Fedor Emelianenko Free To Fight Randy Couture In The UFC
The long-awaited matchup between UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture and former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko has one less road block than originally believed.
M-1 Director of Operations Joost Raimond told USA Today on Thursday that Emelianenko’s current contracts with M-1 and Affliction wouldn’t prevent a potential bout against Randy Couture from taking place in the UFC.
The contracts that Fedor has at this point in time would allow for such a fight to take place, and specifically the Randy fight,” said Raimond, “so we’re free to make that happen if the opportunity presents itself.”
Though Raimond concluded by saying that the UFC isn’t “in the game plan” for the immediate future, Emelianenko’s contracts with other promotions, namely Affliction, were expected to be one of the biggest hurdles in signing a future fight between Emelianenko and Couture.
this is good news…i think brock will prepare randy good for fedor…but by the time they fight fedor will have the advantage because randy is not getting any younger…at this point in randy’s career it is too much of a risk…he hasn’t really been challenged in the last couple years…soo we dont really know how he will do against real competition…hopefully brock turns out to be as good as we all hope…then we can really see how randy does against a top fighter…judging from his next fight….he should make the decision wheter to fight fedor or just let it go…
this is nuts…cant wait for all this to go down
I think many people already knew that. That is why I was confused when I heard Dana saying that Fedor is under contract and that is a problem.
Do you realy think that Dana did not know the terms of Fedor’s contract when avarage fans like me knew it.
And what about Randy who spent time talking whith Fedor, Randy didn’t know that or Fedor Didn’t tell Randy!
Fedor wants to compete in “Sambo” and that was one reason why he refused to sign with the ufc. Because the UFC wanted to sign Fedor to a contract where he would not be allowed to fight for any other promotion and not even compete in “Sambo”.
So now, are Dana and the UFC going to sign Fedor and allow him to compete where ever he wants? I hope so.
So now does this mean NOG gets shoved aside ? There should be no randy - fedor talk until randy beats the obsticals in front of him .And like rhymeskill and i have said he’s getting too old to be a serious threat to fedor .personally I think Randy will ge beat badly in one of his next couple of fights and that will be the end of it.I dont believe tht fedor is invincible but he is good enough to beat whats out there right now . I wonder how a roger gracie vs fedor fight will look say four years from now . roger may turn out to be the one after some in ring seasoning .
When Randy beat Gabriel Gonzaga, he beat the WORLD heavyweight Ju Juitsui champion, who not only outweighed randy by twenty odd pounds but under aged randy by twenty years. Not to mention the fact that He’d just flat lined one of the most ferocious kick boxers on the planet. When Randy TKO’d Gonzoga, the general consensus was “Oh, who didn’t see that coming?” The talk before that fight was entirely different. The majority vote was that Napo was younger, stronger, faster, and had more than enough experience to end Randy’s career once and for all. On paper, Randy was toast. As he was during his first fight against Chuck, his fight with Tito, and both fights with Vitor Belfort. I think the only reason people gave him a shot against Tim Sylvia is because people simply don’t like Tim Sylvia. Don’t forget that Randy walked into both his fights with Tim and Gabriel a “should be” retired 44 year old Hall of Fame fighter, and out of both fights the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. Randy’s greatest strength has always been his game plan. He is the General Eisenhower of MMA. If anyone thinks that Randy won’t walk into his fight with Brock Lesner with a water tight game plan, you are mistaken. Look at “The Superhero” Brock Lesner’s only two fights in the UFC. (1) A submission loss to Frank Mir; and (2) A Unanimous decision over Heath Herring. He didn’t EXPLODE onto the scene. He didn’t prove himself to be the best of the best. He beat up Heath Herring. How many people in MMA pounded Heath Herring and were automatically deemed top of the heap? Yes Brock is young, yes he may very well be the strongest man in the heavyweight division, and arguably one of the best wrestler, but he certainly isn’t going to overwhelm Randy Couture. There are more than enough holes in his technique for Randy to capitalize on. We may not see them through his size and strength, but be sure Randy does. Fighting Randy Couture is like walking into a booby-trapped house. It doesn’t matter how big and strong you are when an anvil lands on your head. In my humble opinion, it isn’t Randy that will be relying on luck. Then again… Maybe I’m wrong.
The fight of the future for Fedor will be Brock Lesnar after Lesnar gets a lesson from Randy and Big Nog and others. He has to learn some Jui Jitsu before he goes after Fedor, but when he does learn how to defend an armbar or kneebar or RNC and he learns how to transition from wrestling to Jiu jitsu and get the submission, then he’ll be ready and Fedor will be fighting somebody like he’s never seen before.
Ya just gotta admire a man of conviction! Andrew, nicely said…
Randy vs. Brock… Silva vs. Jackson… Tonight, Liddell vs. Evans… on the horizon, Couture vs. Big Nog or Mir and then Couture vs. Fedor… Are there any MMA fans wanting to see any of those fights?… my goodness… Now I’d like to see a fight between Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson set up… What else do we want to see?
I wouldn’t want to see that fight again (henderson/a. silva).
I want to see an awesome replacement for Machida. Perhaps Machida vs Shogun Rua. Being how the fight between Rampage and Wanderlei is nearly finalized, I’d be happy to see Shogun face off against Machida.
Liddell/Griffin
Liddell/Silva 2
GSP/A. Silva
GSP/Penn
Couture/Emelianenko
Liddell Griffin sounds good to me. I still want to see Anderson Silva get tested and the only guy that can do that as a MW is Henderson. I think henderson would win that fight. I’d also lkike to see Machida Rua. That would also be a great matchup, but I’m afraid Machida would come up with a back injury right before that fight.
… a side note. Randy has been “too old to be a serious threat” since UFC 43 in June, 2003. If a five round flawless decision victory over a 6′8, 265 lb monster (who is not only 15 years his junior, but is also currently defending his SECOND Heavyweight title) and a third round TKO victory over a human wrecking ball deemed the “Next Big Thing in the UFC Heavyweight Division - Joe Rogan”, at age 44 aren’t enough to prove his ever improving arsenal, what will be? If he beats Brock… He’ll be to old to beat Nougeria, If he beats Nougiera, he’ll be to old to beat Fedor, if he beats Fedor, he’ll be to old to beat a Gorilla… When will it end? Does he have to win a title from the grave? I guess I should just get used to the “Randy is too old” fetish, because I’ve been hearing it for the past six years. In the meantime, I challenge anyone reading this to review Randy’s fight record and pin-point when he’d gotten “too old”. And before anyone says “The Second Chuck fight!” Need I remind you… He still holds the undisputed UFC Heavyweight title belt.
yes now its hopfully being sooner randy has his chance and its in the octagon UFC.
UFC is going to be the top business in the world of MMA!!!! i hope randy beats lesnar and fedor!
UFC 100 here we go. Let the hype machine roll!!!!
I think Brock probably knows enough BJJ to make it a nightmare for Randy now. It was the Adrenaline dump that he had to get over and this being his third UFC fight the nerves may be down.
I hope the Fedor Randy fight goes down sooner rather than later…I don’t want the hype to ruin it…
Dana’s not going to allow Fedor and Randy to fight unless Fedor signs with UFC. Dana isn’t about to promote and hype Fedor when he’s associated with M-1 and affliction. He said it so himself the other day.
So unless Fedor signs with the UFC and the UFC alone we won’t see him fight any of the UFC fighters under contract.
And Fedor’s not going to sign because (one of the several) sticking points Dana won’t allow Fedor to fight in Sambo competition while under contract with the UFC.
it amazes me to see people who don’t get it, On any given night….one punch….ask Chuck, shut up and enjoy the greatest sport in our time, modern day gladiators who respect each other, (most of the time) and have clueless morons believe that you can predict…when one swing of an arm,,, one kick, ask Mirco…. can end it…ask Chuck..remember the champ Matt Sera… beat GSP…
I can’t understand why Fedor wouldn’t WANT to fight in the UFC. It would be like being offered a contract with NASCAR and saying “No thanks, I’d rather keep driving a taxi.” There is more to his reluctance than meets the eye. Yeah he may like to compete in Sambo, he may want to fight with K-1, but it doesn’t make sense why he would keep rejecting contracts with the UFC. I’d like to buy a Harley some day; that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn down a free Porsche in order to get it. Sombo, Affliction, K-1… these are all secondary sources. These are venues people compete in, in order to secure a contract with the UFC. Here is a fitting analogy. He reminds me of a guy I knew growing up. He was so wrapped up with being the toughest kid in the school, that he INTENTIONALLY failed every year of Junior High, so he could retain his status. If he’d gone to high school… he may have been able to take on a few people, but he wouldn’t be able to contend with the real tough guys. By the way… he is rounding thirty with a grade 9 education. True story. The moral is, I think Fedor is afraid to taint his image. He knows he can keep beating nobodies and has-beens, because he is a big fish in a small pond. Throw him in the ocean and see how long his tough guy reputation lasts. Remember how tough Cro Cop and Shogun were?
they weren’t that tough to me…
anyway this fight between randy and fedor would make UFC huge!!
Dietrich,
What?,
Lesnar doesn’t know any BJJ. If he did he would of choked out Herring when he had his back.
Dolfan,
I’d like to see Nate Marquardt get another shot at Silva. Nate looks as if he has become stronger and more explosive in his last 2-3 fights. I still do not see anyone beating Silva any time soon….I’m just saying…I’d like to see the rematch.
i dont think he could fit his huge arm under herring neck anyway!! hahaha lesnar is so massive and now he is gonna face couture for the title i dont get how he doesrve a title shot anyway just beating herring his not that good to me
and i think couture is gonna beat lesnar
I want to see Fedor in the UFC and the UFC HW divison to transform into something bigger/better.
I figure with the WEC LHWs moving into the UFC a few fighters could probably move up to HW. Better for the fighters and division in many cases. Just to have a HW division with:
Couture, Lesnar, Liddell(move up), Kongo, Gonzaga, Mir, Nog…..FEDOR! The top of the division could turn around quickly with some more depth.
ya fedor coming and hopfully staying would become awesome ufc is really become the top mma organization i hope couture beats fedor i know he would beat him if he was like 5 years younger
i agree i think chuck should move up a wieght class since he starting to get old if you dont have to cut wieght that will help alot
Fedor Emilianenko vs Anderson Sylva at UFC 100 for the First Cruiser Weight Title. Think about it… as they stand (before Anderson Sylva cuts weight) they are only 10 pounds in the difference. Anderson is a natural 210 lbs… Fedor is about 220 - 225. Why not? Get them to meet at 195 for the first ever UFC cruiser weight title. How intense would that fight be?
To note… Rich Franklin and Fedor are the same natural weight.
DB!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU…!!!
U SAID IT PERFECT!!
YOU CAN NOT PREDICT A FIGHT…
I feel like I’m in Bizzaro World… I still can’t believe that Evans KO’d Liddell… I didn’t get to see it YET, but as I understand it, Evans ICED the Iceman.
I don’t think Anderson Silva would be a match for Fedor in any sense of the word. Fedor is so much stronger than Silva it just wouldn’t be much of a match at all. Silva would have to Machida him in order to not get KO’d.
Maybe the fight that we need to see is Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Henderson and the winner gets a rematch with Silva. I still think Henderson will win the rematch. As I’ve said many times before, I hate that pound for pound thing because it really doesn’t mean anything at all, but if I was pressured to pick the best pound for pound fighters my first 2 picks would be BJ Penn and Dan Henderson. Everybody can have an off night… except for Fedor, of course… and I guess Evans… gesshhh…
I think it would be a great match. Skill and speed, vs Skill and Power. Height vs Mass. Kickboxing w/Jui Jitsui vs Jui Jitsui w/Kickboxing. In order for Fedor to grab Anderson, he has to risk the fight… In order for Anderson to connect with Fedor, HE would have to risk the fight. These guys are the Number one and Number two ranked Pound for Pound fighters in the world and they are only a weight class away from eachother. If anyone thinks that Fedor would walk through Silva, you are kidding yourself. I think Fedor may be one of the only people capable of beating him. Also on the list (within a reasonable weight district) are GSP, Rampage, Forrest, Rashad, and Randy. I would never say, pin him against Brock Lesnar or Andrei Arlovski, but i really think that these are perfectly reasonable.