According to HeavyMMA.com, a report that Fedor Emelianeko has been released from his Strikeforce contract is false.

Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko has not been released from his contract with the promotion.

Earlier Thursday, Russian website Lifesports.ru reported that the mixed martial arts legend would not have his contract renewed, but BloodyElbow.com has since learned from M-1 Global official Evgeni Kogan that there is no truth to the rumor.

“It’s unfortunate that the site has shown little to no journalistic integrity,” Kogan stated. “This is also not the first time their writers have fabricated a story to create attention. Quite simply, it should be ignored. Should there ever be a change in Fedor’s status, rest assured that M-1 would provide an official position.”

Emelianenko, undoubtedly one of the most recognized figures in the sport, was once considered by many the top pound-for-pound fighter in all of the sport, but a two-fight losing streak has seen him plummet down the ranks. He was defeated by Fabricio Werdum in the main event of their 2010 bout and was then defeated by Antonio Silva nearly one year later in the first round of the highly anticipated Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.

Currently, the Russian fighter is waiting in the wings as a potential replacement in the tournament. He is expected to return to action this summer.

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According to HeavyMMA.com, Strikeforce heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko is putting the retirement talk on hold and will return to action this July.

Despite hinting at walking away from the sport following his first round elimination in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, Fedor Emelianenko is not ready to hang his gloves up just yet.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told Sherdog.com on the latest “Beatdown” show that the heavyweight legend will return to action this July.

Emelianenko, who was touted as the best heavyweight in the world not long ago, agreed to participate in the eight-man tournament, joining the likes of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, and Josh Barnett, among others. But when he met Antonio Silva in the opening round, Emelianenko was dominated, losing to the Brazilian via technical knockout.

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Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com shares ten things we learned from Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva” card.

It would be easy to start this assessment of the news that came out of Saturday’s Strikeforce event talking about Fedor Emelianenko, but that would be a disservice to Antonio Silva.

The massive Brazilian executed a tremendous game plan and showed he belongs in the hunt of the Heavyweight Grand Prix title, working a more technical approach in the opening round and stinging Emelianenko several times before taking him down at the outset of the second frame. From there, Silva put a beating on the iconic Russian, landing hammerfists from mount and cinching in strong chokes a couple different times.

When the round ended, Emelianenko was a mess, his right eye swollen shut and purple welts painting his face, leading the doctor to call an end to the bout. Silva was overjoyed, and showed the utmost respect for his opponent, walking over to kneel at Fedor’s feet before shaking his hand and giving him a kiss on the head.

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HeavyMMA.com writes that Fedor Emelianenko is pondering retirement after losing to Antonio Silva in the Stirkeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament.

We may have seen the legendary Fedor Emelianenko’s fighting career come to an end on Saturday at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva” at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“The Last Emperor” suffered his second loss in a row to Antonio Silva in the opening round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament via doctor stoppage.

The former Pride Champion may have announced his retirement following the loss.

“Something went wrong from the very beginning, and I couldn’t readjust myself. Maybe it’s time to leave,” Emelianenko said in his post-fight interview.

“Yes, maybe it’s the last time,” added Fedor. “Maybe it’s God’s will.”

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The MMA world was turned upside down Saturday night when Fabricio Werdum submitted Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce’s Fedor vs. Werdum event.

Fedor had not lost since 2000, winning 27-striaght fights in that span. He was considered by many as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world due to his dominance in Pride, Affliction, and now Strikeforce. Yet, there he was being submitted by Werdum, a man who had never really risen to any sort of iconic status in his career and was largely thought to be a lamb for slaughter to Fedor on Saturday.

The upset has an impact in many ways, but there isn’t anyone happier about it, including Werdum, than UFC President Dana White.

White has been the face of MMA from an organizational standpoint for years now and his company, Zuffa Entertainment, has completely held the top spot in the MMA world.

White has signed all the top fighters and put on all the top fights over the last five years, yet he could never ink the highly sought-after Fedor Emelianenko.

Despite numerous attempts and record-setting contract offers, Fedor would never sign with the UFC because the organization would not co-promote his fights with his management company at M-1 Global. Fedor had the ability to hold power in contract talks because of the status he had reached in MMA through his record winning streak.

The failed contract talks spewed a lot of negativity between White and Fedor, but it also made White look bad. Despite all of his criticisms of Fedor, you knew he wanted to sign him and bring him to the UFC to see just where he stood among the heavyweights in that division.

With Fedor down to two fights on his Strikeforce contract heading into Saturday’s bout, the UFC had one last attempt to sign him over the next year. Now, with the loss, that urgency on the UFC’s part is completely gone.

Not only did Fedor lose, not only did he lose in just over one minute, but he lost to a man that the UFC cut because they didn’t feel he was worth his contract.

Werdum has lost in the octagon to Andrei Arlovski and Junior dos Santos, but he just beat Fedor without landing a strike.

Now when contract talks come around, White can look at know that he doesn’t have to sign him to prove anything. If anything, now Fedor has to prove himself against UFC heavyweights like Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, dos Santos, and Cain Velasquez.

Now White can proclaim he has the top fighters in the world in the heavyweight division and in the pound-for-pound category. Trust me, as smug as it might be to make a big deal out of it in the media, White won’t hesitate to do so.

So while Werdum is enjoying his night of success, White is feeling like its Christmas day.