UFC President Dana White raised some eyebrows this past week when he gauged fan interest in a Brock Lesnar (5-3) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (34-4) super fight.
Not surprisingly, fans voiced their approval.
White, though, said it's far from likely, especially now that famed Russian heavyweight Emelianenko has retired from the sport.
"There was a question (on The Underground), 'Could Dana make this fight?'" White said Tuesday on FUEL TV's "UFC Tonight." "And then I asked them, 'Well, how many people really want to see this fight?' I was asking a question. I guess a couple people want to see that fight."
The mere possibility of the blockbuster ignited days of discussion and debate among MMA fans. But for Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion who retired from MMA and rejoined WWE earlier this year, and Emelianenko, a longtime PRIDE champion who retired from MMA in June, it's extremely unlikely to happen.
Neither fighter is under contract, and especially with Emelianenko, it's likely to stay that way, White said.
A few months ago, White told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) that his inability to sign Emelianenko and book the fight with Lesnar was one of his biggest regrets. White, of course, puts the blame on Emelianenko's longtime manager and the head of M-1 Global, Vadim Finkelstein. Although the two sides came close to an agreement a few years ago, discussions fell apart, and Emelianenko instead signed with Strikeforce. The Russian never re-signed with the organization after the UFC's parent company acquired the promotion in early 2011.
"I'll tell you this: I have done so much to try to get Fedor into the UFC," White said. "You know how I am, especially if I say it publicly. 'This is an obsession. I've got to get this thing done.'
"I've tried to get it done. And the crazy thing is, now everyone's asking if I can make this fight, and you know Fedor's retired. The guy retired. I don't know (if I could get him back). I couldn't get him when he was fighting. Now, we're on such good terms I'm going to pull him out of retirement?"
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