White: Fedor’s Strikeforce days are over

Fedor Emelianenko’s days with Strikeforce are over.

On Thursday, UFC president Dana White said the man nicknamed “The Last Emperor” will be released by the promotion after losing his last three fights.

A source told Sportsnet’s (Showdown) Joe Ferraro that the process of canceling the Russian’s contract was underway.

Once considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Emelianenko (31-4-1) appeared to have lost an edge, getting caught in a submission to Fabrico Werdum in June 2010 and losing by TKO to Antonio Silva in the first round of Strikeforce’s heavyweight Grand Prix in February.

This past Saturday, in the headlining bout of an event in suburban Chicago, Emelianenko was dropped and knocked unconscious by an uppercut from Dan Henderson in the first round.

The question was posed whether it was time for the 34-year-old to retire and he said it would be up to “God’s will.”

Prior to his current losing streak, the former Pride heavyweight champion and current WAMMA title-holder had only one loss on his career and it was due to a cut 17 seconds into a December 2000 bout against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

The biggest knock against Emelianenko was that he never fought against the best competition in the world over the latter portion of his career. He never signed with UFC despite some on-again, off-again negotiations, choosing to stay with organizations that had non-exclusive contracts so he could be free to compete in other events in his home country if he chose.

He is the second heavyweight superstar to be released by the promotion in just over a week. Strikeforce released its reigning heavyweight belt-holder Alistair Overeem last week following a dispute over the timing of his return to compete in the heavyweight Grand Prix tournament semi-finals.

NOTES: White told Heavy.com the reason for Overeem’s release, as well as that of his teammates Marloes Coenen, Jon Olav Einemo and older brother Valentijn Overeem, were due to the business practices of Golden Glory management.

“The bottom line is the way they do business is, you have to pay them, not the fighters. We don’t work that way. It’s not the way we do business. It’s not how it works in the United States with the athletic commissions. You don’t pay the managers and the managers pay the fighters. You pay the fighters and the fighters pay the managers.”

— White and some of the fighters at Thursday’s UFC 133 pre-fight press conference were also asked about recent comments by NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, who is training MMA and jokingly said would “f— up” UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and wouldn’t “lose to no f—ing Canadian.”

Their responses…

White: “That’s a tough one for me because he’s going to the Patriots and I’m a Patriots fan. But he talks so much s—, it’s unbelievable … He should stick to football.”

Tito Ortiz, who invited him to train at his Team Punishment gym: “Until he steps in the cage with us … let’s see how big his mouth is then.”

Canadian Rory MacDonald, who trains with GSP: “I don’t really know Chad Ochocinco, but I know (GSP) beat up (retired NHLer) Georges Laraque … so he’s already taken down one big pro hockey player.”