Weighing the Options of Fedor Emelianenko (In the UFC)

We’ve all heard the rumors: Fedor Emelianenko is apparently in serious talks with the UFC. After years of waiting and a 2012 retirement that choked the life from whatever hope we had left, the legendary heavyweight’s pen now floats just inches from the dotted line.

Of course, until that pen touches paper, this all remains speculation. Yes, Fedor has personally confirmed his planned return to competition. And yes, Bellator president Scott Coker—the only other man in the running for Fedor’s services—has confirmed that his organization is currently not pursuing the Russian great. And finally, it’s true that on Monday morning, UFC president Dana White left a cheeky little winky face in the comment section of an Instagram post by an unverified Fedor Emelianenko account. But, as fight fans, we know better than to get too excited about such things until they’re actually, truly, 100% confirmed. We don’t offer up our trust so easily. We’ve been hurt before…

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Of course, that doesn’t mean the possibility of Fedor’s long-awaited arrival to the UFC isn’t fun to think about. Sure, he experienced a pretty severe career derailment in 2010 and 2011, losing to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Dan Henderson in that stretch, but he did bounce back nicely thereafter, defeating Jeff Monson, Satoshi Ishii and Pedro Rizzo before closing the curtains on his career. And while the latter three men don’t exactly scream “elite competition,” the fact is that Fedor emerges from his retirement on a three-fight streak—and the causes for optimism don’t end there. Combine his modest momentum with that fact that any nagging injuries he had are now undoubtedly healed, and the fact that he now trains alongside fellow monsters like Bellator heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov, and suddenly, his success in the UFC looks like a viable outcome. And while his detractors aren’t wrong to bring up the fact that at 38, he’s no spring chicken, don’t forget that reigning heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum is the same age.

So, assuming Fedor does finally sign with the UFC, and that he’s still capable of hanging with the sport’s top players, who does UFC matchmaker Joe Silva pair him with? Well, as you may have guessed, the choices are numerous. Let’s take a look at some of the cooler ones.

First and foremost is the fight that Fedor’s die-hard fans are clamoring for: a rematch with Fabricio Werdum, the man who in 2010 put an end to the Russian’s ridiculous streak. Of course, the problems with this prospective matchup, at least at this stage, are obvious. Werdum is currently the world’s number-one-ranked heavyweight, while Fedor exited ranking lists years ago. Furthermore, Werdum is the UFC heavyweight champion, and currently has his hands full not just with former champion Cain Velasquez, but contenders Andrei Arlovski, Junior Dos Santos and Stipe Miocic. Yes, Werdum-Fedor 2 would be a big-ticket rematch, but at this stage, it’s not really a fight the Russian has earned. Legend or not, nobody likes a line-jumper.

So if not Werdum, then who? Well, another loss that Fedor fans would like to see avenged is his 2011 defeat to Bigfoot, and unlike a rematch with Werdum, this fight actually makes some sense from a rankings standpoint. Bigfoot, after all, currently resides just outside the heavyweight top-10 and as such represents a more realistic welcome committee for Fedor. And of course, this fight also comes with a built-in revenge storyline. Yet as we now know, Bigfoot is headed to Australia for a different rematch, as he and Mark Hunt are penciled in for rounds 6-8 at UFC 193 in November.

So, perhaps rematches aren’t the way to go for Fedor. After all, nothing would deflate the legend’s comeback faster than falling to an old foe for a second time. Instead, it might be better to shepherd the heavyweight great toward fresh opponents; fighters he has not yet shared the canvas with. Down this avenue, he has no fewer possibilities.

A fight with Cain Velasquez for example (should he come up short in his rematch with Werdum) would be an interesting route. And while it would represent a seriously stark test for the returning Fedor, it is a fight that his camp campaigned for back in 2011. A fight with Alistair Overeem (whatever the outcome of his December bout with Junior Dos Santos) would be similarly exciting. When Overeem and Fedor competed in Strikeforce, a fight between the two was the organization’s heavyweight holy grail, and though it never happened under that banner, it would be no less compelling today. Finally, a fight with Frank Mir (whether he wins or loses against Andrei Arlovski this weekend) would also make an attractive “welcome back” for Fedor.

Yet perhaps the soundest choice for Fedor is a rematch—though not of a fight he lost. You all know exactly what’s being suggested here: a second date with former Pride rival, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. The two shared the cage back in 2005 in what was arguably the biggest heavyweight fight of all time, and now that both are poised to make unlikely, late-career returns to prominence, the opportunity for a historic rematch suddenly presents itself.

Now, we know that Cro Cop is currently booked for a bout with Anthony Hamilton on November 28. However, this is a fight that, with no disrespect intended to Mr. Hamilton, very few fans were actually clamoring for. Really, it’s a suspiciously strange booking, and one that could very easily be scrapped should Fedor touch pen to paper. Yes, Fedor vs. Cro Cop 2 makes sense from a rankings stand-point, it’s historically relevant, and it would have legions of old-school fight fans throwing their wallets at their TV screens. At this stage, it’s the most logical choice for both men.

Then again, let us reiterate: until the contract is signed, Fedor Emelianenko remains a free agent who could, in theory, be scooped up by another opportunistic organization. But the fact remains: the UFC is where the fans want to see him, and within its hallowed Octagon there is a smorgasbord of compelling matchmaking options waiting for him.