• Strikeforce

Fedor Emelianenko will fight again, but not in the UFC

ESPN staff
August 8, 2011
Fedor Emelianenko has lost his last three © Getty Images
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Fedor Emelianenko will not retire from MMA following defeat to Dan Henderson, manager Vadim Finkestein confirmed on Monday.

Emelianenko suffered a third consecutive loss when he was stopped by TKO against Henderson at a recent Strikeforce event. The Russian was promptly cut by the promotion, leaving him a free agent at the age of 34.

The idea of retirement had been floated but, after an illustrious career that saw Emelianenko go almost a decade without defeat, the decision has been taken by his management to allow Fedor to fight again.

It seems that an event will be arranged on which Emelianenko will headline in his native Russia, in order to allow him at least one more victory.

"We consulted with Fedor and it was decided that he should not leave the sport in this way," Finkestein was quoted as saying by MMA Weekly. "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 sometime in the fall with Fedor as the main event."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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