(Fedor Emelianenko following his TKO loss to Antonio Silva in February. Photo courtesy of Cagewriter.)

Dana White confirmed during a UFC 133 press conference today that Fedor Emelianenko has been released from Strikeforce in the wake of his first-round TKO loss to Dan Henderson last weekend, which was his third-consecutive defeat in the organization. Unlike the recent cuts of Alistair Overeem and his mates from Golden Glory, this one shouldn’t really surprise anybody considering Fedor’s recent struggles and Dana White’s long-held opinion of him and his management. From an MMAFighting report:

“He’s being cut, yeah,” White told the media. “Why? Do you think we should keep him? … You guys thought he was the pound-for-pound best in the world, but I thought he was overrated for years.”

(Fedor Emelianenko, immediately after his loss to Dan Henderson on Saturday night. Photo via Darren Shuster, PR Representative for Dragon Door/RKC)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Dan Henderson Gets Caught on National Television Spanking Dat Ass at a Cardinals Game (MMA Mania)

- Herb Dean Defends Controversial Stoppage in Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson Fight (5thRound)

- After Release from Prison, War Machine Looking for Fresh Start (MMA Fighting)

- Leonard Garcia out of UFC Live 5 With Injury; Jim Hettes to Replace Against Alex Caceres (Five Ounces of Pain)

- UFC’s Rich Franklin Discusses Career, Life and Fans Asking for His Underwear (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Photo Gallery: Vitor Belfort Prepares for UFC 133 Bout With Yoshihiro Akiyama (LowKick)

- Video: 20 of the Most ‘WTF?’ Moments in UFC History (MiddleEasy)

- A Conquistador Story: Looking Back on Jorge Rivera vs. Travis Lutter (MMA Convert)

- Dan Henderson’s Win Over Fedor Builds Momentum for TRT Usage/Acceptance (FightOpinion)

- Ben Askren on Season Five of Bellator, Nate Marquardt and Fight With Hector Lombard (TheFightNerd)

- Following Burger King Deal, Anderson Silva Inks Sponsorships With Nike and Brazilian Soccer Club (MMAPayout)

- What’s Next for ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’ Winners and Losers? (NBC Sports MMA)

(If Aleks hadn’t gone and contracted Hep C, they could have sorted things out the old fashioned way. – vid courtesy of YouTube/Sakuraba78)

When Russians fight, they don’t beat around the bush.

In an interview he did over the weekend with Valetudo.ru in which he responded to claims from Aleksander Emelianenko that his brother’s loss to Dan Henderson over the weekend was the fault of Fedor’s trainers, Sergei Kharitonov called Lil’ Emel “a drunken, diseased drug addict who wasn’t raised properly and who was a mistake.”

“When I read his interview I laughed out loud. Although he is 30 years old and that’s certainly not the reason for laughter. Firstly, for guys like Aleks I am not ‘Serezha’ but rather ‘Sergei Valeryevich.’ Secondly, it’s about time for him to learn how to compress thoughts and, above all, to think before he speaks. He didn’t get a proper upbringing, I guess, but I don’t want to go deeper in it – he doesn’t deserve so much honor. He is a great trash-talker, but real fighters prove their strength in the ring. Aleks is a drinker, he is always brawling. Normal men like me or Fedor would never drink to alcoholic mania and fight in the street. But I often hear about Aleks getting into scraps like this in different corners of our country,” he says. “He rampages, harasses the waitresses and other girls, lies, cries on every corner that he is a champion of the world and the strongest man on Earth. I guess, this is some kind of a drug effect.”

(Video courtesy of YouTube/TheWarHedo33)

Typically the best MMA highlights are perfect combinations of clips and music that, when combined, elicit a common response from fans.

Although the music selection was interesting to say the least, this video by Machinemen effectively runs the gamut of emotion from the thrill of victory to the agony of defeat and everything in between and brings you along for the ride. Although not as technically dazzling as some of MM’s other work, “Marchin’ On” is just as effective at eliciting a response.

If you’re unfamiliar with his work, check out some of Machinemen’s other masterpieces, including his timely Fedor career retrospective short, after the jump.

Marriage, children and happiness have robbed us of Fedor the Unstoppable. There, someone needed to say it. PicProps: CombatLifestyle

In the aftermath of Saturday night Strikeforce show, the hot topic is Fedor Emelianenko’s plan for the future. Will he retire? Should he retire? When does God make these decisions about retirement, and can we get an invite to the press conference?

We here at CagePotato are willing to go out on this limb and say, “Geez, you guys, it looks way higher from up here than we thought.” We’ll also say that Fedor is not done yet, because advancing that opinion allows us the chance to write in some suggestions for Fedor’s next opponent, with varying degrees of likelihood.

Inside, we’ve selected a handful of fighters with history of challenging Fedor in some way, that we would be willing to watch take on the Russian Cyborg of Total Destruction. NoteL to keep things fair, everyone on the list is older than Fedor, except the first guy. But Fedor’s already signed on to fight that guy once…

The Hendo Alarm Clock ($19.95): Guaranteed to wake you up from the deepest of sleeps. (Pic: Strikeforce.com)

Waking up this morning I had no idea of the war being waged in comment sections and MMA forums throughout the night. I should have expected it, really, given the inexplicable fervor with which fans both exalt and denounce Fedor Emelianenko. My two cents on the stoppage: Dan Henderson hit Fedor with several full-force, illegal punches to the back of the head. They were to the back of the head because Fedor’s face was buried in the canvas. They were full-force force because Fedor’s arms lied limply at his sides, gently tucked below his slightly-less-chubby-than-usual torso. We can argue about “The Last Emperor” recovering and rolling over as Henderson was waived off, but there’s no debating what led referee Herb Dean to step in. Watch it in slow motion, watch it a lot.

That’s all the time I’ll devote to the main event; both men’s legacies were built long before they entered Hoffman Estates, and what transpired last night did little to change that. The real story is what’s ahead for last night’s winners and losers, and where Strikeforce as an organization is headed.

(Props: YouTube.com/StocktonHeybuddy)

The wild opening and the dramatic finish. For a full rundown of last night’s Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, check out our liveblog.

It may be five years too late for the winner of tonight’s Fedor vs. Henderson bout to gain anything other than bragging rights, but that isn’t stopping us from being excited. Those of you who saw yesterday’s link dump already know that Fedor is only seven pounds lighter than he was when he fought Antonio Silva. Even though the scale doesn’t show it, Fedor looks more athletic than we’re accustomed to seeing him. Of course, if you’ve been paying attention you aren’t too surprised. Dan Henderson made weight as well, tipping the scales at 207 pounds.

To get an idea of how small Fedor is for a heavyweight, skip to about the two minute mark. Even though Fedor has the sixteen pound weight advantage, you wouldn’t know it by looking at him standing next to Hendo. Henderson, who pretty much came into this fight at light heavyweight, appears to be the same size as Fedor. And remember, Dan Henderson isn’t exactly the Anthony Johnson of the light heavyweight division.

Everyone else on tonight’s card made weight for their fights. Yes, this includes Paul Daley, who weighed in at 171 pounds for his fight against Tyron Woodley. Full results, courtesy of mmafighting.com, are after the jump.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/opieradio)

- Fedor weighs in 7 lbs lighter for Hendo fight than he did for fight with Bigfoot (MMAFighting)

- The 50 funniest Ebay auctions ever (DoubleViking)

- The pudgiest fighters in MMA (BleacherReport)

- Two smoking hot Bulgarian girls shocked to find their apartment covered in cameras (Guyism)

- Braulio Estima talks fighting Jacare; says GSP could win ADCC (Tatame)

- The Great Male Survey (AskMen)

- “The Rhino” takes “The Crow’s” spot (TopMMANews)

- Strikeforce’s Bobby Green brings “hood” into the cage (Clutch.MTV)

- All your favorite old guys rumored for ‘Expendables 2′ (ScreenJunkies)

- Miletich says Cormier is a tougher fight for Bigfoot than Overeem (MiddleEasy)

- FTW: How to cure a hangover (MadeMan)

- Programming reminder: Rashad is on Jimmy Kimmel tonight(MMAMania)

- HolyTaco has the leaked ‘Thundercats’ clip and it looks terrible (HolyTaco)

- A rebuttal from the Underground Combat League (TheFightNerd)

(Video courtesy of AOL Fanhouse)

All of the main card fighters from tomorrow night’s Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson card, save women’s welterweight champ Marloes Coenen were in attendance for the event’s pre-fight press conference at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse in Chicago last night.

Check out some of the highlights of the presser for those who can’t watch the video at work, after the jump.

Photographic proof that ReX tried to end Jason’s baby making days.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson goes down tomorrow night at the Sears Centre just outside of Chicago.  To help get you in the proper spirit, Doug “ReX13” Richardson and Jason Moles have returned to eloquently debate some of the more important storylines surrounding this historic event. Will Fedor go 0 for 3?  If so, will the internets asplode?  Are we nearing the end of women’s MMA on the big stage? Who gives worse gambling advice, ReX or Jason? Do us a favor and slog through this painfully long column, then let us know your own thoughts in the comments section.

(Video courtesy of AOL/MMAFighting)

MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani caught up with former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko to get his thoughts on a number of topics, not least of which being his upcoming Strikeforce bout with Dan Henderson on Saturday night.

According to “The Last Emperor,” although there was much talk about him walking away from MMA after back-to-back losses, he will only retire when it’s God’s will and not a minute before. Hopefully God doesn’t speak to him mid-match Saturday night like he did Paulo Filho during his last bout with Chael Sonnen.

When asked by Helwani to name any weaknesses he thought Henderson has, Fedor said he doesn’t think he has any and although he says that he has slimmed down a bit since his last fight with Antonio Silva, his weight is basically the same.

Check out another vid of Fedor working out in Chicago yesterday, after the jump.

(H-Bomb vs. The Last Emperor — who ya got? Illustration courtesy of Maor Tzadoc at Lowkick)

By Anton Gurevich

This Saturday, Mixed Martial Arts fans around the world will hold their breath, as MMA legends Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson go toe-to-toe inside the Strikeforce cage.

Fedor and Hendo share 12 Championship and Tournament titles between them. Both men fought for the now-defunct Japanese RINGS promotion, with Fedor winning the Openweight Championship, Absolute and Heavyweight Tournaments. Henderson won the 1999 Kings of Kings Tournament, by defeating the likes of Gilbert Yvel and Minotauro Nogueira en route to his triumph over Renato Sobral in the final.

Their journey continued in the mythological PRIDE Fighting Championship, where both men made their mark as some of the best Mixed Martial Artists on the planet. Emelianenko continued his reign of terror by winning 14 consecutive fights in PRIDE, which resulted in the prestigious World Heavyweight and 2004 PRIDE Heavyweight GP titles. Henderson won 13 fights in PRIDE, but lost five. Nevertheless, “All-American” managed to become the only fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes — the PRIDE Welterweight Title and PRIDE Middleweight Title.

After PRIDE went out of business, Fedor and Henderson went in different directions…

CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE ON LOWKICK.BLITZCORNER.COM…

(Video courtesy of YouTube/vitalskillsspcl)

What is a former PRIDE champ to do when he gets to the U.S. five days prior to his next fight? Head to the mall, of course. What else?

Fedor arrived in the U.S. today ahead of his Strikeforce bout Saturday with Dan Henderson and immediately hopped inside a white stretch limo (are those still classy in Stary Oskol?) and jetted off to the closest shopping center with his colorful entourage. Perhaps he was in search of a new medium Glorious Sweater of Absolute Victory.

First stop? Toys ‘R’ Us, naturally. Where else would a group of burly middle age Russians go?

(Video courtesy of Dan Henderson/Twitter)

If there was any question as to what kind of shape Fedor Emelianenko would be in for his upcoming Strikeforce fight Saturday night against Dan Henderson, this photo should answer it.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/UliMorse)

Fedor has been taking his training for his last kick at the cat upcoming tilt with Dan Henderson next weekend seriously, enlisting the help of several top-tier training partners like his brother Aleksander and professional boxer Denis Lebedov to prepare for the former PRIDE and current Strikeforce champion.

(Smile advantage: Hendo.)

According to our homepage poll, 56% of you think Fedor Emelianenko will come away with a victory when he meets Dan Henderson in the headlining bout of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30th. Fair enough. But have you considered all the factors involved in the matchup — and I mean all of them, even the stupid ones? Check out our head-to-head rundown and let us know if we change your mind.

AGE
Fedor: 34 years old, 11 years in the sport
Henderson: 40 years old, 14 years in the sport
Advantage: Fedor

NUMBER OF TIMES THEY’VE BEEN KNOCKED OUT COLD
Fedor: 0 times in 35 fights
Henderson: 0 times in 35 fights
Advantage: Dead freakin’ even

LAST TWO FIGHTS RESULTED IN
Fedor: Humiliating losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva
Henderson: Thunderous KO’s of Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante
Advantage: Henderson

With all of the MMA fighters trying their hands at reality television, it was inevitable that washouts like Butterbean and Bob Sapp would follow suit.

Sapp is pitching the show above to The Travel Channel in the hopes that they’ll pick it up long-term. Unfortunately for Sapp, besides maybe a handful of us and the Japanese, not many people, especially those who watch The Travel Channel could sit through more than one episode of “The Beast” making faces and and a fool out of himself.

By Anton Gurevich

On July 30th, Fedor Emelianenko will step inside the Strikeforce cage for the 4th time in his career, this time facing fellow MMA legend and former PRIDE Champion Dan “Hendo” Henderson at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The fight against Henderson will be a defining moment in Emelianenko’s illustrious MMA career, as he will look to bounce back from two consecutive defeats, against Fabricio Werdum via submission and Antonio Silva via TKO (doctor’s stoppage).

One of the men behind Fedor’s success as a Mixed Martial Artist is his eternal Sambo coach and mentor Vladimir Voronov, who has trained “The Last Emperor” since the age of twelve. Voronov holds numerous honors as a Sambo specialist and coach, including the prestigious “Honoured Coach of Russia”. We had an opportunity to speak to the Sambo legend about Fedor Emelianenko’s preparations for Dan Henderson, motivation, the state of Russian MMA and much more…

Everyone was surprised to see Fedor and Alexander Emelianenko training together recently. What kind of effect did it have on Fedor’s preparation?
Well, first of all, they are brothers. Alexander wanted to train and he joined us for this camp. I consider him to be the second best Russian fighter after Fedor. And that’s exactly why having him as a sparring partner was a very positive thing for Fedor.

Henderson recently stated that he thinks Fedor has problems with motivation. What can you say about Fedor’s motivation coming to this bout?
Right now, he’s very motivated. It’s hard to say what will happen during the fight, because it all depends on Fedor. As coaches, we have done and are doing everything in our power to help Fedor reaching the peak of his physical and psychological condition. Now, everything depends on Fedor

Continue reading this article on Lowkick.blitzcorner.com…

If you booked the day off work this morning to celebrate after reading the announcement on the Strikeforce website today that former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko was officially UFC-bound and that an eventual fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was in early discussions with the Russian fighter’s management, you’re going to have to call your work back and tell them that the mystery illness that forced you out of the office today is miraculously cured. That way, you can save your sick day for a really momentous occasion, like the day Never Back Down 2 arrives on DVD.

It turns out that the story was a hoax reportedly posted by hackers, though it seems more likely that it was the clever work of a disgruntled former Strikeforce employee who still has access to the company’s servers.

If you didn’t read the story, we’ve got a screenshot and transcription of it after the jump.

(Bruce Buffer and Wanderlei Silva)

One of our favorite online obsessions over the last month has been awesome people hanging out together, a tumblr photo blog devoted to celebrities mingling in unexpected combinations. (I mean, seriously: Dylan and Ali? Alice Cooper and Colonel Sanders? Epic.) Since there are aren’t any MMA fighters represented on the site, we decided to do some online crate-digging of our own and put together a CagePotato version of the “awesome people” photo-phenomenon. Enjoy these rare and classic MMA photos, which continue after the jump, and shoot us some links in the comments section if we’ve left out any of your favorites.

(Royce Gracie and Mirko Cro Cop)

(Matt Serra, Frankie Edgar, Jerry Springer, and Kimbo Slice. See also: Fighters and Random-Ass Celebrities)

“Gone to weigh in with Fedor, BRB. -Danny” PicProps: CombatLifestyle.com

Ladies and gentlemen, it is now an appropriate time to start geeking out about the next Strikeforce card — you know the one. Fedor-Hendo goes down at the end of the month and every MMA diehard will be sitting on the edge of their seats to see two PRIDE legends finally come together. Will The Last Emperor regain his classic form? Will Henderson score a victory that would likely be the highlight of his career? Will Fedor’s hilariously bad website gain something new and terribly translated?

(Seriously; the website is worth a look. Engrish motherfucker, do you speak it? An excerpt: “2003 ?. After competitions with Sam Shilt (Holland) and Hiz Hiring (USA), Fedor had a wrestling with Antonio Rodrigo Nagiera; Fedor gained the champion title. Later he gained the upper hand over Kazyuki Fudgita (Japan) and Gary Gudridg (Canada).”)

When Scott Coker first announced the matchup, he said it would be a catchweight bout at 220 pounds — possibly a gambit to get Fedor moving down in weight. Henderson contradicted Coker, saying that according to his contract the fight was at heavyweight, all the way up to 265, so Fedor can go ahead and eat all the ice cream and pickled elk or whatever it is that those Ruskies eat up there in Antarctica.

Continuing in Zuffa’s new social media trend of announcing newly-signed bouts before the MMA media gets wind of them, Strikeforce announced today via Twitter that a middleweight bout between Tim Kennedy and Robbie Lawler has been added to its July 30 Fedor vs. Henderson card in Chicago.

(M-Bone is Dougie’ing in his grave right now. Props: Ariel Helwani)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Team Gina Carano Updates Strikeforce on Health Condition via Vague Email (5thRound)

- Pete Sell Returns to Competition After Two-Year Absence, Wins Ring of Combat Welterweight Title (TheFightNerd)

- The New CEO of ProElite Explains to Us How the Company Plans to Be the Number Two MMA Organization in the World (MiddleEasy)

- Werdum and Gloom: The Politics of Pulling Guard (NBC Sports MMA)

- Chad Griggs vs. Daniel Cormier Could Be ‘Logical Next Step’ for Strikeforce (MMA Fighting)

- Ring Girls Round-Up: Ashleigh Marley (LowKick)

- 28 Reasons We’d Love to Have Dana White’s Job (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- ‘UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2′ Conference Call Highlights (Five Ounces of Pain)

- UFC 133: Jorge Rivera Is Too Old to Keep Getting Punched in the Head (MMA Mania)

- Fedor Emelianenko: ‘Two Mistakes In A Row Cannot Be Coincidence’ (MMA Convert)

Dan henderson first fight by MMAGLORY

We’re going to try to do an almost daily “On This Day in MMA History” series starting with this appropriate first instalment that features one of the sports most popular and successful fighters, former Pride welterweight and middleweight and current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson.

14 years ago today “Hendo” made his MMA debut in Brazil against Crezio de Souza in the opening round of the Brazil Open ’97 lightweight (176lbs and below) tournament.  Henderson’s bracket of the one-day grand prix also featured Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, while the heavyweight side featured Kevin Randleman and Tom Erickson.

(The official ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’ poster, via Strikeforce. Click for full-size version.)

By Anton Gurevich

MMA legends Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko and Dan “Hendo” Henderson will meet on July 30th at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Emelianenko and Henderson share numerous MMA titles, and are widely considered two of the most influential fighters in the sport.

Currently 1-2 in his Strikeforce campaign, Fedor stands at the crossroads of his career, after suffering a devastating defeat against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva earlier this year. The thirty-four year old Russian announced his retirement, but later changed his mind and declared that he would continue fighting. Here’s some of the most important quotes from the Russian media over the past weeks, with Fedor Emelianenko talking about what could be the biggest fight of his illustrious MMA career…

Continue reading this article on Lowkick.com

VidProps: TheAzyunyh2

Now that contracts have been signed and announcements have been made, we can officially start looking forward to seeing Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson go at it later this summer. Sure, there’s no title on the line, and sure, there’s not much of anything on the line other than bragging rights, but according to a memo sent out to all MMA media and bloggers back in 2003, we are required to be excited anytime Fedor is set to fight, even if there are exactly zero fights announced for the rest of the card.

The promo trailer is a tried and true tool used to raise excitement for future matches, and it’s one tool that amateurs — by which we mean unpaid fans — usually outshine the pros. This is because, just like Mom’s cooking and anything that is still produced by hand, it’s made with love. Watch this video of Fedor and Henderson during their respective ups and downs over the past decade, and tell us you can’t feel the love. It’s that fuzzy feeling you get when the music syncs up just right and you feel tempted to jump up and fist pump.

Whatever you do, don’t jump out of your seat and fist pump at work! Everyone in the cubicle farm will see you, and you’re supposed to be working extra hard to make up for slacking off since last Wednesday. Just watch quietly and feel the love. Sure, it may feel like you’re just watching Fedor knock Brett Rogers’ face sideways, but believe us: it’s love.

[RX]

Different styles make for an interesting fight.

Though Zuffa officials have yet to announce the fight, Sherdog.com reports that Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko have officially signed bout agreements to face one another. This match-up has been in the works for a while now and will add some major firepower to the July 30^th event at the Sears Center in Chicago.

This is a big fight for everyone involved. Following two consecutive stoppage losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva, Fedor’s unbeatable mystique has been shattered. With Strikeforce’s top heavyweights competing in the Grand Prix Tournament from which he was exiled, this bout gives Fedor a shot at a meaningful win against a highly respected legend. After all the talk of his possible retirement from the sport, a victory here would prove that Fedor is still very relevant in the MMA landscape.

(To defeat Fedor, one must prepare like Fedor. / Props: CombatLifestyle.com)

This morning, MMA Junkie reported that Strikeforce has penciled in July 30th for a major Showtime-televised event, which would put their plans for a pay-per-view event on the back-burner for now. According to the report, the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois (just outside of Chicago), has surfaced as a possible venue, and Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson was named as a potential headliner. Scott Coker and Lorenzo Fertitta are currently working to arrange the matchup, while Dana White is doing his best not to meddle. (Said Dana last week at a UFC 129 press-conference: “Lorenzo’s working on it. Me getting anywhere near that thing? You’ll never see that fight.”)

According to SBNation’s Jonathan Snowden, sources from both camps are now saying that the fight is on for 7/30 at the Sears Centre. Josh Gross adds that the bout will be at heavyweight. No official word from Strikeforce yet; we’ll update you when we know more. The Sears Centre was the site of Emelianenko’s last victory, against Brett Rogers back in November 2009. Since then, he’s suffered back-to-back stoppage losses against Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva. Henderson last competed in March, when he defeated Rafael Cavalcante for the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title.

(“What, that bright light? It shines down on us from heaven. Come see how it feels, Scott. Nice, right?”)

Despite everybody’s continued claims that things have never been better inside Strikeforce, we know the UFC has already taken over the company’s relations with the media and begun poaching its biggest stars. Now, it seems UFC executives are also neck deep in Strikeforce’s business, reportedly working (at least for the time being) to make sure the smaller fight promotion’s top remaining draws are happy. That’s the word out of Toronto on Thursday, where multiple reports say Dana White will meet with Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz after UFC 129 and that co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta is already seeing to the task of making the proposed superfight between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson become a reality.

First and foremost, White seems understandably concerned with Diaz’s apparent designs on bolting MMA for boxing. As quickly as plans to have the Stockton bad boy fight Fernando Vargas fell apart a couple weeks back, new reports surfaced saying former super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy might be interested. Perhaps most interestingly, White said this week Diaz’s contract actually does allow for such foolishness – which is another good example of why UFC people need to be up in SF’s business – but he’s obviously not crazy about the idea.