Fedor Emelianenko (31-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) will in the coming week decide what his immediate future holds in Strikeforce, according to a source close to the fighter.
While speculation on Emelianenko’s next opponent has centered around current heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem or a rematch with Fabricio Werdum, the source said a contest with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (14-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) on Dec. 4 is currently on the table for the Russian’s final fight on his current Strikeforce contract.
They also caught up with Scott Coker in an attempt to confirm:
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker earlier told MMAjunkie.com that Emelianenko’s return date has not been determined, though he said it would likely be “later” than the promotion’s next major event, which is currently planned for Oct. 9 in San Jose, Calif.
Coker also told Sherdog.com that Silva was among three fighters (along with recent signee Sergei Kharitonov and Overeem) under consideration to meet Emelianenko.
A fight with Silva would represent much more of a “rebound” fight than a rematch with Werdum or a bout with Alistair Overeem.
There are a few different ways to look at the bout based purely on speculation. You could look at this as a sign that Fedor will not be re-upping his contract with Strikeforce and the promotion doesn’t want one of their top two heavyweights at risk to pick up a loss. Or you could view this as proof that Strikeforce and Fedor’s camp are working out a new, long-term deal (as reported last week) and this is a bout to rebuild Fedor for the big two Strikeforce heavyweights.
When it comes to the Russians, I’m just done trying to guess.