Former PRIDE heavyweight champ Fedor Emelianenko after his fight with Hong Man Choi at the Yarennoka! show in Japan on New Year's Eve. Could somebody get Van Damme out of there???
From MMA Junkie:
Randy Couture wants the fight. Fedor Emeliananeko wants it too. And according to the top-ranked Russian fighter, he fully expects the heavyweight battle to happen sometime soon.
While being interviewed for Monday’s “Yarennoka!” event in Japan, Emeliananeko was asked about the likelihood of him facing Couture in the next year. Couture, the UFC’s heavyweight champion, resigned from the organization in October but has recently stated that he wants to fight Emeliananeko. The 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer says it’s the one final thing he wants to accomplish before he retires.
Emelianenko loves the idea.
“I respect him very much, and it’s going to be a great honor to fight with him,” Emelianenko said in the interview. “I would also like to wait for that opportunity.“
So Emelianenko, who recently signed a non-exclusive deal with the restructured M-1 Global organization, expects it to happen?
“Yes, I think so,” he said. “The fight will take place.“
Ted's Take: We'll see. I don't think the UFC is going to let a draw like Randy go quietly. If I remember right, Randy said he plans to wait until his contract ends (later this year), but I see the UFC warming up their lawyers for a court battle, saying Couture should fight his last two fights. Who really knows what the contract stipulates?
Say Randy wins in court - I wonder if the UFC will cave and set up the fight, regardless of how "crazy" Dana White thinks "the Russians" are at negotiations. It's either that, or be left out in the cold for arguably the biggest fight in MMA history so far.
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