Sasahara stirs the pot, bringing in a 'super' heavyweight.

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UPDATE: M-1 speaks, Fedor will not fight until May, against Fabricio Werdum.

The much-maligned rumor mill involving Fedor Emelianenko's next fight will continue on until some company decides to step out of the shadows and announce him for their next card. Head Kick Legend did receive confirmation the other day that Emelianenko's camp is in negotiations for an upcoming bout, but suspiciously enough, no promotion was named. Normally, not a big deal, right? He has a contract with Strikeforce, they have a CBS card upcoming and possibly a PPV. Easy. The non-exclusive nature of the contract as well as Fedor and M-1's take has led to questions and speculation. Instead of Strikeforce putting the fire out, they remain silent and Sasahara from DREAM hasn't done anything to help in that matter, either.

At the DREAM presser, he went out of his way telling the press that Andre Dida vs. KJ Noons will be one of two bouts on the DREAM.13 card with a theme of Strikeforce vs. DREAM. The other fight, still unannounced will be a heavyweight showdown, featuring a DREAM heavyweight and a Strikeforce heavyweight. Innocent enough, right? The level of fighter Sasahara mentioned was a "Fedor-level" heavyweight, quoted in some Japanese news sources as "super-heavyweight" (not meaning heavy, like Bob Sapp, but a superstar).

So while there will be something more solid next week, put together the situation with what facts we already have. First of all, Fedor Emelianenko has not been announced for a Strikeforce card yet. K-1 has offered him a giant money contract in the past (if you don't believe me, I have actually seen it), K-1 can put far more money on the table and has a national television deal as long as they can prove a card worthy, as well as big money backers and sponsors. Fighters like Alistair Overeem have been hesitant to leave Japan as the money is just too good to pass up for much less in the United States. So is Fedor a possiblity? Until we hear otherwise, yes.

Speaking of Alistair Overeem, the chances of him being the Strikeforce fighter are very low, as he is the only real DREAM heavyweight of value, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion or not. That means what we are most likely looking at here, is who will fight Alistair Overeem for the vacant DREAM Heavyweight Title (Tanigawa confirmed this earlier in the year, Overeem vs. X for the DREAM Heavyweight belt). Another name that shouldn't be crossed out to fight would be Andrei Arlovski. Arlovski has been working on getting a new contract with Strikeforce together in between his boxing exploits, and was actually handed a contract from FEG to fight Overeem on New Year's Eve before Golden Glory manager Bas Boon refused to sign the fight. Andrei's camp was furious, but the door could very well still be open, as he has been rumored to fight in DREAM early this year.

Another big name heavyweight that is without an upcoming fight is Tim Sylvia. Sylvia has been trying to make his DREAM debut since October now, and his fight next month has fallen apart twice now. Other names to think of are Brett Rogers, who has expressed interest in fighting Overeem and hasn't been booked yet or Antonio Silva.