More details emerge regarding Fedor’s NYE return for Rizin

[Wild]

Fedor Emelianenko is expected to fly over to Amsterdam on November 1st and train with the likes of Kirill Sidelnikov, Anatoly Tokov, Vadim German, Victor German, and Alexander Kosarev. The news was revealed by the vice president of the Russian Union of MMA.

"Fedor continues to prepare and is in great shape," Gabdullin told F-Sport on the phone. "Now he is preparing in the Olympic Village with his team. This includes Kirill Sidelnikov, Anatoly Tokov, Vadim German, Victor German and Alexander Kosarev. He had good sparring partners.

"On November 1, Emelianenko will leave for Amsterdam to train. The show on December 31 together with Fedor will participate other fighters like Sidelnikov, Valentin Moldova, Vadim Nemkov."

Gabdullin also added that Rizin informed them that Fedor's opponent will be announced in two weeks. Jaideep Singh remains in the running as a potential opponent.

"The Japanese side said that the supposed announcement of the opponent will take place between November 6-8,"

LINK: More details emerge regarding Fedor’s NYE return for Rizin - Bloody Elbow

 

[Ted Williams' head]

Get him a decent opponent, for fucks sake.

 

[Hired Gun]

Fedor vs Rampage would sell tickets and viewers

 

[Deleted member 1]

derp I can't read

 

[Wintermute]

Get him a decent opponent, for fucks sake.

Get him a current team, for fuck's sake. He trained with Tyrone Spong for Cro Cop, why not now?

 

[teamquestnorth]

There's still hope!!!!!

 

[sparkuri]

Fedor Emelianenko is expected to fly over to Amsterdam on November 1st and train with the likes of Kirill Sidelnikov, Anatoly Tokov, Vadim German, Victor German, and Alexander Kosarev. The news was revealed by the vice president of the Russian Union of MMA.

"Fedor continues to prepare and is in great shape," Gabdullin told F-Sport on the phone. "Now he is preparing in the Olympic Village with his team. This includes Kirill Sidelnikov, Anatoly Tokov, Vadim German, Victor German and Alexander Kosarev. He had good sparring partners.

"On November 1, Emelianenko will leave for Amsterdam to train. The show on December 31 together with Fedor will participate other fighters like Sidelnikov, Valentin Moldova, Vadim Nemkov."

Gabdullin also added that Rizin informed them that Fedor's opponent will be announced in two weeks. Jaideep Singh remains in the running as a potential opponent.

"The Japanese side said that the supposed announcement of the opponent will take place between November 6-8,"

LINK: More details emerge regarding Fedor’s NYE return for Rizin - Bloody Elbow

I'm gonna hold them to this.

 

[Topgrinder]

I cared when he was rumoured to go to ufc. But this rizin crap has jaded me. I can't take fedor serious there. Yes I know it was a financial move but legacy wise it hurts him fighting cans.

Till he hits the ufc is can't take him seriously. Sucks cause he is one of my all time faves.

 

[sparkuri]

I cared when he was rumoured to go to ufc. But this rizin crap has jaded me. I can't take fedor serious there. Yes I know it was a financial move but legacy wise it hurts him fighting cans.

Till he hits the ufc is can't take him seriously. Sucks cause he is one of my all time faves.

I'm in the group that feels he's the most well rounded HW OAT, the GOAT, and would hate to see him under the Zuffa banner, precisely because it would ruin his legacy, because that legacy entails his steadfast attitude of not working for those that have unapologetically shown immense disrespect toward him.
(And others)
I'm not overly concerned about the level of his opponent, as I feel his legacy is set.
I don't label any of his opponents a "can". In fact I steer clear of labeling anyone as such. I'd hate to be called a can myself, so non-chalantly. I'd accept "lesser competition", as that's more acceptable and less demeaning.
I see this as a great opportunity to watch a great fighter display his skillset again, and I'd be just as excited(moreso) to watch him as I was his exhibitions vs. Aoki or Mousasi, or even his training as he teaches the subtle nuances of the trade most don't catch.
Whether it's gnp positioning or striking, as Jack Black has written about in the past.
The fact that he's doing it for JMMA and it's hopeful uprising is another fantastic credit to his legacy overall.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I'm in the group that feels he's the most well rounded HW OAT, the GOAT, and would hate to see him under the Zuffa banner, precisely because it would ruin his legacy, because that legacy entails his steadfast attitude of not working for those that have unapologetically shown immense disrespect toward him.
(And others)
I'm not overly concerned about the level of his opponent, as I feel his legacy is set.
I don't label any of his opponents a "can". In fact I steer clear of labeling anyone as such. I'd hate to be called a can myself, so non-chalantly. I'd accept "lesser competition", as that's more acceptable and less demeaning.
I see this as a great opportunity to watch a great fighter display his skillset again, and I'd be just as excited(moreso) to watch him as I was his exhibitions vs. Aoki or Mousasi, or even his training as he teaches the subtle nuances of the trade most don't catch.
Whether it's gnp positioning or striking, as Jack Black has written about in the past.
The fact that he's doing it for JMMA and it's hopeful uprising is another fantastic credit to his legacy overall.

I see your point, but realistically he will be remembered for WHO he fought, not who he fought FOR. He fought a murderers row in the 00's, but not so much in the 10's. If they don't get him a good opponent (and who really is there not signed with zuffa?) this is not going to help his legacy. I suspect this is a financial move, not a comeback to prove he is the goat. That's not going to help his legend.

 

[Ryann Von Doom]

I see your point, but realistically he will be remembered for WHO he fought, not who he fought FOR. He fought a murderers row in the 00's, but not so much in the 10's. If they don't get him a good opponent (and who really is there not signed with zuffa?) this is not going to help his legacy. I suspect this is a financial move, not a comeback to prove he is the goat. That's not going to help his legend.

he doesnt need to prove he's GOAT anymore. He is and always will be. Being gone 3+ years means rust and a 2 fight deal = knocking off the ring rust. Kimbo, Sergei, Heath, pudz, mccorkle, mcsweeny, cup cheick, thompson, lashley, etc.. are all available and able to fight fedor. Him vs Kimbo would be the best bet for NYE, IMO.. brings a fuckload of eyes and a good warm up.

 

[sparkuri]

I see your point, but realistically he will be remembered for WHO he fought, not who he fought FOR. He fought a murderers row in the 00's, but not so much in the 10's. If they don't get him a good opponent (and who really is there not signed with zuffa?) this is not going to help his legacy. I suspect this is a financial move, not a comeback to prove he is the goat. That's not going to help his legend.

At 39 years old, the legacy has been established.
The guys he fought, the manner in which he did, variety of skills of their respective expertise, the size disparity, etc. etc.
has solidified his spot in my eyes.


After his retirement I expect nothing but to be treated by his mere desire to step in again.

 

[Tyler Durden]

he doesnt need to prove he's GOAT anymore. He is and always will be. Being gone 3+ years means rust and a 2 fight deal = knocking off the ring rust. Kimbo, Sergei, Heath, pudz, mccorkle, mcsweeny, cup cheick, thompson, lashley, etc.. are all available and able to fight fedor. Him vs Kimbo would be the best bet for NYE, IMO.. brings a fuckload of eyes and a good warm up.

There are plenty of questions about pride during his run, especially concerning PED usage and fight fixing, enough that I could make a good argument against him being GOAT. (I won't though, cause I believe he is) Your list of potential suitors to knock off ring rust is full of guys who would make the b team in the UFC heavyweight division. Be honest - you want to see him against the best. And you mention the two fight deal. Where does he go then? Bellator or UFC. Honestly, where(and who) do you want to see him fight? Legacy can be tarnished. The japan deal smells like old cheap jewelry.

 

[Ryann Von Doom]

There are plenty of questions about pride during his run, especially concerning PED usage and fight fixing, enough that I could make a good argument against him being GOAT. (I won't though, cause I believe he is) Your list of potential suitors to knock off ring rust is full of guys who would make the b team in the UFC heavyweight division. Be honest - you want to see him against the best. And you mention the two fight deal. Where does he go then? Bellator or UFC. Honestly, where(and who) do you want to see him fight? Legacy can be tarnished. The japan deal smells like old cheap jewelry.

Okay, looks like we found another zuffa chump. Not even going to converse with you after this. Good luck getting paid by zuffa.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Okay, looks like we found another zuffa chump. Not even going to converse with you after this. Good luck getting paid by zuffa.

Seriously? You make some inaccurate assumption then run and hide? Good luck getting paid in life.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Let me be clear. I'm a huge fedor fan. In my dreams he rematches werdum, crushes him, then rides off into a glorious sunset. This deal with rizin moves my needle in the wrong direction. Watching him fight "lesser competition" makes me sad, because I want to believe its real, damn it, and not just a paycheck for him. I hold no particular feeling for zuffa, good or bad. They have saved our sport, recently it feels they are ruining it. Hopefully they get it right soon.

 

[Zeph]

There are plenty of questions about pride during his run, especially concerning PED usage and fight fixing, enough that I could make a good argument against him being GOAT. (I won't though, cause I believe he is) Your list of potential suitors to knock off ring rust is full of guys who would make the b team in the UFC heavyweight division. Be honest - you want to see him against the best. And you mention the two fight deal. Where does he go then? Bellator or UFC. Honestly, where(and who) do you want to see him fight? Legacy can be tarnished. The japan deal smells like old cheap jewelry.

The UFC heavyweight belt has never been defended more than twice. Fedor beat 3 people that held the UFC belt during his run, and went undefeated for 10 years at heavyweight.

As far as PEDs and Pride go, the testing in the UFC at the time was merely playing lip service to catching cheaters, and there were PED users all across the sport. The new random testing program, USADA integrity issues aside, will hopefully clear up that problem.

 

[pattitude]

I'd like to Fedor fight a "name" fighter, but he's already cemented his legacy as the GOAT Heavyweight. The guys he fought in Pride were in their prime killers! No heavyweight from the UFC was going out of their way to fight in Pride at the time and it's not hard to see why.
Maybe he'll have a couple of tune-up fights and go to Bellator.
The Lashley and Kongo suggestions are really good. I think he can beat them and they both have relatively big names.

 

[Wild]

I'd like to Fedor fight a "name" fighter, but he's already cemented his legacy as the GOAT Heavyweight. The guys he fought in Pride were in their prime killers! No heavyweight from the UFC was going out of their way to fight in Pride at the time and it's not hard to see why.
Maybe he'll have a couple of tune-up fights and go to Bellator.
The Lashley and Kongo suggestions are really good. I think he can beat them and they both have relatively big names.

Lashley makes a ton of sense for his return fight.

 

[RaginCajun]

After 15 years of giving us amazing fights and moments, I will be happy just to see him in the ring. He does not owe me anymore great moments. If Ken Griffey Jr. wants to enter a home run contest or Larry Bird wants to enter a shooting contest, I really don't care who they will be facing. I want to witness it. Of course I say this as a huge Fedor fan. For new MMA fans it may be a different feeling. As I age so do the athletes I first enjoyed.

 

[Rico_Cutler]

I hope his opponent is Kimbo, Lashley or Tito.

 

[Narcosynthesis]

I'm not interested in seeing him fight chumps just for nostalgic reasons. He lost 3 of his last 6 fights, all 3 of those fighters are still active in the UFC and 1 is the HW champ. I would respect him more if he just came out and said he doesn't feel he needs to challenge himself anymore and just wants easy pay days from here on out.

 

[Zeph]

I'm not interested in seeing him fight chumps just for nostalgic reasons. He lost 3 of his last 6 fights, all 3 of those fighters are still active in the UFC and 1 is the HW champ. I would respect him more if he just came out and said he doesn't feel he needs to challenge himself anymore and just wants easy pay days from here on out.

Hasn't he de facto said that by signing with Rizin? It is very rare for a 39 year old sportsman to come out of retirement to 'challenge himself'. At that point eyes are on the prize, almost exclusively.

 

[regular john]

If they don't get him a good opponent (and who really is there not signed with zuffa?) this is not going to help his legacy. I suspect this is a financial move, not a comeback to prove he is the goat. That's not going to help his legend.

Fedor is just a man who wants to take advantage of a favourable monetary opportunity.

his "legend" is set and he doesn't need to prove anything. he was also losing back-to-back-to-back against top competition, years ago. the people who want him to take on Werdum now are cute.