Fabricio Werdum still hopeful of a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko

CURITIBA -- Fabricio Werdum became the first fighter to handle Fedor Emelianenko a legit loss in MMA in 2010, and it appears that both heavyweights are interesting in a rematch.

Emelianenko recently returned from retirement with a quick finish over Jaideep Singh at Rizin Fighting Federation, improving to 4-0 since leaving Strikeforce in 2011. Werdum now holds the UFC heavyweight championship, and "The Last Emperor" considers him the ideal opponent.

"We are in negotiations with the UFC," Fedor Emelianenko recently told EpicMMA. "If there is desire, I will be ready to fight there. I would have interest in a rematch with the UFC heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum. I have several times told UFC, the bigwigs of UFC that I am ready to have this fight.

"I like to fight, I like to perform, but as far as who I would like to fight, I would like to fight the UFC champion."

Werdum, who tapped Emelianenko with a triangle choke 69 seconds into their bout in San Jose, Calif., looks to score his seventh straight victory when he defends his UFC belt against Stipe Miocic at UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil, on May 14, and he’s confident that a rematch with "The Last Emperor" will eventually happen.

"It will happen because it’s a fight that I really want," Werdum told MMA Fighting. "I respect Fedor a lot, he’s an example in our world. I would give him this rematch, for sure."

Defending the UFC heavyweight championship in his home country for the first time, "Vai Cavalo" suggests a rematch with Emelianenko as the headliner for UFC’s first trip to Chechnya.

"I have everything planned in my mind already. I have a vision," Werdum said. "Nothing official, nothing from the UFC, only from my head: Fedor and I in a rematch at Chechnya. The president of Chechnya, (Ramzan) Kadyrov named me an ambassador in the country and he loves MMA, and it would be cool to take the UFC to Chechnya. Fedor and I, the main event of UFC Chechnya."