I said when he got cut that I didn't buy the idea he was finished. He never really looked awful in his losses. He got caught by Werdum, that happens. He lost the Silva fight decisively, but it's not like he was blown out, he was just overpowered by a massive human with great skills. He had Hendo on the ropes, and got caught with that sneaky uppercut.
Monson & Ishii are not great wins, but they are not total cans, either. They are live opponents at least, and honestly they are among the best available at this point. Remember, Cormier couldn't finish Monson, either.
I don't think Fedor will ever be the Fedor of old, but I think he can be competitive with anybody. He is always just one of those big bombs away from finishing anyone, and he's still tough as nails and takes a beating to finish. And if he gets one of his big KO's on a big stage, the hype would return.
The problem now, is who else can he fight? I don't think Sergei has even been cut from Zuffa. Doubt Bellator will pay him for a Konrad fight, and Fedor isn't doing a tourny. Nobody wants to see Arlovski II or Sylvia II, he already killed them.
There is a Brett Rogers rematch.
Todd Duffee?
Paul Buentello?
Ricco Rodriguez?
After that, dust. His best bet may be to wait for Zuffa castoffs.
The best thing for Fedor would be for Barnett to lose a war to either Cormier or somebody else, because you just know Zuffa wants to cut him. But if Barnett gets KO'd or something a Fedor fight loses a lot of steam.