Fedor Not Retiring, Returns To Strikeforce This July

UFC prospect

Fedor's last fight didn't end so well

Emelianenko not retiring, returns this Summer

Despite hinting at walking away from the sport following his first round elimination in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, Fedor Emelianenko is not ready to hang his gloves up just yet.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told Sherdog.com on the latest “Beatdown” show that the heavyweight legend will return to action this July.

Emelianenko, who was touted as the best heavyweight in the world not long ago, agreed to participate in the eight-man tournament, joining the likes of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, and Josh Barnett, among others. But when he met Antonio Silva in the opening round, Emelianenko was dominated, losing to the Brazilian via technical knockout.

The loss was his second in a row, with the other coming against Fabricio Werdum, who defied the odds to submit Emelianenko in the opening round of their main event bout at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum.”

At this point in time, Coker still wants to keep Emelianenko involved in the tournament picture, as he could opt to fill a replacement slot with the Russian superstar should another competitor be forced out due to injury or other circumstances. The Strikeforce CEO expressed his desire to keep Emelianenko in the grand prix mix stating, “I think having Fedor involved close to the tournament as an alternate is definitely a possibility.”

Emelianenko’s upcoming opponent is yet to be determined, but if Coker wants to keep one of his top commodities close to the tourney, a bout against a heavyweight alternate could be in the cards.