But he is definitely still a Showtime fighter, according to his representatives.
UFC president Dana White said today that the former PRIDE champion's days in the hexagon have come to an end following a third consecutive loss this past Saturday in suburban Chicago.
"You guys thought he was the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world," White said at a media scrum following the pre-event press conference for UFC 133. "I said he was overrated for years."
White said "he thought so" when asked whether Emelianenko's contract was up and that Zuffa simply wasn't re-signing him.
The decision to cut Emelianenko, though, wasn't one in which he was involved.
"I'm so far removed from any of that [expletive]," he said.
Reached for comment on the release, M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan said to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), "Really? Given that [White] doesn't have a contract with Fedor, interesting."
Kogan stated that Emelianenko's contract lies not with the recently acquired Strikeforce but instead with Showtime Networks, Inc., who played a major role in bringing the Russian back to the negotiating table after talks with Strikeforce broke down in the latter half of 2010.
As part of a deal to bring Emelianenko back to the Strikeforce cage, Showtime negotiated a deal to broadcast four M-1 Global events in 2011. The first of those events took place this past March in Norfolk, Va.
Kogan indicated that Emelianenko may soon find a home with the promotion in which he also holds a minority ownership stake.
Emelienanko was stopped in the first round by Dan Henderson in the main event of "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson." Afterward, he deflected comments about possible retirement and said a decision would be made after he returned to Russia to spend time with his family.