Fedor Emelianenko opts against retirement, next fight likely in Russia

http://mmajunkie.com/news/24730/fedor-emelianenko-opts-against-retirement-next-fight-likely-in-russia.mma

Fedor Emelianenko isn't retiring.

The MMA great and former PRIDE heavyweight champion, who recently suffered his third consecutive Strikeforce defeat after a decade-long 27-fight win streak, will fight again.

Officials today announced his plans, which include a likely next fight in his native Russia.

"We consulted with Fedor, and it was decided that he should not leave the sport in this way," Emelianenko's manager, M-1 Global president and co-founder Vadim Finkelstein, stated. "His friends and past opponents support Fedor in continuing his career, and he agreed.

"We want to organize a fight for Fedor in Russia and have already begun working in this direction. If everything goes as planned, we will produce a card in Moscow or St. Petersburg sometime in the fall with Fedor as the main event."

An opponent hasn't been determined. Finkelstein stated Emelianenko may also fight in Japan on New Year's Eve.

If successful, the 34-year-old Emelianenko could return to the U.S. in 2012. Emelianenko (31-4 MMA, 1-3 SF), who fulfilled the terms of his Strikeforce contract with a recent TKO loss to Dan Henderson, has fought his past six fights in the U.S. and went 3-3. Overall, he's 4-3 in the U.S.

Emelianenko, once widely regarded as the sport's top fighter, is winless since a Strikeforce-debut victory over Brett Rogers in November 2009. Since then, he's suffered a submission loss to Fabricio Werdum in 2010 and a recent TKO defeat to Antonio Silva in the opening round of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix earlier this year. Despite the losses, all three of his recent Strikeforce fights have been some of the highest-rated events in Showtime's MMA history.

Following his recent Henderson loss, which headlined a July 30 event in the Chicago area, Emelianenko wasn't sure if he'd retire or fight again.

"Right now, what I'd like to do is return home to Russia to see my newborn daughter," he said. "She was just born, and I'm very fortunate for this gift in my life. With respect to MMA, I just have to think about it and decide what I'm going to do in the future.

"My entire adult life and young life, all I've known is training and fighting and competing. That's something that I very much love continue doing, and I'd still like for that to be a large part of my life. But today, my life, what's first is my faith and my religion, and then my family. That's what I live for. ... My job and what I do for work is secondary behind those two things."