Report: Fabricio Werdum Says it Would be “Cool” if UFC Signs Fedor Emelianenko, Open to Rematch
By FCF Staff
As the MMA world waits to see where Fedor Emelianenko ends up for his comeback, the man who ended “The Last Emperor’s” historic run in 2010, says it would be “cool” if the heavyweight signs with the UFC.
That man, of course, is the promotion’s heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum. The latter submitted Fedor at a Strikeforce card in 2010, and in doing so, became the first man to defeat the Russian in ten years.
More recently, Emelianenko announced he’s returning to fighting, after initially hanging up the gloves in 2012. The former PRIDE champ has relayed that he’s in talks with the UFC, and when Werdum was asked to weigh-in on the situation recently, he stated (quote via MMA Fighting.com):
“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.”
Werdum also said, however, that he doesn’t believe Fedor should be granted an immediate title shot, since Emelianenko hasn’t fought in several years.
The 38 year-old went 1-3 during his run with Strikeforce, and then went 3-0 while competing for M-1 Global. Werdum, meanwhile, is coming off a submission win over Cain Velasquez in June to become heavyweight champion.