Fedor v. Pedro Rizzo

Here is the end of Fedor Emelianenko fighting Pedro Rizzo at M-1 Global - Fedor v. Rizzo which took place on 6/21/12 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Fedor (36-4) returns to action against Matt Mitrione at Bellator 180 this Saturday.

Fedor v. Goodrige Ref Cam

Here is the Pride ref cam footage of the Fedor Emelienenko versus Gary Goodridge at Pride Total Elimination 2003 which took place on 4/10/03 at the Saitama Super Arena.

Fedor (36-4) has signed with Bellator and will debut against former UFC fighter and NFL player Matt Mitrione.

Fedor v. Maldonado

Here is Fedor Emelienenko fighting Fabio Maldonado at EFN 50 which took place on 6/17/16 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Fedor (35-4) is looking for his 5th straight victory in this bout. Maldonado (22-9) is fighting in the first bout since his UFC release having gone 5-6 in the organization.

Sorry, youtube has been removing several videos, only have a highlight package right now.

Fedor v. Singh

Here is Fedor Emelianenko fighting Jaideep Singh at Rizen FF Day 2 which took place on 12/31/15 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Video of the Day - Fedor v. Ishii

Here is Fedor Emelianenko fighting Satoshi Ishii at Dream's "Fight For Japan - Genki Desu Ka! New Year!" The fight took place on 12/31/11 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. This was Fedor's last bout before his brief hiatus from the sport.

Fedor (34-4) will return on NYE in Rizen FC against a yet to be named opponent. Ishiii (14-4) fights Jiri Prochazka (13-2) on Rizen FC Day 1 in the opening round of the World GP.

Werdum v. Fedor

Here is Fabricio Werdum fighting Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce - Fedor v. Werdum which took place on 6/26/10 in San Jose, California.

Fedor will face a yet to be named opponent as the headliner of Rizen's New Years Eve show.

Rizen Fighting World Grand Prix

The new upstart Rizen Fighting Championship is an interesting promotion which is stacking its inaugural event. The fights will take place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, spanning two dates on December 29th and New Years Eve. An open weight world grand prix will kick off on the 29th featuring a diverse group of mainly 205 pound fighters, each hailing from a different country so far. The event is being broadcast on Spike TV.

Fedor Emelianenko (34-4) will return from a three and a half year retirement to headline the New Years Eve card. He has finally been announded to be fighting kickboxer Jaideep Singh (2-0). Japanese MMA pioneer Tsuyoshi Kosaka (26-18) will fight British slugger James Thompson (20-15).

(Fedor at Rizen Press Event)

One FC champ Shinya Aoki (38-6) will fight Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba (26-16) in the headliner of the 29th card. Kicking off the Grand Prix festivities will be Strikeforce champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal(16-4) against a still unknown BAMMA UK representative. UFC vet Goran Reljic(15-5) represents Poland's KSW organization, taking on Russian Vadim Nemkov (3-0). Brazilian Bruno Cappelozza(7-3) is fighting Lithuania's Teodoras Aukstuolis(7-2). Japan's Satoshi Ishii will fight Czech Republic's Jiri Prochazka (13-2) will fight. Valentin Moldovsky (1-0) and Yuta Uchida (0-0) are fighting in the reserve bout.

(Sakuraba at Rizen Press Event)

New Years Eve will feature the tournament final and several high profile debuts. Kickboxing legend Andy Souwer will fight oddball striker Yuichiro Nagashima. BJJ legend and Gracie family member Kron Gracie (1-0) will fight against Japanese wrestling phenom Asen Yamamoto who is making his debut. Women's heavyweight BJJ player Gabi Garcia has been rumored to make her debut against pro wrestler Seini Draughn who will also make her debut. Shootboxing Rene Kubota and K-1 kickboxer Jleana Valentino will fight eachother in their debuts. Kaido Hoovelson, a former judo and sumo fighter, will make his debut.

(Kron Gracie Pictured)

December 29th

Shinya Aoki v. Kazushi Sakuraba
Tsuyoshi Kosaka v. James Thompson
AJ Matthews v. Anatoly Tokov
King Mo v. TBA (BAMMA)
Goran Reljic v. Vadim Nemkov
Bruno Cappelozza v. Teodoras Aukstuolis
Satoshi Ishii v. Jiri Prochazka
Yuki Motoya v. Nam Jin Jo (rumored)
Valentin Moldovsky v. Yuta Uchida

New Years Eve

Fedor v. Jaideep Singh
World Grand Prix Championship
Kaido Hoovelson v. TBA
Hiroyuki Takaya v. Daiki Hata
Andy Souwer v. Yuichiro Nagashima
Kron Gracie v. Asen Yamamoto
Gabi Garcia v. Seini Draughn
Rene Kubota v. Jleana Valentino
World Grand Prix Final Four

(Gabi Garcia at Rizen Press Event)

Video of the Day - Fedor v. Rizzo

Here is Fedor Emelianenko fighting Pedro Rizzo in his last bout before a 3 and a half year retirement at M-1: Fedor v. Rizzo, which took place on 6/21/12 in Russa.

Fedor (34-4) returns on New Years Eve at Saitama Super Arena for Rizen FC. Fedor is currently rumored to fight Tsuyoshi Kosaka, though I wouldn't lock that in stone until early December.

Several high profile fighter debuts are planned for the event including kickboxing legend Andy Souwer, BJJ star Kron Gracie, 19 year old Japanese wrestling stand-out Asen Yamamoto, women's heavyweight BJJ player Gabi Garcia and pro wrestler Seini Draughn

Video of the Day - Fedor v. Choi

Here is Fedor Emelianenko fighting Hong Man Choi at Yarennoka - NYE which occured on 12/31/07 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

Metamoris Mega Match Forecast

Metamoris is a professional grappling organization which holds submission only matches on a square mat. Athletes are allowed to wear gi pants, full tights, wrestling shoes, knee pads and rashguards during the 20 minute round. Each event so far has had consisted of 6 bouts, consisting of BJJ superstars, current/former MMA stars and fantasy match-ups.

After seeing the mega-star match-ups of Eddie Bravo v. Royler Gracie, Andre Galvao v. Chael Sonnen and Dean Lister v. Josh Barnett, Metamoris 5 featured MMA pioneers Renzo Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba. The pair were involved in an epic battle at Pride 10 which saw awesome scrambles for position with Sakuraba eventually latching on a fight ending kimura. The grappling match didn't quite prove to be as entertaining as it was nostalgic.


With many pioneers of MMA retired or retiring, Metamoris is an event to give them an outlet for competition while promoting grappling. Who are some of the other legendary former fighters and what match-ups are possible? I've conjured up a few interesting names below, ranked from most likely to least likely to compete:

Matt Hughes- the former UFC welterweight champ and UFC HOF'er is rumored to be grappling Renzo Gracie in ADCC in 2015. A former Eastern Illinois wrestler, Hughes placed 5th in the NCAA tournament in 1997. In the ADCC he has defeated Jeremy Horn and Ricardo Almeida, while losing in absolute matches to Tito Ortiz and Jeff Monson. He was known for power slams in MMA, slamming is illegal from the top position in Metamoris. Interesting bouts for Hughes would be against BJ Penn, Frank Trigg, Carlos Newton, Royce Gracie or GSP. Hughes compiled an MMA record of 45-9 with 18 submission victories.


Randy Couture- the former HW and LHW UFC champ and UFC HOF'er has been on the outs with Dana White since his decision to coach on Bellator's Fight Master reality show. Couture is a 2X runner-up NCAA champ, multiple time Greco Olympic alternate and won a Greco Pan Am Games Gold in 1991. Couture was awarded a black belt in Neil Melanson's No Gi submission wrestling system following his arm triangle of James Toney. Couture had an epic battle with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2009 and a rematch would make sense. It would be cool to see a rematch against Enson Inoue. The blockbuster would be a bout against former Pride superstar Fedor Emelienenko.


BJ Penn- the former LW and WW champ retired from MMA following his TKO loss to Frankie Edgar, but may still have a drive to compete. BJ was awarded his BJJ Black belt in 2000 by Andre Pederneiras. He won gold at the IBJFF World Championships in 2000, has won a World Jiu Jitsu Championship. There are several former MMA opponents that would lend themselves to huge match-ups, such as Matt Hughes, Rodrigo Gracie, Renzo Gracie and perhaps even GSP. The big X-factor would be whether or not BJ wants to train.


Masakatsu Funaki- The co-founder of Pancrase, Funaki began fighting in 1993, last fighting to a draw against Volk Han in 2012. A two time King of Pancrase winner, Funaki started off in professional wrestling and last took part in a 2013 Wrestle-1 show. While some of the early Pancrase fights were a little suspect, Funaki holds submission wins over Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Yuki Kondo. Potential match-ups could include bouts with Sakuraba, Frank Shamrock, Minowaman and Bas Rutten.


Ricardo Arona- At 13-0 in ADCC competition including 3 tournament championships, Arona last competed in MMA in 2009 defeating Marvin Eastman via decision. Arona would win a Rings middleweight title and become a Pride superstar with his performance at the 2005 MW Grand Prix. He holds wins over Wanderlei Silva, Jeremy Horn, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba and Alistair Overeem. Match-ups could include an MMA rematch with Dean Lister or ADCC rematches against Ricardo Almeida or Babalu Sobral.


Carlos Newton- A legend of Canadian MMA, Newton is an IBJJF 3rd Degree Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under coach Terry Riggs. While retiring from MMA following a decision loss to Brian Ebersole, Newton has remained active in running Warrior MMA. Newton versus Kazushi Sakuraba in Pride 3 remains one of the most thrilling grappling based MMA contests. Newton won the UFC championship with a bulldog choke submission over Pat Miletich at UFC 31, only to be controversially slam KO'd to lose the belt at UFC 34. Some maintain that Hughes was asleep for the slam. He had other career wins over Erik Paulsen, Daijiro Matsui, Jose Landi-Jons, Renzo Gracie and Pete Spratt. Interesting match-ups would include a rematches with Sakuraba, Paulsen(who probably has a weight advantage), Renzo Gracie or Matt Hughes.


Genki Sudo- With flair and charisma to spare, Sudo was one of the most entertaining and unorthodox fighters to ever enter an MMA arena. Sudo has career submission victories over Nate Marquardt, Mike Thomas Brown, Kazuyuki Miyata and Hiroyuki Takaya, and KO'd Royler Gracie. In 2010 he received his BJJ black belt from Naoyoshi Watanabe at Triforce Academy, and was lightening fast in transition. Re-matches with Mike Thomas Brown, Kid Yamamoto or Royler Gracie make sense.


Fedor Emelianenko- Perhaps the greatest fighter of all-time, Fedor retired from MMA in 2012 following a KO win over Pedro Rizzo. Fedor has taken part in many Combat Sambo tournaments over the years, winning multiple gold medals in the Russian and World championships. He also has a bronze medal in Russian Judo Championships. Fedor accumulated 16 submission victories among his 34 total victories, submitting Tim Sylvia, Matt Lindland, Mark Hunt, Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman during his MMA career. Obvious roadblocks to his potential entrance include his fee, potential co-promoting with his old management team M-1 and whether or not he has interest. He is supposedly considering a return to MMA. Match-ups could include Randy Couture, Josh Barnett, Antonio Nogueira and Mark Coleman.


Royce Gracie- The face of the early UFC and one of the reasons the UFC exists today, Royce and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu revolutionized fighting as we know it today. Royce captured the UFC 1, 2 and 4 tournament titles notching submission wins over Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn and Kimo Leopoldo. He was TKO'd by Sakuraba at Pride GP 2000 and won a rematch via decision in 2007. For the 2007 fight, Royce was failed a drug test for Nandrolone. A 6th degree black belt, it appears that he will be content with running his California schools and teaching private lessons. A rematch with Matt Hughes or Sakuraba makes sense.



Rickson Gracie- An 8th degree red and black belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu and sporting a 12-0 MMA record, Rickson claimed to be undefeated in over 400 bouts. He acheived much notierity for the documentery Choke, which followed him as he prepared for Vale Tudo Japan tournament. A son of the legendery Helio Gracie, his son Kron Gracie tapped out Shinya Aoki and Otavio Sousa at the first and second Metamoris events. Any competitor over fifty would be a good one for Rickson, such as Dan Severn, though the odds of him returning are slim to none.


*GSP was not included due to his knee ailments. Was on the fence with Mark Coleman, Ken Shamrock, Kevin Randleman, Shane Carwin and Mark Kerr, but they might be too injured to return to a competition like this. I'd also say Dan Severn, but he is 56 years old. Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira each may retire following their rumored UFC match-up, this type of event would be perfect for them. Lesnar probably would want way more money than Metamoris could offer and this might not be the right type of event for him.

Fedor v. Sylvia

Here is Fedor Emelianenko fighting Tim Sylvia at Affliction Banned which took place on 7/19/08 in Anaheim, California.

At the time, Fedor had reeled off 24 straight wins since his contentious loss due to cut. He faced Sylvia, who was coming off a loss at UFC 81 via guillotine in the third round against Big Nog after being ahead on the scorecards.

Currently, Fedor (34-4) has resumed training and rumors are swirling regarding a comeback to MMA. The most likely spot would be a one off fight in M-1, but landing spots in Bellator or One FC would not be too surprising. Fedor in the UFC however would cause the MMA world to be flipped upside down.

Video of the Day - Henderson v. Fedor

Here is Dan Henderson fighting Fedor Emelianenko, at Strikeforce - Fedor v. Henderson, which took place on July 30, 2011, in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

Dan Henderson will next fight for the light heavyweight title at UFC 151 against Jon Jones.

Video of the Day - Fedor v. Arlovski

Here is Fedor Emelianenko against Andrei Arlovski from Affliction: Day of Reckoning which took place on 1/24/09.

Fedor will look to break his two fight losing streak against Dan Henderson on July 30th at Strikeforce - Fedor v. Henderson at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

Video of the Day - Fedor vs. Kerry Schall

Here is Fedor Emelianenko vs. Kerry Schall from Rings World Title 1 which took place on February 20, 2001.

Schall had won against John Dixon in Rings USA to earn the shot. In 2005, Kerry made his only UFC appearance following his stint on TUF 2, losing to Keith Jardine via leg kicks.

Fedor returns to Strikeforce this Saturday to fight Dan Henderson.

Strikeforce Epic Heavyweight Tournament

The MMA world is buzzing after the opening bouts of Strikeforce's Heavyweight Grand Prix style tournament involving eight top 25 heavyweights. The next round will take place on April 9th somewhere on planet Earth. Japan, Canada and many locations in the United States have been rumored, but the status of Josh Barnett's fight license will likely force Strikeforce's hand.

The opening bouts saw MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko get crushed in the second round by the notably bigger Antonio Silva. In addition, Andrei Arlovski will likely be out of the game for a long time following a dramatic knock-out loss to the hands of Russian slugger Sergei Kharitonov.

The next round will see K-1, Dream and Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem fighting ADCC champion Fabricio Werdum in a mega fight. In addition, former UFC champ Josh Barnett will face hard hitting Brett Rogers.

Alistair Overeem's Strikeforce HW belt will not be on the line, as the tournament will crown an independent Grand Prix Champion. Look for Werdum to try to force the floor at all times to avoid Alistair's destructive stand-up game.

Round 1 Results:

Antonio Silva def Fedor Emelianenko via TKO, R2, 5:00
Sergei Kharitonov def Andrei Arlovski via KO, R1, 2:49

Reserve Bout Winners:

Shane Del Rosario def Lavar Johnson via Sub(armbar) R1, 4:31
Chad Griggs def Gian Villante via TKO (strikes) R1, 2:49
Valentijn Overeem def Ray Sefo via Sub (neck crank) R1, 1:37

Remaining Round 1 bouts:

Alistair Overeem v. Fabricio Werdum (April 9th)
Brett Rogers v. Josh Barnett (April 9th)


Final Four Qualifiers:

Antonio Silva (16-2)- "Pezao" or "Bigfoot" is a strong heavyweight that meets the top end of the 265 pound limit. A lifelong martial artist, Silva has black belts in Karate, Judo and BJJ. Silva rose to fame by winning the heavyweight title in Elite XC, though he later tested positive for steroids. Silva blamed the test on a testosterone-booster that he uses to counteract the low testosterone levels caused by his acromegaly.

In the opening round of the tournament, Bigfoot had a very close 1st round matching the stand-up skills of Fedor Emelienenko. However in the second round, Bigfoot took advantage of Fedor utilizing his ground skills establishing dominant position, then crushing his foe with his massive fists.

Silva will go as far as his big time power and ground game will take him. Silva has TKO wins over Tom Erikson, Mike Kyle and Wesley Correira. He has decision wins over Andrei Arlovski and Ricco Rodriguez.


Sergei Kharitonov (18-4)- This Russian Airborne soldier gained notierity in the MMA world with his entertaining bouts in the Pride organization. A former training partner with Fedor Emelianenko, Kharitonov emerged in the 2004 Pride HW GP when he KO'd Ninja Rua and kickboxing legend Semmy Schilt.

Expect Kharitonov went toe to toe with Andrei Arlovski in his opening round bout, and despite taking some shots eventually got the better of Arlovski. Kharitonov used nasty uppercuts and punches to the body, eventually sending Arlovski to the canvas and finishing him off with strong ground and pound. Kharitonov has other victories over tournament front runners Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.


Remaining 1st Round Fighters:

Alistair Overeem (34-11)- Since becoming a full-time heavyweight, Overeem's career has shot off the charts. He is 9-0 since a September 2007 KO loss to fellow tourney competitor Sergei Kharitonov. Even more impressive, Alistair was able to capture the 2010 K-1 Grand Prix World Championship, defeating kickboxing legend Peter Aerts in the final.

Overeem is the defending Strikeforce HW champion, having won the title against Paul Buentello and defending against Brett Rogers. A powerful kickboxer with upper level submission skills, Overeem has other victories against Vitor Belfort, Todd Duffee and Igor Vovchanchyn.  Overeem will look to keep the fight standing against Werdum.


Fabricio Werdum (14-4)- Werdum sent shockwaves through the MMA world in his last fight, a one minute long bout with Fedor Emelianenko which saw the Russian tapping. As the bout unfolded, Werdum was punched, went to the canvas, and then baited an aggressive Fedor into the fight ending triangle/armbar choke. The submission won MMA Blaster's submission of the year.

Fabricio Werdum will be looking to get the fight with Overeem to the ground early and often to utilize his world renown jiu-jitsu skills. The task will be difficult, but Werdum has defeated many top fighters, including Brandon Vera, Junior Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga, Aleks Emelianenko and Fedor Emelianenko. Werdum is the 2007 and 2009 ADCC HW champ.


Josh Barnett (26-5)- The submission wizard and pro wrestling fanatic, Josh Barnett is an interesting character in the martial arts world. Barnett is still a wild card in the tournament, still not having cleared up a positive steroid test in California. If troubles persist, look for an alternate to take Barnett's place.

With the positive test looming in the United States, Barnett fought twice in Japan in 2010, winning via TKO over Geronimo dos Santos and submitting Mighty Mo Siliga. Barnett rose to fame in the early UFC, defeating Semmy Schilt and Bobby Hoffman to earn a title shot against Randy Couture. Barnett would defeat Couture via TKO at UFC 36, but tested positive for three banned substances. Barnett would go on to acheive success in Pride, going to the finals of the 2006 HW Grand Prix.


Brett Rogers (11-2)- The hard hitting Rogers rose to fame in the Elite XC when he rattled off four straight wins to earn a fight against Andrei Arlovski. Rogers would go on to knock out Arlovski with a clean shot, catapulting him into a match with Fedor Emelianenko.

Rogers would fight Fedor at Strikeforce, Chicago and battle the Russian to a close first round. In the second, Rogers ate a big shot and his night was finished. Rogers next fought Alistair Overeem to disappointing results. Since, Rogers rebounded with a win over Warpath Villareal.

Video of the Day - Werdum v. Emelianenko

Here is Fabricio Werdum facing Aleks Emelianenko in 2H2H - Pride and Honor on 11/12/06 in Rotterdam, Holland.

Fabricio recently pulled off the impossible, defeating Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce - San Jose, setting up a rematch with Alistair Overeem. Werdum defeated Alistair at Pride - Total Elimination Worldwide on 5/5/06.

Fedor Ready to Fight Anyone

Here is a recent interview Fedor Emelianenko had with friend of MMA Blaster, Marcos Villegas of Fight Hub TV. The MMA world is anxiously awaiting an announcement on who Fedor will fight next. An interesting opponent is Strikeforce champ and recent K-1 champ Alistair Overeem.

In the interview, Fedor states that he made a small mistake in his fight with Werdum, one that will not happen again. Werdum infamously scored one of the biggest upsets in MMA history with a slick triangle/armbar submission of Fedor at Strikeforce: Werdum v. Fedor on 6/29/10.

While Fedor does not care who he fights next, he states that the UFC will be sorry if he never fights for them. That is true, as I'd really like to see what he can do in the UFC. Unfortunately, it seems like M-1 and Fedor's management group has clashed greatly with UFC brass.


Here is the fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Lindland from Bodog Fight which took place 4/14/07.

Video of the Day - Werdum Back Attack

Here is Fabricio Werdum giving a lecture about submission attacks from your back. Werdum is a second degree BJJ blackbelt with HW ADCC submission grappling championships in 2007 and 2009.

Werdum infamously forced Fedor Emelienenko to tap via triangle choke in Strikeforce in just a minute and nine seconds of the first round. Werdum had his elbow scoped shortly thereafter, and is likely to fight for the Strikeforce title in early 2011.

MMA Legend - Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko (31-3) has generally been considered the number one overall MMA fighter since 2003 when he beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via unanimous decision to win Pride's heavyweight belt. Despite being only 6 feet tall and weighing 225-230 pounds, Fedor's heart, striking, submission skills, judo, and ability can't be questioned.

On Sherdog and various other MMA sites on the web Fedor has almost risen to a sort of mythical status as the consensus greatest of all-time. Unfortunately, with his recent two losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva, and the emergence of Anderson Silva, Fedor's aura has faded slightly. A win over former Pride champion Dan Henderson this weekend could definitely put a little shine on.

Many fans of MMA have been dying to see him in the UFC, and it appears he might be on the verge of signing. Since the collapse of Affliction, and Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce, rumors about Fedor and the UFC have been swirling. However, the M-1 group which manages Fedor wants co-promotion of events and the UFC will not budge on that point of contention. Strikeforce agreed to that term, dying to get Fedor stateside.

There is no denying that Fedor has beaten some of the best mixed martial artists the world has ever seen. Fedor holds two decision wins over the aforementioned Nogueria, decision wins over Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, K1 legend Semmy Schilt and Ricardo Arona. He has KO victories over Heath Herring, Gary Goodridge, and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. He has submission victories over UFC HW Champ Tim Sylvia, UFC HW Champ Mark Coleman 2X, Mark Hunt, Matt Lindland, Naoya Ogawa, UFC HW Champ Kevin Randleman and Kazuyuki Fujita.

One of my favorite Fedor fights was his brawl with Kevin Randleman. Randleman suplexed Fedor on his head and miraculously, Fedor was able to regain composure and submit Randleman with a Kimura.

He recently defeated yet another former UFC heavyweight champ in Andrei Arlovski in his last fight. Arlovski was generally considered the #3 or 4 heavyweight in the world at the time. Despite taking quite a few of Arlovski's punches and kicks, he remained calm and knocked Arlovski out cold three minutes into the bout.

The only loss that Fedor suffered early in his career came at a Rings Tournament. Fedor had beaten Ricardo Arona by slim decision in his previous bout and was cut in that fight. 17 seconds into his second bout of the day he was struck by the elbow of opponent Tsuyoshi Kohsaka reopening the cut and leaving Fedor unable to continue. Rings rules did not allow elbow strikes unless elbow pads were worn. However, because they needed to have someone in the final TK was given a victory.

Strikeforce - Fedor Returns

This Saturday we will see another installment of the epic career of the greatest fighter who ever lived, Fedor Emelianenko, in his quest to defeat BJJ ace Fabricio Werdum. The event will take place this Saturday, June 26th, and air live on Showtime from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California.

Strikeforce will try to recreate the magic of the last card Fedor was on, featuring supporting bouts of Cung Le v. Scott Smith, Josh Thomson v. Pat Healy and Cris Cyborg v. Jan Finney. Here is a look at the bouts:

Fedor Emelianenko v. Fabricio Werdum- This is the first bout for Fedor (31-1) since his knockout win over Brett Rogers at Strikeforce - Chicago. Fedor has been training in his native Russia in anticipation of this bout against Werdum (13-4-1), a 2X ADCC heavyweight champion and Brazilian national champion.

Fedor will be looking to keep this fight standing, unloading his trademark overhand punches that seem to topple the largest foe imaginable. While some critics decry the level of competition Fedor has faced lately, all of his past opponents, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers have been legit top ten heavyweights when they fought.

(Fedor KO's Arlovski)

Fabricio Werdum will be looking to get the fight to the ground early and often to utilize his world renown jiu-jitsu skills. The task will be difficult, but Werdum has defeated many top fighters, including Brandon Vera, Junior Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga and Fedor's own brother, Aleks.

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos v. Jan Finney- This women's middleweight title fight will seems quite mismatched on paper. Cyborg (9-1) has destroyed everyone in her wake since coming to America. The slugger has worked over former Elite XC champ Gina Carano, submission wizard Marloes Coenen and Shayna Bazler all via TKO.

(Cris Cyborg Pictured)

Jan Finney (8-7) will have her hands full with the Brazilian bomber, but since a decision loss to Erin Toughill, has managed to rattle off four consecutive victories. Look for Finney to keep her distance before using strikes to set up a takedown. However, that is easier said than done against Cyborg.

Cung Le v. Scott Smith- This fight is a rematch of their bout from 12/19/09. In the first fight, Cung Le (6-1) peppered Smith (17-6) with kicks and long range manuevers for 2 and a half rounds, dominating the fight. Midway through the third, the tide turned, as Smith was able to connect with big punches, eventually KO'ing Le.

Look for Le to use his trademark spinning back kick to set up a high kick, in an effort to end the fight. Look for the heavy-handed Smith will look to get inside, taking the bout to the floor, or working power punches from the inside.

(Cung Le spinning back kick)

UNDER CARD

Pat Healy v. Josh Thomson
Brett Bergmark v. Vagner Rocha
Valdir Araujo v. Yancey Medeiros
Derrick Burnsed v. Bobby Stack