The long-time top-heavyweight in MMA, Fedor Emelianenko, will make his return to action for Strikeforce in July. The Russian star lost his second straight fight to Antonio Silva in February after submitting to Fabricio Werdum in 69 seconds back in June 2010.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker spoke to Sherdog:

"Fedor's gonna fight sometime in July. It's probably toward the end of July or mid-July, but we have fights with Fedor that we're gonna honor and continue forward. We're gonna do the co-branding exercise that we do with M-1 every time we do fights with them." "The opponent has not been chosen, but I think having Fedor involved close to the tournament as an alternate is definitely a possibility," he added.

Fedor answered questions at the premiere of his new action movie The Salamander Key in Moscow (translation via Lowkick.com):

"This Sunday I'll fly out to Holland to have a two-week training camp. Then, I'll return back home to Stariy Oskol to continue my preparations. I'm going to fight this summer. I still don't know who will be my opponent, but it's something currently in works. I didn't train abroad since 2005. We have a really good relationship with Muay Thai coaches in Holland, so I'm really looking forward to this training camp. I would like to thank everyone for their support. But at the end it's God's will, and we have to accept it as it is. I will continue to compete, train hard and do everything in my power to get a victory. Reporter: You are not retiring? Fedor: No way."

Possible opponents for Fedor include the alternates in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament: Shane del Rosario and Chad Griggs. He could also rematch Andrei Arlovski, who also lost in the first round of the tournament or face Lavar Johnson or Gian Villante, who lost in their alternate matches.

Video of the interview with Fedor in the full entry and the trailer for The Salamander Key if you are needing to brush up on your Russian.





Here's the trailer for the film: