UFC News: Fabricio Werdum Says Fedor Doesn’t Deserve Heavyweight Title Shot, But Is Open To A Rematch With ‘The Last Emperor’
Since Fedor Emelianenko announced that he is planning on coming out of retirement, the one question on every MMA fan’s mind is: will Fedor finally sign with the UFC? Fedor is, without question, the most talented fighter to never step foot inside the octagon, and, if he finally decides to, he could help cement his legacy as the greatest MMA heavyweight of all-time.
Fedor’s run in the United States didn’t really end well, as he lost three fights in a row while fighting under the Strikeforce banner, but he was later able to pick up three wins in a row overseas before he initially decided to hang up the gloves.
One of Fedor’s three loses in Strikeforce came at the hands of the new UFC heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum, who just defeated Cain Velasquez via submission. Fedor is certainly familiar with Werdum’s submission game, as his lost to the new UFC heavyweight champ came by way of submission. It was Fedor’s first loss in nearly a decade.
Now, with all of the talk of Fedor making a comeback, and with the UFC being one of his suitors, there is some talk of Fedor having a rematch with two of the men who beat him in Strikeforce — Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Fabricio Werdum.
While a rematch with Bigfoot is a lot more likely upon Fedor’s MMA return, some do want to see him have a chance to redeem himself against Werdum, but, while he’s open to the idea of a rematch, the UFC heavyweight champ doesn’t think Fedor deserves a shot at his title just yet.
“I don’t think we can do a rematch now because he hasn’t fought in three years. If he signs with the UFC, I don’t know if they would give him a title shot already. I think it would be fair if he fought before, and then he fights for the title.
He lost twice after I beat him, and people forgot him too fast. If you ask around who Fedor is, no one knows. He was undefeated for 10 years, and he needed some rest. It would be cool if the UFC signed him. I would give him a rematch, no doubt.”
There has been some talk of Fedor fighting Cain Velasquez for the next shot at the heavyweight title in his debut fight. However, a rematch with Bigfoot Silva seems more likely at this point.
As of right now, nobody knows which direction Fedor is leaning in. Most people expect he’ll end up signing with the UFC’s rival promotion, Bellator, as Fedor has appeared at several Bellator events, and he has had a good working relationship with Bellator CEO Scott Coker in the past.
[Image via Esther Lin / MMA Fighting]
