Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia in July?

While Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia hasn't officially been signed as of yet, there are strong rumors that this fight will take place sometime in July. Both fighters have verbally confirmed an interest to fight each other. Both sides are likely talking money right now, and if something can get hammered out then we should hear an official announcement shortly.

The fight is likely to take place in July at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, and would be broadcast on Mark Cuban's HDNet.

Obviously this isn't the Fedor - Couture fight that everyone has been hoping for, but that fight may never happen due to Couture's contract mess with the UFC.

I would say that the best way for a Fedor - Couture fight to even happen would be for Fedor to impress in his fight against Sylvia (if it happens), which would likely lead to renewed contract talks between Fedor's representatives and the UFC. The two sides were close to a deal before, but ended up falling out after Fedor said that the proposed UFC contract was too restrictive for him. This led to Dana White losing his temper and making disparaging comments about Fedor to the public. I can guarantee you this though - the UFC still wants Fedor and would gladly sign him if given the opportunity. If Fedor ends up signing with the UFC down the road, then look for Couture to re-enter the fold. This is the best shot of a Fedor - Couture fight happening, because it doesn't look as though Couture will be getting out of his UFC deal anytime soon.

Anyways, back to Fedor - Sylvia. This will be a good test for Fedor, who has been taking some hits to his reputation as people have questioned the recent quality of his opponents. His last really tough opponent was probably Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, whom he defeated at PRIDE - Final Conflict 2005 in August of 2005. Since then he has fought: Wagner da Conceicao Martins, Mark Coleman, Mark Hunt, Matt Lindland and Hong Man Choi. Only one of these fights has lasted past the first round. If Fedor wants to earn his reputation as the best pound for pound fighter in the world, then he will have to step up his quality of opponent. Hong Man Choi is not going to cut it.

For Tim Sylvia, this would be his first fight since leaving the UFC. This would be a great match-up for Sylvia - not only would he potentially earn a pile of money, but if he were somehow able to beat Fedor then he would increase his bargaining power even more. Tim Sylvia has faced a number of solid opponents over his career, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Randy Couture and Frank Mir.

This would be an important match in the careers of both Fedor and Tim Sylvia, and both fighters would be smart to make a deal happen. Sylvia can use this fight to increase his drawing power outside of the UFC, and Fedor would be able to use a strong showing to increase his leverage with the UFC.