Strikeforce: Fedor Emelianenko Versus Fabricio Werdum Moved to May

A long-anticipated matchup between Fighters.com Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) and ninth-ranked “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) has been rescheduled from the original April date to May, according to MMA Fighting.

M-1 Global officials apparently announced the change at an M-1 Selection Eastern European press conference Thursday.  M-1 Global is Emelianenko’s management company.  Strikeforce has not confirmed the change.

Yesterday Fighters.com reported that Strikeforce was considering Nashville for their April event, which has long been pegged to air on CBS.  However, Emelianenko’s contract mandates his fights be aired on CBS.  So, it’s likely the April event will be moved to CBS cable affiliate Showtime.

It’s also now unclear whether the matchup between Strikeforce light heavyweight champion “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) and “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) will occur in April or May.  Mousasi has indicated he’ll only fight when Emelianenko fights, but it’s unclear whether that’s a contractual mandate or merely his desire.

The move of the Emelianenko-Werdum matchup to May also potentially allows Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (29-10) to defend his title on the same card.  Overeem had stated he couldn’t fight for Strikeforce until May.