Fedor...interesting...

[Hog]

Mixed-martial arts fans who sorely miss the days of PRIDE must be jumping for joy thanks to Strikeforce, which kicks off an eight-man heavyweight Grand Prix on Feb. 12 in East Rutherford, N.J.

The main event will feature former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko taking on 6-4 , 265-pound Antonio ``Bigfoot'' Silva. The second quarterfinal bout will pit Andre Arlovski against Segei Kharitonov.

Other bouts later in the tourney will include champion Alistair Overeem versus Fedor conqueror Fabricio Werdum, and Brett Rogers against former UFC titlist Josh Barnett. The winner will fight Overeem for the championship, unless, of course, Overeem wins it. His title will not be at stake.

``I believe that this tournament has assembled enough quality fighters and some of the strongest and most interesting heavyweight fighters in the world,'' Fedor said. ``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.''

Fedor is very familiar with heavyweight tournaments. He defeated Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Naoya Ogawa and Antonio Rodrigo ``Minotauro'' Nogueria en route to winning the 2004 PRIDE heavyweight Grand Prix. Seven years later the Russian looks to do the same in Strikeforce.

``I feel very good about participating in this tournament,'' Fedor said. ``I feel very proud to be part of the eight who have been chosen, and I feel proud to be representing my country in the tournament. I'm training to win the tournament. I'm training hard, and whatever happens after that is up to God.''

A win against Silva could have Fedor facing the man who ended his 29-fight unbeaten streak last June, Fabricio Werdum.

``I'm ready and prepared to step into the cage against Fabricio [Werdum] at any time,'' Fedor said. ``It's something that I'd very much like to do.''

First things first -- Fedor must get past Silva, who boasts a 17-2 record. And although many pundits have chosen Fedor as the favorite to capture heavyweight glory in the Grand Prix, especially because of his prior experiences in PRIDE, he doesn't think it gives him an edge.

``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,'' he said. ``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.''

Read more: Fedor looks to rise again in Strikeforce's Grand Prix - Mixed Martial Arts - MiamiHerald.com