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.

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As a result of a shoulder injury, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout with Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira at UFC 114. TMZ.com was first to report on Griffin’s injury, but a formal announcement has not been made.

Griffin last competed at UFC 106 in November and picked up a hard-fought Split Decision victory in his rematch with fellow ex-champ Tito Ortiz. Prior to the fight, Griffin had lost back-to-back fights by knockout to “Sugar” Rashad Evans and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

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In a month of MMA that won’t soon be forgotten, April featured the crowning of new titleholders while other champions retained their spots at the top of the division. Strikeforce champs Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Jake Shields and Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez all surge ahead in the rankings.

The women’s division also sees a number of significant changes as new faces join the ranks while others fall due to inactivity. With former top star Miku “Supernova” Matsumoto’s retirement, her spot is vacated and a busy month of May could determine a new contender in the flyweight division.

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New Mexico native Angela Magana has withdrawn from her upcoming 115-pound fight with U.K. standout Rosi Sexton at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 37: “Right To Fight” in Birmingham, England. In her place, Japanese contender Emi Fujino will step in to challenge Sexton on the card.

Magana hopes to return to competition in the coming weeks and may take part in the filming of the revived Ultimate Women’s Challenge reality show. In the meantime, Fujino and Sexton will square off at the May 22nd CWFC event, which is the promotion’s first fight card since January 2009.

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An on-again, off-again rematch between welterweight standouts Thiago “Pitbull” Alves and Jon Fitch has once again been postponed. The planned bout, which has already been pushed back on three occasions, will now take place at UFC 117. MMAFighting.com first reported on the change.

The latest postponement stems from recent surgery that Alves underwent in order to correct a minor irregularity in his brain. The issue was discovered during pre-fight testing for his scheduled rematch with Fitch at UFC 115. Fitch went on to defeat late replacement Ben “Killa B” Saunders.

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Raging Wolf Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexis Davis will return to action on May 8th when she defends her title against late replacement Tonya Evinger. The bout, to be contested at 135 pounds, will headline RW 7: “Mayhem In The Mist 3” in Niagara Falls, New York.

Davis captured the title last October with a five-round decision victory over Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel and most recently engaged in a competitive battle with Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler in Freestyle Cage Fighting. Evinger enters the fight in place of an injured Elaina Maxwell.

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A 195-pound catchweight between former EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and former Strikeforce 205-pound champ Renato “Babalu” Sobral will headline Strikeforce: “Live” at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Sherdog.com first reported on the June 16th matchup.

Lawler was initially thought to be facing Jason “Mayhem” Miller in a rematch on the card, but Miller’s post-fight antics following Strikeforce: “Shields vs Henderson” on CBS could result in a suspension. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker opted not to use Miller in the main event.

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Japanese superstar Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto will no longer compete on the upcoming Strikeforce St.Louis: “Heavy Artillery” card. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news today and stated that Yamamoto may be a part of Dream.14 on May 29th in Saitama, Japan.

Yamamoto was scheduled to face Federico “Kiko” Lopez on the undercard of “Heavy Artillery,” but the cancellation of DREAM’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix has left Dream.14 with just four confirmed fights. Yamamoto may now be brought in for the DREAM event, but it is not yet confirmed.

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