Scott Coker to meet with Fedor Emelianenko’s management this weekend

By Brett Okamoto

Friday, July 16, 2010 | 3:35 p.m.

Fedor Emelianenko didn't have much to say following his first-round loss to Fabricio Werdum on June 26 in San Jose, Calif., but he did have a few final words for Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker before leaving the U.S.

He wanted to let Coker know they'd see each other again soon.

"He told me before he left, 'Scott, I will be back,'" said Coker. "I think that loss added another two years to Fedor fighting in the MMA business."

For the first time since Emelianenko's loss, Coker says he's prepared to meet with M-1 Global Promotions this weekend to determine what's next for the Russian fighter and the rest of the heavyweight division.

As for what outcome the two sides will reach, Coker admits he's not too sure.

"I wish I knew the answer to that," laughed Coker, when asked what he expects to happen this weekend. "I know that Fedor wants to fight again right away, and I think he wants to fight Werdum."

Emelianenko (31-2) and his management team at M-1 Global have already made it clear they expect an immediate rematch against the only man to have defeated their fighter in the last 10 years.

Whether Strikeforce agrees to that demand is still undetermined.

Coker has said he has no problem seeing a second meeting between Emelianenko and Werdum, but would possibly like to see other fights happen first.

Defending champion Alistair Overeem and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva were both mentioned by Coker as potential opponents for Emelianenko's next fight.

"It's not that I'm leaning towards Fedor fighting Overeem," Coker said. "But we just saw the Fabricio Werdum fight and we saw what happened. Why not let Fedor fight his way back to him, so to speak?"

Coker also wouldn't rule out the possibility of holding a heavyweight tournament at some point — something the organization is already planning to do in its middleweight division.

Although there are no official plans in place, Coker said if the tournament format is successful, the next one would likely be in the heavyweight division.

"A tournament has come up but it's not been flushed out yet," Coker said. "It's just in the pre-stages. There are a lot of details you have to work out when you're talking about fighters competing twice in one night."

Emelianenko is on the last fight of the deal he signed with Strikeforce in 2009.

Coker has hinted in the past that Emelianenko likely would headline the company's first pay-per-view event, however said there is no guarantee that will happen in his next fight.

"I think if Fedor fights Werdum that would be a pay-per-view," Coker said. "But if there is a fight in between that, maybe that would be on Showtime."

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting