5 Possible opponents for Fedor Emelianenko's final fight

#2. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Anderson Silva (catchweight)

Anderson 'The Spider' Silva during his celebrated time in the UFC

An outside-the-box matchup for Fedor Emelianenko’s final fight would be Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva. The former UFC middleweight champion is in the conversation for greatest MMA fighter of all-time and his reign as champion is proof of that.

During his reign, everything seemed to come easy for Silva. His unorthodox style left his opponents second-guessing themselves and he would then take advantage. Landing a clean strike to Silva was a battle of its own. Silva would constantly be moving and even have his hands down at times before unloading on his opponent.

The bout between Emelianenko and Silva at catchweight doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Chael Sonnen has said in the past that the UFC were talking about booking Emelianenko vs. Silva at 205lbs. The bout obviously didn’t take place, but it did get fans curious.

Silva’s final MMA fight took place behind-closed-doors at the UFC Apex last year in a TKO loss to Uriah Hall. Perhaps the idea of fighting Emelianenko in front of a crowd at a 215-220lb catchweight could be an incentive for Silva.

Silva is currently having a great deal of success competing in boxing bouts, so he is still active in combat sports.

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#1. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Alistair Overeem

Alistair Overeem during his time in the UFC

Arguably the biggest missed opportunity in Strikeforce’s history was that they never booked a fight between Emelianenko and Overeem.

It looked as though Emelianenko-Overeem would matchup in the semifinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix, but that didn’t end up happening. Fedor Emelianenko was defeated by Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva and Overeem would be pulled from the tournament and replaced by Daniel Cormier.

Overeem has had a decorated career in combat sports. His accomplishments include the Strikeforce heavyweight championship, K-1 Grand Prix, and DREAM heavyweight championship.

In addition, Overeem has competed in every top MMA promotion and defeated former champions and legends of the sport. Some of Overeem’s wins include Fabricio Werdum, Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, and Vitor Belfort.

Bellator President Scott Coker has an opportunity to finally book the fight he was unable to in Strikeforce. Overeem’s UFC release was a surprise because, prior to his loss to Alexander Volkov, he had won back-to-back fights.

Overeem and Emelianenko are known for their knockout power, so there’s a good chance it wouldn’t go the distance. The history between the two fighters and Scott Coker would make it a fitting final fight for Fedor Emelianenko.