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MMA SUPERSTAR AND FEDOR CONQUEROR FABRICIO WERDUM TO APPEAR ON MMA LIVE ON ESPN2 TOMORROW/THURSDAY

WHO: MMA Superstar Fabricio Werdu
WHAT: Interview on MMA LIVE tomorrow/Thursday on ESPN2

Fabricio Werdum will discuss his stunning upset victory over MMA legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko that shocked the world this past Saturday night at HP Pavilion in San Jose , Calif , live on SHOWTIME®. The historic first round (1:09) submission (triangle armbar) was the only legitimate loss of Fedor’s storied career during which the Russian has triumphed over nearly every major rival force in heavyweight division and reigned as the No. 1 pound for pound fighter on the planet.

The 32-year-old Werdum, a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and top-ranked heavyweight, added Fedor to his already impressive resume that includes wins over reigning STRIKEFORCE World Heavyweight Champion, Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem, as well as fellow superstars Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon “The Truth” Vera.

Werdum is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and member of Brazil ’s vaunted Chute Boxe fight squad. He was born in Brazil , but now fights out of Marina del Rey, Calif.

WHERE: ESPN2
WHEN: Thursday, July 1 at 1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT

Underneath is a clip of the stunning upset that Fabricio Werdum pulled on Fedor Emelianenko. It took 2 simultaneous submissions to take down the mighty Russian, but Werdum was game to the challenge. The Brazilian turned around what looked like it was going to be a quick TKO win for Emelianenko, into one of the greatest upsets the game has seen and the first chink in the seemingly untouchable armor of Fedor.

A simple 2 character Tweet on Twitter by UFC president Dana White said it all

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Just that one smiley face said a million words as the White enjoyed a hearty virtual grin when Fedor Emelianenko was defeated by Fabricio Werdum in Strikeforce. Aside from the cheerful smiles White now enjoys, he also breathes a sigh of relief. Fedor has been the one big thorn in the side of the American MMA tycoon, who has through his power and resources been able to sign every single fighter he has desired, save the one Russian icon in Fedor. For years fans have been thirsting for Fedor to enter into the UFC Octagon and fight to find out who is the top heavyweight in the world. Fedor had a mythical status in the MMA world, an aura of invincibility that was proven every time he stepped into competition and dispatched of all comers, most of the time in brutal fashion. While White did all he could to try and downplay and lessen the status of Fedor, fans would not relent in their yearning to see Fedor fight in the UFC and maintained his status was at the top of the heavyweight world in MMA.

For White it was incredible problem. He had all the best fighters in every weight class, from St. Pierre to Anderson Silva to Shogun to the most spectacular lightweights in the planet. White was able to sign massive superstars such as Brock Lesnar, ink deals with some of his greatest foes like Tito Ortiz, and patch things up when things where icey between him and champions such as Randy Couture and BJ Penn. Every fighter was able to join the UFC fold and manage to come to terms with the organization aside from Emelianenko.

Now with Fedor being defeated by Fabricio Werdum, an excellent fighter, and interestingly enough a fighter who was cut from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Dana White can finally let out a deep breath and not have to deal with the neverending questions he faced from fans and media about whether or not the UFC was going to face the unstoppable force and number one heavyweight in the world–Fedor Emelianenko. With the god-like status now removed from the resume from Fedor, a loss on the Russian’s record finally gives White some statistical evidence to prove Fedor is no longer the number one heavyweight fighter in the world at the moment, and gives some incredible legitimacy to the argument that next week’s battle between Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar is to find out who the greatest big-man in the world of MMA is right now. Both fighters will put their respective titles (Carwin the interim UFC heavyweight strap and Lesnar the official UFC heavyweight belt) on the line to battle for the number one position in the world at heavyweight.

As White is the most powerful man in the industry right now, he is certainly never short of facing criticism and troubles, but a major heavyweight one has been lifted from his shoulders after the great Fedor finally took his first fall in over a decade of competition in MMA. It’s not the nicest thing in the world to smile at another’s misfortune, but after Fedor’s tumble from the top of the heavyweight MMA mountain, Dana White is nothing but smiles.

BRAZIL’S FABRICIO WERDUM SHOCKS MMA WORLD
BY SUBMITTING FEDOR EMELIANENKO IN ONE MINUTE

SAN JOSE, Calif. – On a historic night of Mixed Martial arts presented by STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL and televised on SHOWTIME®, two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (14-4) registered the most spectacular upset in MMA history with a 1:09, first-round submission (triangle choke) over the world’s No. 1 heavyweight and pound-for-pound fighter, Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (31-2) before 12,649 Saturday at HP Pavilion.

Fedor, a six-footer, had Werdum in trouble in the opening moments after dropping him with a right uppercut that was followed with several more punches. But from his back, Werdum, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and member of Brazil’s vaunted Chute Boxe fight squad, got Fedor into a combination triangle- and arm-choke. Within seconds, the fight was over. The famed Fedor had tapped out.

“I am so very, very happy,’’ the six-foot-four Werdum said. “He is such a strong man. He is a great fighter. I would be glad to fight him again.’’

It was the first “legitimate’’ defeat in Fedor’s legendary career. His other loss, while official, came as a result of a disputed doctor stoppage due to a cut he sustained seconds into a matchup with Japan’s Tsuyoshi Kosaka on Dec. 22, 2000.

“One that doesn’t fall doesn’t stand up. I was concentrating on the strikes and made a mistake,’’ Fedor said. “I will have to go back and analyze what happened.’’

Saturday marked the first time in MMA history, the No. 1 male and female fighters in the world fought in the same cage on the same night.

While Fedor failed in a stunning shocker, the top women’s fighter, Cris Cyborg (10-1) of Curitibia, Brazil, was her usual brutal self as she retained the STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Middleweight (145 pounds) title with a dominant second-round (2:27) knockout (strikes) over game, determined challenger, Jan Finney (8-8) of Springfield, Ohio, in one of the featured fights on SHOWTIME.

In other televised fights, former STRIKEFORCE middleweight champion and hometown favorite, southpaw Cung Le (17-3) of San Jose, convincingly stopped Scott “Hands Of Steel’’ Smith (18-7) of Elk Grove, Calif., at 1:46 in the second round; and popular, local fan favorite and former STRIKEFORCE world lightweight belt-holder Josh “The Punk’’ Thomson (17-3), of San Jose, turned back a determined bid of Pat “Bam Bam’’ Healy (23-16) of Portland, Ore., to score a hard-fought, third-round submission. A tight, even fight ended via rear-naked choke at 4:27.

In an emotional moment midway through the telecast, MMA pioneer and San Jose’s original favorite MMA son, Frank “The Legend’’ Shamrock, made one last walk down the ramp, in a suit, no less, and into the cage where he formally announced his retirement.

As the respectful fans stood and listened in appreciation, Shamrock, who is an expert analyst for SHOWTIME MMA telecasts, took the microphone, surrounded by family, promoters and executives, and said: “I’m 37. My time has come. Tonight, I announce my retirement. Tonight, I enter the cage for the last time as a fighter. I want to thank the people, my friend and an honest promoter, Scott Coker, for always keeping his word. In 2006, I threw one punch and STRIKEFORCE was born. Again, I want to thank all the people, the HP Pavilion and my family who put up with my craziness that was MMA. You, the fans were there when I won, and when I lost, and it was an honor for me to bleed and to break bones and entertain you.’’

Shamrock then slowly bowed to each side of the cage, precipitating one final roar of cheers from those in attendance.

By defeating Fedor, Werdum’s record now against the Emelianenko’s is 2-0. On Nov. 26, 2006, Werdum submitted Fedor’s brother, Aleksander, via arm triangle choke at 3:24 in the first round in Rotterdam, Holland.

Werdum may also have earned an immediate shot at STRIKEFORCE heavyweight world champion, Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem, whom he’s already defeated once. “I am ready to fight anybody,’’ Werdum said.

Cyborg, who had a meaningless point deducted for hitting behind the head in the opening round, praised Finney, who went down several times, but felt the fight could have been halted earlier.

“I was really surprised the fight wasn’t stopped in the first round,’’ said Cyborg after her 10th consecutive victory. “I know she was trying hard, but I could tell I was hurting her, especially when she was down and covering up like she was. But it is my job to keep fighting until the fight is over.’’

Cyborg was crowned the first STRIKEFORCE women’s champion in history on Aug. 15, 2009, after she stopped Gina Carano in the first round at HP Pavilion.

Finney fought as hard as anyone could expect and, true to her word, kept firing back.

“I think this, being a world title fight, could have gone on a little longer,’’ she said. “If I was really hurt, I would have tapped.’’

Southpaw Le, who had dominated Smith before getting stopped last Dec. 19, left little to doubt this time around. A spinning leg kick to the body dropped Smith and after a succession of punches, the referee stepped in. Afterward, an ecstatic Le back-flipped out.

“I want to thank Scott Coker and SHOWTIME. I know what happened last time and was determined not to have it happen again. I knew I was in shape. I was pushed really hard during training. I was totally focused. I didn’t eat pizza. I didn’t eat chocolate for six or seven weeks.

“If Scott Coker wants a rubber match, that would be fine with me. Last time was Scott (Smith’s) night. This was my night. I am the one standing.’’

Fedor is the best in the world, this night I beat Fedor, but Fedor is the best.

Fedor Emelianenko was born in 1976 in the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk in what was then the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). In 1978, when he was two, his family moved within the Soviet Union to Stary Oskol, Belgorod of the Russian SFSR. His mother, Olga Fedorovna, was a teacher and his father, Vladimir Alexandrovich Emelianenko, was a welder. Emelianenko is the second child in the family and has an older sister and two younger brothers, including professional mixed martial artist Aleksander Emelianenko. Fedor also trains with his youngest brother Ivan, who has competed in Combat Sambo, and plans to begin a career in MMA in 2010.

Emelianenko finished high school in 1991 and graduated with honors from a professional trade school in 1994. From 1995 until 1997, he served in the Russian Army as a military firefighter. In 1999, he married his wife Oksana, and their daughter Masha was born in the same year. They divorced in 2006. On December 29, 2007, his second daughter, Vasilisa, was born to his long time girlfriend Marina.Emelianenko and Marina married in October 2009. In his spare time, he likes to read, listen to music, and draw. He is a practicing Orthodox Christian and a parishioner at the church of St. Nicholas in Stary Oskol. His confessor is Archpriest Andrei Zinoviev.

Emelianenko had the honour of being one of 80 Russian sporting champions, cultural icons and national heroes to carry the Olympic torch in St. Petersburg in 2008.

UFC President Dana White appeared on 790 the Ticket in South Florida