnarEarlier this week during a Strikeforce conference call, Fedor Emelianenko was asked about the upcoming UFC 116 fight between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, and on Tuesday, the roles were reversed, as the UFC heavyweight title fight combatants were asked about the Russian MMA star.

Because rumblings of Emelianenko’s possible retirement have circulated in the last few days, Lesnar and Carwin were asked their opinions on never having the opportunity to face Fedor before he calls it a career.

“Good for Fedor. I hope he does retire. He’s the greatest champion of all-time,” he said with a laugh. Before anyone could ask him if he was being sarcastic, he made his feelings clear.

Fabricio Werdum: ‘If I Beat Fedor On That Night, I’m going to Be Better Than Him On That Night’

(Video courtesy YouTube/TheShoot)
The majority of MMA fans and media feel that Fabricio Werdum will likely lose his fight against Fedor Emelianenko on Saturday night. Apparently nobody gave Werdum the memo.
"I know it’s going to be hard but …

(Video courtesy YouTube/TheShoot)

The majority of MMA fans and media feel that Fabricio Werdum will likely lose his fight against Fedor Emelianenko on Saturday night. Apparently nobody gave Werdum the memo.

"I know it’s going to be hard but I know that I can [beat Fedor]," he explains.

Although he is confident about his chances this weekend, Werdum has no illusions of grandeur.

"If I beat Fedor on that night,  I’m better than him that night. I don’t consider myself better than anybody else," he says. "I just know that I have a place on the top. I think to beat Fedor is like having 10 belts in the house."

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Cris Cyborg Lopsided Favorite for the Ages Against Jan Finney in Title Defense

Filed under: Fighting, Strikeforce, NewsWhen Cris “Cyborg” Santos walks into the cage to defend her middleweight title belt against Jan Finney during Saturday’s Strikeforce/M-1: Fedor vs. Werdum event, she will do so as one of the biggest favorites in …

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When Cris “Cyborg” Santos walks into the cage to defend her middleweight title belt against Jan Finney during Saturday’s Strikeforce/M-1: Fedor vs. Werdum event, she will do so as one of the biggest favorites in recent MMA history.

According to one online betting site, Cyborg was as much as a -2500 favorite, which means you’d have to lay down a whopping $2500 for the chance to win just $100. To put that into perspective, even the almighty Fedor Emelianenko is only a -600 favorite over Fabricio Werdum, a big number, but nowhere close to Cyborg’s.

The fact that a title match has such long odds is a rarity in MMA. What’s the reason behind the numbers? Three main things. First, the 9-1 Cyborg has built up a reputation as a wrecking machine, with TKO stoppages in seven of her last eight matches. Second, Finney has a fairly pedestrian 8-7 record, a mark you rarely see in a bout with gold on the line. Third, Finney’s strength is striking, yet most everyone believes Cyborg is the better and more powerful striker of the two. All of that means this is a money line for the history books.

M-1’s Evgeni Kogan Says Fedor Isn’t Retiring or Ducking Alistair Overeem

Filed under: Strikeforce, M-1 Global, NewsFedor Emelianenko was a no-show for Monday’s episode of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, leaving M-1 Global’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan, to answer questions in his stead.

Kogan spent much of his t…

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Fedor Emelianenko was a no-show for Monday’s episode of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, leaving M-1 Global’s Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan, to answer questions in his stead.

Kogan spent much of his time on the show shooting down rumors about M-1 Global’s most famous fighter, saying that he did not think Emelianenko was seriously considering retirement and insisting that neither Emelianenko nor M-1 Global is avoiding a fight with Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem.

“We have no problem with fighting anyone,” Kogan told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. “Fedor doesn’t choose his opponents. He will fight whoever is put in front of him.”