Coker: Fedor Could Return in October, November

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker began negotiations with co-promotional partner M-1 Global earlier this week to plot out Fedor Emelianenko’s third and final bout for the two organizations on his current contract.

“Those discussions have started,” Coker told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show on Monday. “All I could tell you is that it’s going to lead to another conversation, which will lead to another conversation, so it’s going to take time, and, hopefully, we’ll have something put together in the next two to three weeks and we can make a big announcement when the next Fedor fight will occur. If it were up to me, guys, and it were a Strikeforce event, we’d have Fedor fighting before the end of the year. When you have a co-promotion, there are a lot of different needs to fill so to speak.”

Still, Coker said he was hopeful that these new set of talks would not extend like the last round, where M-1 Global insisted on re-negotiating a deal that it already signed in August 2009 and pushed Emelianenko’s April return back to June.

“It wasn’t like last time when there were some real major material issues that were a part of the problem. I think this conversation will go much quicker than the last one, and if we all agree, then we’ll set the date,” said Coker. “He could fight as early as October or November, maybe, but it’s really up in the air right now.”

The even-tempered Coker said this process becomes part of the package when one chooses to co-promote with other organizations.

“Any time you have a partner, that’s going to be the reality,” he said. “Believe me, it’s not unlike the relationship with Dream, in that for me to get [lightweight champion Shinya] Aoki, it took me a year. Now, a lot of that wasn’t out in the public, and they weren’t talking about anything. I wasn’t saying anything, so, really, it just flew under the radar, but believe me, any time you have a partner, it’s going to take time and it’s going to be a different process if I was just doing it myself.”

Coker said the extra legwork has been worth it, though.

“We’ve put some great fights on with Dream and I think we’re going to have some more great fights with Dream, and the Fedor fights have been worth it,” said Coker. “We’ve been able to put some fights together that, to me, make it all worthwhile. But, yes, there are some more hoops to jump through.”

In the Strikeforce heavyweight picture, there will be much to decide in the coming weeks. Fabricio Werdum, the man who vanquished Emelianenko with a slick 69-second submission in June, has already offered the iconic Russian fighter an immediate rematch -- the bout M-1 Global wants next.

However, Coker has his sights set on Emelianenko facing heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, possibly in a non-title bout, recent winner Antonio Silva or new acquisition Sergei Kharitonov. There are multiple combinations among those names, said Coker, and he said he will not postpone things any more than he has to.

“If the talks take too long, then we’ll move on,” he said. “We’re not waiting forever, and Alistair and Fabricio will definitely be fighting [one another] if that’s the case.”

Also on Coker’s agenda will be discussions to extend the U.S. outlet’s co-promotional relationship with M-1 in order to continue producing events together into 2011. Coker said those talks will commence once the parties come to a consensus on Emelianenko’s next appearance.

In other notes:

• Coker said a rematch between Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and Japanese counterpart Aoki is a very real prospect. Coker discussed the potential bout with Dream a couple of weeks ago when he attended its last live event; the two companies share talent through an alliance.

“The conversation I had with Dream was if that fight were to happen, it should happen in Dream in the ring, and I believe that’s what should happen,” he said. “And I’ll tell you, when I was there, every other question that got asked of me was, ‘When are you going to let Gilbert come fight Aoki under the Dream rules?’ Gilbert’s hurt right now, but we could definitely have that conversation when he’s healthy. When I saw Aoki fight Kawajiri, he looked so comfortable, so relaxed, and he was in his element. I think my guy, Gilbert, will still win, but I think it might be a little tougher fight under Dream rules, where Gilbert can’t push against the cage and he can’t take away some of the things that Aoki does. When they want to put it together, we’ll do it.”

• Coker said Dan Henderson will return to the promotion as a light heavyweight following his sobering five-round defeat to exiting champion Jake Shields in April. Coker has two opponents already earmarked for the two-time Olympic wrestler.

“Dan Henderson has let us know that he’s going to move up to 205 and he doesn’t feel comfortable fighting at 185 anymore,” said Coker. “The weight cut was too much for him last time, and he said that it felt like it affected his performance. But Hendo fighting [Renato] ‘Babalu’ [Sobral] or Gegard [Mousasi] is a fight you’ll see before the end of the year, and the winner of that fight will probably fight the winner of the [Muhammed] ‘King Mo’ [Lawal]-[Rafael] ‘Feijao’ [Cavalcante] fight.”