While most fans and pundits have been shocked by the return of former Pride heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, a heavyweight MMA legend himself, “wasn’t surprised”.
“He was on a bad streak, and I don’t think he gets a lot of support from the people that represent him,” Couture told MMA Fighting. “I’m surprised it’s taken this long, frankly. But, who knows? He’s 38 years old, certainly not outside the realm of possibility for him to make another strong run at it.”
The rumor mill is already spinning wild about when, where and who Fedor will be fighting after his three year absence. And Couture’s name keeps popping up time and time again. 2007, in their prime, both men reigned the world’s two leading mixed martial arts promotions, Pride and the UFC. A superfight between the two heavyweight champions has often been talked about, but never materialized. Now with both being free agents, a fight between them is more likely than ever, but since Couture retired four years ago, it’s also as unlikely as ever before at the same time.
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The former two-division UFC champion already stated that he would have to “think hard” about a comeback of his own, while many are hoping for Fedor to finally sign with the UFC now. Should he decide to do so, many interesting match-ups would be possible, from Pride-flair fights against Mirko Cro Cop, Rodrigo Nogueira or Mark Hunt, to a long awaited scrap with Josh Barnett or even a rematch against now-UFC champion Fabricio Werdum. But should he sign with Zuffa, Couture, who always had a tense relationship with UFC president Dana White and fell from grace completely after he started to work together with Bellator, wouldn’t be an option anymore.
“You never say never — you never say ‘no, I’m not going to do that,'” he said. “But I’m very, very happy being retired doing all the other stuff I’m doing. If the stars align and the right situation came up… you know, Fedor’s not a cheap ticket. So I don’t know who’s going to pay that price right now. Especially considering how things ended for him, so I’m not sure it will be Viacom or Bellator, which seems like the most logical place. I know there’s new organizations coming out in Japan in the new year, and he’s built a huge name there. Maybe they have the pockets for it. I know the UFC would like to get it done, and more than likely I’m out if that’s the case.”
MMA Hour: Fedor Emelianenko’s manager discusses what comes next