Harrie Nak
25-07-2010, 10:00
"It doesn't have to be Overeem," said Coker this week. "It could be (Antonio) 'Big Foot' Silva or maybe (Sergei) Kharitonov."
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Silva outboxed former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski to a unanimous decision victory at Strikeforce "Heavy Artillery" on May 15 in St. Louis. Kharitonov, the promotion's most recent heavyweight acquisition, was an active fixture of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and dropped a first-round submission loss to Jeff Monson at Dream 8 in April 2009.
Of all the possibilities, Coker was certain who Emelianenko wouldn't meet next, though.
"It's not Fabricio Werdum," he said. "He already beat (Fedor). To me, it's only been a month (since the first fight). We saw the Werdum fight already. I think when they eventually hook up and fight again, it will be an amazing fight and event."
Coker knocked rumors that a proposed Overeem-Emelianenko match served to lock the Russian into a "champion's clause," a component of standard contracts that makes it difficult for a fighter to exit a promotion once he wins a title.
"That's not it at all," said Coker. "Depending on if there's any future fights, if he fights Overeem, it might not be a title fight. It doesn't have to be (for the title). If Fedor is on his last fight with us, we wouldn't make it a title fight with Alistair. But why shouldn't that fight happen regardless?"
When asked what might transpire if M-1 Global is adamant that their client only face Werdum next, Coker had a stern reply.
"I just don't think they'll have a choice," he said.
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Silva outboxed former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski to a unanimous decision victory at Strikeforce "Heavy Artillery" on May 15 in St. Louis. Kharitonov, the promotion's most recent heavyweight acquisition, was an active fixture of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and dropped a first-round submission loss to Jeff Monson at Dream 8 in April 2009.
Of all the possibilities, Coker was certain who Emelianenko wouldn't meet next, though.
"It's not Fabricio Werdum," he said. "He already beat (Fedor). To me, it's only been a month (since the first fight). We saw the Werdum fight already. I think when they eventually hook up and fight again, it will be an amazing fight and event."
Coker knocked rumors that a proposed Overeem-Emelianenko match served to lock the Russian into a "champion's clause," a component of standard contracts that makes it difficult for a fighter to exit a promotion once he wins a title.
"That's not it at all," said Coker. "Depending on if there's any future fights, if he fights Overeem, it might not be a title fight. It doesn't have to be (for the title). If Fedor is on his last fight with us, we wouldn't make it a title fight with Alistair. But why shouldn't that fight happen regardless?"
When asked what might transpire if M-1 Global is adamant that their client only face Werdum next, Coker had a stern reply.
"I just don't think they'll have a choice," he said.