While Saturday’s announcement that Fedor Emelianenko has signed a two-fight deal with Nobuyuki Sakikibara, many assumed that “The Last Emporer’s” return would be short-lived, however according to Bellator president Scott Coker, that may not necessarily be the case.
Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com caught up with Coker following Saturday’s Bellator: Dynamite 1 event in San Jose, California, and asked him about the news of Fedor’s return.
“We never discussed anything financial with him or any negotiations,” Coker said. “We proved that, right? We knew [Sakikabara] was in dialogue with Fedor, so when the contract got signed, we never said anything but we knew it was going to be on Spike TV.”
Coker continued, “It is a win-win for Sakikabara to have Fedor and it is a win-win for Spike TV to have Fedor.”
When asked whether or not Fedor’s exclusive deal with Sakikibara could mean the end of the possibility of Fedor ever fighting in the UFC, Coker said that might not be the case.
“I’m not sure. Fedor could fight for the next five or six years.”
H/T: BloodyElbow.com
