Fedor Emelianenko says the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix is just as good if not better than those put on by PRIDE

Formerly ranked number one heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko has been giving his thoughts on how the forthcoming Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix stacks up to those put on by PRIDE over the years, saying this one is just as good… if not better.
Speaking via a press conference call earlier this week, Fedor said:

“I believe that this tournament has assembled enough quality fighters and some of the strongest and most interesting heavyweight fighters in the world. So I think that in no way is this tournament any less than the ones I competed for with Pride. I believe it’s just as good, if not better.”

“I don’t think that the years I spent in Pride can give me any type of advantage or dictate how I will perform in this tournament. Certainly experience in this tournament is something that is valuable. Nevertheless, I have to train very hard for this fight and we’ll see what happens.”

Fedor takes on former EliteXC heavyweight champion, Antonio “Big Foot” Silva in the quarter-finals of the tournament and could meet current champion, Alistair Overeem or the last man to defeat him, Fabricio Werdum in a blockbuster semi-final match-up. Stay tuned to MMABay for more on this as we get it.