International Relations: Handicapping Fedor’s Prospects Overseas

Cornered and poked with sharp sticks by media for the past several days, one of Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker’s bigger admissions was his intention to work with Japan’s Dream promotion to assemble fights, a step that could conceivably open up possibilities for Fedor Emelianenko beyond Strikeforce’s stateside roster of challengers.

Emelianenko has already tossed around Dream standout Shinya Aoki, leaving him a crumpled pile of laundry in the ring. Who’s left?

Sergei Kharitonov (5-1): Once considered a hot Pride prospect, Kharitonov has been off-radar lately: a nice win over Alistair Overeem was buried by a submission loss to Jeff Monson in April. One or two wins away from being an intriguing fight for Emelianenko, if only to see how he’d fare against a fellow Sambo artist.

Gegard Mousasi (8-1):Scheduled for Strikeforce’s 8/15 show and apparently not part of the UFC’s Affliction scavenging. Has expressed interest in competing at heavyweight and submitted Mark Hunt faster than Emelianenko did.

Jeff Monson (12-1): Has rattled off seven straight wins. Emelianenko would probably pound him a new sinus cavity, but there’s always a chance of strangulation.

Jose Canseco (Infinity-1): You’d watch. You’d hate yourself for it, but you’d watch.