Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker on Nov. 16 said there is “light at the end of the tunnel” as his promotion and MMA heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko (31-2) look to come to terms on a possible contract extension.
During a media call to discuss the Dan Henderson vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral fight coming up on November 4, Coker was asked about recent comments by an M-1 Global official that there is some light at the end of the tunnel in the negotiations. Coker agreed but added that nothing has been completed yet and he had nothing to announce.
Fedor has one fight left on his Strikeforce deal. He has competed twice for the organization, defeating prospect Brett Rogers by second round TKO and succumbing to a triangle-armbar submission by Fabricio Werdum. The Werdum loss was only the second of his career, with the lone other coming back in 2000 via a controversial cut stoppage.
Prior to the Werdum fight, Fedor was widely recognized as the best heavyweight fighter in the world. Based on his long title run for PRIDE in Japan and recent victories in Affliction as well as Strikeforce, Fedor is considered arguably the best fighter in MMA history, having beaten the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, and Andrei Arlovski.