Lashley wants Fedor?

Pride legend Fedor Emelianenko is in contract negotiations to face off with former Strikeforce heavyweight Bobby Lashley.

"The guy's got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt...I'd like to fight him,” Lashley said about "The Last Emperor" in an interview with Fighters Only.

Lashley says that his name is on a short list of potential opponents, and he likes how he matches up with the fighter who went nearly a decade without losing a fight.

“I think that my wrestling would trump some of the things that he has," Lashley said.

While he is no spring chicken at 35 years old, the hulking heavyweight still wants to fight the elite opponents MMA has to offer.

“I wanna fight the best, so if I have an opportunity to fight Fedor, let's do it. If I have an opportunity to fight anyone right now let’s just damn do it.”

"I know he's a great fighter, but if I fought him then of course I'm going to try and wrestle him down... If it was Dave Batista [Bautista], I'm standing and banging with him. I've been doing a lot of boxing," he added.

Batista, Lashley's fellow former WWE star, has been rumored to be a future MMA opponent of Lashley for some time now. While the fight has yet to materialize, Lashley still expressed interest in the possibility.

“I know a lot of people are looking at that fight and saying I shouldn't take it, but that's the entertainment aspect of [MMA]. If the wrestling fans want that then it's an opportunity for me to have a fight, which will probably warrant a good amount of money... I'll take that fight, no
problem.”

Lashley made his MMA debut in December of 2008 when he scored a TKO over Joshua Franklin, and has since beefed-up his record to 7-1.

His sole loss came at the hands of Chad "The Grave Digger" Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston in August 2010.

Meanwhile, Emelianenko looked to be on the brink of retirement after dropping three Strikeforce bouts in a row and being cut from the promotion last year.

However, he returned to the independent scene and is riding a two-fight win streak with consecutive victories over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii.

Fedor Emelianenko possible as Strikeforce's 'plus-one' Heavyweight for New Champion

The Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix will come to a conclusion, and the entire division then will be sent to the UFC.



But first, the tournament champion – either Josh Barnett or Daniel Cormier – will get one more Strikeforce fight against an opponent to be determined.

While Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said some of those options were eliminated when the UFC gobbled up a handful of Strikeforce fighters for upcoming cards, one famous Russian remains a possibility.

Following Saturday's "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event in Las Vegas, Coker discussed the upcoming conclusion of the heavyweight tournament and the possible return of eliminated tourney fighter Fedor Emelianenko. The eight-man tournament began nearly a year ago, and if Cormier's hand is healed in time, it could conclude at a March event in Ohio.

"I'd like to get the tournament done," Coker said. "We started this in February (of 2010). I was hoping at most it'd take us a year. ... But we'll get it done."

The tournament, of course, is closing on a bit of a confusing note. When then-heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem was pulled from the tourney (and ultimately signed by the UFC), officials shot down the possibility of the tourney winner getting the vacant belt. Then to add another head-scratcher to the situation, officials said the tourney winner will fight one more time before being moved to the UFC.

Coker said there is a reason for that.

"Showtime and Strikeforce put a lot of resources behind this heavyweight tournament," he said. "I think it was a historical day in New Jersey last year with all eight guys there. I think that lineup was impressive. I think we had an amazing heavyweight division. [Showtime] put a lot of resources behind it, and so did Strikeforce. So they felt like, 'Look, let the tournament final happen and have one more fight. That kind of puts an exclamation (point) on the division for Strikeforce.' And then let them go to the UFC and have some good fights there."

Recently, Strikeforce fighters such as Fabricio Werdum (eliminated in the tourney opener), Chad Griggs (tourney reserve), Shawn Jordan and Lavar Johnson have been booked for UFC fights. Admittedly, that affected Coker's plans for the "plus-one fight" planned for the tourney champion.

"I had a few ideas, but they were just booked for UFC fights," he said.

But when asked about Emelianenko, who lost his final three Strikeforce fights and recently has been fighting overseas, Coker left open that possibility. Emelianenko has won his past two bouts (over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii), and while polarizing, he's still a draw.

So could Emelianenko fight the tourney winner?

"That's interesting," Coker said. "I'm not sure what Fedor has planned. I haven't spoken to M-1. I know (M-1 executive) Steve Bash was in the audience tonight, but we haven't had that conversation yet."

While Emelianenko recently has expressed interest in competing the UFC, UFC president Dana White has cast some doubt. In a recent TMZ video, he said the former PRIDE champion "sucks," and his struggles in negotiating with the fighter's representatives are well-documented. But a win over the grand-prix champion certainly could justify a UFC contract for Emelienanko.

Fabricio Werdum Returns to Face Roy Nelson at UFC 143

Fabricio Werdum wasn't exactly the most talked about heavyweight on the planet after getting knocked out in Junior dos Santos' UFC debut and then sent packing from the promotion. Werdum would see his name value skyrocket in June of 2010 when he became the first man in almost ten years to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. The loss to dos Santos also looked better once Junior established himself as the top heavyweight in the world, now holding the UFC title.

While Werdum lost his last Strikeforce fight, a decision against Alistair Overeem, he was brought back to the UFC and now his first fight back has been scheduled. Via MMA Weekly:

A UFC 143 heavyweight showdown between Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum is in tap for Super Bowl weekend, according to MMAWeekly.com sources.

Nelson's (16-6) UFC tenure was teetering on the brink following back-to-back losses to Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir, but he bounced back strong in his most recent fight. Nelson took the fight to Mirko "Cro Cop Filipovic at UFC 137, likely ending the Croatian's career via a third-round TKO stoppage.

This is a great test for both men as both have decent striking but very solid grappling skills. It's likely to turn into a striking match with Werdum's better technique against Roy's bigger power.

Fedor returns to fight in Japan

Fedor Emelianenko has long been a draw on the Japanese fight scene. Following his recent losses in Strikeforce, the once untouchable Russian has been on a rebuilding campaign and the latest stop will be a return to Japan.

M-1 Global and Dream officials on Monday announced that Fedor will return to the Land of the Rising Sun on Dec. 31 to face Olympic gold medalist in Judo Satoshi Ishii.

The bout headlines the Fields presents Fight for Japan Genkidesua!! Oomisoka!! 2011 event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, and airs in North America on HDNet.

“Fedor has been in great shape, and is ready for what we think will be a hard and competitive fight,” said M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan in announcing Fedor’s return to Japan after a three-year absence.

Fedor (32-4-1) is coming off of a victory over Jeff Monson on Nov. 20 in Moscow. The victory was the Russian’s first since losing three consecutive fights under the Strikeforce banner to Dan Henderson, Antonio Silva, and Fabricio Werdum.

A world-class athlete and a proven competitor, Ishii could prove a stern test for Fedor, although he’ll be giving up a tremendous amount of advantage to him in the experience department when it comes to MMA.

Ishii has only six bouts under his belt as a mixed martial artist, although he’s performed well en route to a 4-1-1 record. He holds victories over Jerome LeBanner and Ikuhisa Minowa, but neither is in the same league as Fedor. Ishii will have to rely upon is stellar experience as a Judoka to help make up ground in the fighting department.

Fedor vs. Ishii currently headlines a list of 11 bouts at Genkidesuka!! Oomisoka!! 2011 that features a card made up primarily of MMA bouts, but also includes mixed rules and pro wrestling bouts.