Fedor Emelianenko will NOT RETIRE, expected to compete in Russia and Japan

[Devilprince]

In his first interview since July 30th Strikeforce card, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko shared thoughts about a wide array of topics. Emelianenko discussed the future of his MMA career, Dana White's "you're fired" comments, the critique towards his training partners, and the birth of his third daughter.

In his last fight, Emelianenko was TKO'd by fellow former PRIDE Champion Dan Henderson, in what was his third consecutive defeat in Strikeforce. UFC President Dana White immediately declared that "The Last Emperor" will no longer compete for Strikeforce, by this ending Fedor's unsuccessful 1-3 run in the U.S during 2010-2011.

However, the man who remained undefeated for 10 years is far from hanging up his gloves.

According M-1 Global's official press release, the company is currently looking to organize a fight for thirty-four year old Emelianenko in Russia, as well as in Japan on the traditionall stacked New Year's Eve fight card.

Here's the selected quotes of what "The Last Emperor" had to say to Russia 2 Channel about Dana White, his future, training partners and Herb Dean's early stoppage.

A lot of people are arguing about the stoppage in your last fight with Dan Henderson. Do you think the referee made the right call to stop the fight?
I think the fight was stopped early. But that's my opinion. We all know that the referees are trying to protect fighters from serious injuries. I don't want to judge anyone. The refereeing was fair, and if there was some sort of mistake, I don't think it was intentional.

Would you like to have a rematch with Dan Henderson?
Rematch… I want to fight. But you know, I currently have other things on my mind. I have a new daughter. There were some health issues in my family, but thank God, everything is alright.

What would you like to do after retiring from the sport? Is that something that already crosses your mind?
I would like to continue fighting. But after that, I would definitely share knowledge with younger fighters. And of course, I will try to find myself and be useful for my country.

Some people say that you should "buy" new sparring partners in order to improve as a fighter. What do you think about such statements?
I believe in our guys. I see their future, and believe in their abilities to achieve great things in this sport. That's why I don't want to "buy" anyone. There's a lot of unnecessary talk about my training partners. I don't want to blame anyone for my streak of defeats. Everyone trained hard so I could achieve positive results.

According to Dana White, you were fired from Strikeforce. Is there any truth in this statement?

That's Dana White's style to make comments. I didn't have a contract with Strikeforce. My current contract is with Showtime. So I think people shouldn't pay attention to these "loud" comments.
I don't have any obligations for UFC or Strikeforce. Our new contract ensures we don't have to work directly with these organizations. We have already experienced certain difficulties while working with PRIDE and Affliction. We are trying to avoid any unpleasant consequences.

Fedor about Henderson
"He asked me not to retire, and to continue fighting. [Dan Henderson] thanked me for fighting him, and said that he has been following my career in Mixed Martial Arts," said Fedor, who immediately related to the decision making process about his possible retirement. "If God wants, we'll continue fighting. Right now, I just want to be with my family, and my new-born daughter."



Fedor Emelianenko: I want to continue fighting | Strikeforce News | LowKick.com