Fedor Emelianenko, the famed Russian fighter who is seriously challenging the old adage that no man is an island, still does not have a date for his first fight under M-1 Global.
But does he have an opponent?
Our buddy Brent Brookhouse is passing word from Tatame.com that Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo is in fact preparing for a bout with the former PRIDE heavyweight champion but that the negotiating is still in its infancy.
The Heavy Champion of the Art of War, Pedro Rizzo, who traveled yesterday to Netherlands to help his friend Peter Aerts in the preparation for the K-1 GP final, also has the aim of sharpening his exchanges for a possible fight against the Russian Fedor Emilianenko. "Actually, we received a proposal, but we can´t say from whom. Now it´s too early to speak", said Jorge Guimarães (Joinha) Rizzo´s manager.
Rizzo may not have much left in terms of star power, but his knockout power and TKO victory over Jeff Monson at Art of War 3 actually puts him ahead of Monson from a competitive standpoint.
While Fedor had hoped to fight on New Year's Eve, that date was quickly dismissed by M-1 President Monte Cox as being too restrictive.
Hopefully M-1 Global can get something on paper soon as Fedor's star is starting to fade. No one can question what he's accomplished in this sport but you can't build a company of the future on memories of the past.
The clock is ticking.ÂÂ