M-1: June Targeted for Return of Fedor Emelianenko

[Kemal]

Last summer, Fedor Emelianenko was in the midst of the worst stretch -- the only bad streak, really -- of his career. But the "Last Emperor" wasn't ready to retire, and now he's won two in a row.

He's likely to attempt to add his next victory to his fight ledger in June, according to M-1's global director of operations Evgeni Kogan, who told MMA Fighting that recent rumors of a concrete date and opponent are incorrect.

"We're working towards securing a Fedor fight in Monaco for the summer, sometime around the time when Formula One happens," he said. "Specifically, a little while afterwards." The Formula One racing series is scheduled to make its annual stop through the principality during the period of May 24-27, and Kogan said M-1 was targeting an event "closer to the second week of June."

Kogan noted that neither a date or opponent have yet to be finalized, and that the promotion hopes to officially announce both around mid-March.

Asked about reports that Emelianenko would face former UFC fighter Todd Duffee, Kogan would not confirm or deny any individual rumors.

"The search for the opponent is currently in process with a number of worthy candidates being considered," he said.

In his most recent bout, Emelianenko (33-4, 1 no contest) knocked out former Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii in the first round, his first stoppage win since KO'ing Brett Rogers in November 2009. Prior to defeating Ishii, he earned a unanimous decision over Jeff Monson.

As for a reported thigh injury that hampered Emelianenko in the aftermath of his two fights in two months, Kogan said that the former PRIDE champ is currently in "fine health."

[Shikoku]

Todd Duffee krijgt ze ook maar in de schoot geworpen he..

[YoMarK]

Denk niet dat dit gevecht tegen Duffee gaat plaatsvinden, vind het een vechter die eigenlijk best wel eens heel goed kan zijn, en het management van Fedor weet dit ook. Fedor heeft er niets aan om tegen hem te winnen, en de kans is aanwezig dat ie verliest.
Fedor moet gewoon de sprong wagen en naar de UFC gaan, hij zal geen miljoenencontract meer krijgen, maar Dana wil hem vast nog wel hebben.

[Kemal]

Denk niet dat dit gevecht tegen Duffee gaat plaatsvinden, vind het een vechter die eigenlijk best wel eens heel goed kan zijn, en het management van Fedor weet dit ook. Fedor heeft er niets aan om tegen hem te winnen, en de kans is aanwezig dat ie verliest.
Fedor moet gewoon de sprong wagen en naar de UFC gaan, hij zal geen miljoenencontract meer krijgen, maar Dana wil hem vast nog wel hebben.

Daar ben ik het mee eens, zal wel weer leuke partijen opleveren dan..

[nick diaz]

Fedor Emelianenko's next fight possible for June in Monaco

Former Strikeforce heavyweight attraction and longtime PRIDE FC champion Fedor Emelianenko is ready to get back into action this summer, kicking off a 2012 fight campaign that could see him serve as the encore to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monaco.That's according to Evgeni Kogan, director of operations for M-1 Global, who told MMA Fighting that Emelianenko is in "fine health" and ready to compete in June.

"We're working towards securing a Fedor fight in Monaco for the summer, sometime around the time when Formula One happens. Specifically, a little while afterwards ... closer to the second week of June. The search for the opponent is currently in process with a number of worthy candidates being considered."

One of those candidates, according to the latest fan outburst on Twitter rumors, is UFC washout Todd Duffee, who is coming off back-to-back knockout losses to Mike Russow and Alistair Overeem.

Emelianenko snapped a three-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Jeff Monson last November, before making it two in a row with a first round knockout finish of judo expert Satoshi Ishii in the DREAM: "Genki Desu Ka Omisoka" year-end MMA extravaganza in Japan.While his stateside appeal has dropped significantly, it's not unreasonable to think he can continue putting butts in the seats overseas -- as long as he keeps winning.Anyone heavyweights out there not on the ZUFFA roster that might be a good match-up for the Sambo specialist in Monaco?