Joe Ferraro

Fedor Emelianenko.

All signs point to The Last Emperor never joining the UFC, but retirement talk is likely overblown.

As we get closer to Fedor Emelieanenko's bout on Saturday night vs. Fabricio Werdum, everything he says, does, and even wears, will likely make headlines.

"The Last Emperor" and his management team are fielding "retirement" questions, stemming from a recent conference call, where Fedor's translator did not include the full translation, considering the legend stated that he is thinking more and more about retirement.

As for elaboration, his management team simply stated that he cannot fight forever (ala Randy Couture / Dan Henderson) but that the overall retirement talk is overblown. As for his own thoughts, Fedor did state that he wishes to fulfill the final two fights on his current Strikeforce contract, remain undefeated, then review his options.

Fight number one is Saturday vs. Fabricio Werdum. Should he emerge victorious (and I don't know that he will) the next, most logical fight, will be with Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem. Question is: will Fedor and his camp accept the fight? I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.

One thing that I've been saying since Pride FC collapsed was that Fedor would likely never fight in the UFC. Even during his free agency period, with all the hype at its highest, I researched and found information that made it clear: Fedor competing in the Octagon would only happen in MMA fans' wildest dreams. There are too many extenuating circumstances that made all of the "Fedor in the UFC" talk just seem silly.

UFC president Dana White has told us, me, you and everyone else that he has tried. He flew to various parts of the world, offered Emelianenko more than every other offer imaginable, but a deal simply could not be struck.

While unfortunate, even White is now stating that it's time to move on. It doesn't look like it's ever going to happen; it sounds as if even the UFC has officially given up on having "The Last Emperor" end his storied career inside the Octagon, fighting the best heavyweights in the world, the vast majority of which, reside under the UFC's umbrella.

But, I will say this: I will not be surprised if the UFC has an ace up their sleeve, and are planning some tomfoolery, like they did when Kimbo Slice joined the cast of Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. I'll never say never, and while I believe they cannot come to terms with M1-Global, Fedor's management team, the organization does have a history of getting what they want, some way, somehow, be it positive, negative, or with a velvet hammer. It's a pipe dream, but I'll remain optimistic and never say "never."

Misc MMA News:

-- Guys like Carlos Newton and Anderson Silva are huge fans of traditional martial arts, like Karate, Kenpo and Aikido. So when you get a seventh-dan black belt in Aikido like Steven Seagal visiting your gym, it's safe to say they will be more than happy to learn some new techniques, even if they cannot be used in MMA competition.

-- Seems there are a variety of media hating on Shane Carwin, for his "lack of" promoting, considering his upcoming bout with Brock Lesnar is just over two weeks away. I'll be the first to say that Carwin has drastically changed from the guy I met a year or so ago, but to each his own. I'm sure he's still a great guy, family man and excellent fighter, but gone is the friendly, down-to-earth guy I had some good laughs with. Unfortunately, his disdain for the media has gotten the better of him and he's lumped all (if not most) of us into one singular group. He's not the first and definitely won't be the last but come next week, he will likely be vilified for his actions as the media surround him for the UFC 116 scrums and pre-fight press conference. I won't be surprised if it's Carwin who may come out as the heel in this fight, as the media may choose to show some love for Lesnar. I doubt it, but I won't be surprised. Both guys are polarizing figures, and I never take what they say or do personally; I just want to see the unification bout.

-- Many folks are messaging me via Facebook and Twitter about who's next for Martin Kampmann. All signs are pointing to a showdown with Dan Hardy in London, this October, but "The Hitman" recently stated that Jake Shields is another option, should the UFC come to terms with the highly ranked middleweight, who's truly a welterweight.

-- While Shields is mulling over offers from Strikeforce, the UFC and other promotios, rumours are swirling that former WWE wrestler Dave Batista has signed with Strikeforce. TMZ caught up with Batista, who stated he will be fighting for them in the near future, but would not divulge the opponent. For their part, Strikeforce denies the claim. I hope this never takes place. If Batista was in his twenties, and not his forties, fine. But all of these freak show fights in MMA are passe; they were a staple within Pride FC... we don't need to see them again.

-- There are various articles out there blaming MMA for various violent acts in North America, attributing the sport, its fans and some "fighters" as the reasoning behind recent assaults and murders. I highly doubt that any organization and/or sport has anything to do with how a bunch of random bafoons act while being intoxicated or high on narcotics. Something tells me this is going to be a hot topic on my radio show this Thursday.