Following weeks of speculation and contract renegotiations, the number one heavyweight in the world, “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko, will return to action on June 26th against Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum. Strikeforce and M-1 Global confirmed the bout today, as well as the co-promoted June 26th event in San Jose, California.
Speculation had surrounded Emelianenko’s future after M-1 executives engaged in a round of contract tweaks with Strikeforce management, but the two sides reached an agreement to bring Emelianenko back to action.
Emelianenko (31-1-0, 1 NC) became a legend in Pride Fighting Championships, where he competed among the best heavyweights in the sport for many years. He made his Strikeforce debut in November and knocked out current title challenger Brett “The Grim” Rogers in the second round. Emelianenko’s lone career defeat came via controversial cut stoppage from an illegal elbow in a bout with Tsuyoshi “TK” Kohsaka in late 2000. The stoic Russian later avenged the loss in dominant fashion and, save for a No Contest in 2004, has won every other mixed martial arts bout in his storied career.
Werdum (13-4-1) also rose to fame in PRIDE, where he scored wins over the likes of current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem and Emelianenko’s brother, Aleksander. He later moved on to the UFC and defeated Gabriel “Napão” Gonzaga for the second time, but was ousted from the promotion after a shocking upset loss to Junior “Cigano” dos Santos. Werdum is 2-0 inside the Strikeforce cage and is coming off of a solid victory over Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in November. The jiu-jitsu ace will look to pick up a monumental upset win when he clashes with Emelianenko.
While the event has not yet been officially named, Emelianenko and Werdum will square off in the main event of a Strikeforce and M-1 Global co-promoted card on June 26th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. The event will air live on Showtime.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)