MMA News: Fedor Emelianenko Interested In A Return To MMA — Will He Finally Sign With The UFC?


The man who could be the greatest heavyweight in MMA history is reportedly interested in a return to mixed-martial-arts.

It was reported on Tuesday by Union MMA that Fedor Emelianenko has changed his mind about returning to MMA and is now interested in returning. However, nobody knows exactly where Fedor will end up fighting if he returns, but the popular opinion is that he’ll sign with the UFC’s chief competitor Bellator.

In the Union MMA report, Fedor was quoted as saying that it’s important for every athlete to engage in the thing that they love and defend the honor of their motherland. Fedor also added that he has been able to recover from multiple injuries that he had suffered during his MMA career during his three years away from the sport, and that he has started intensive training.

“For every athlete, it is very important to be able to engage in their favorite thing: Give all the best in training, performing in competitions, defending the honor of the motherland.”

“I was able to recover and heal old injuries. The last three years I have maintained physical form, but this level is not enough to go into battle, therefore recently I started intensive training. We have assembled a team of versatile coaches and athletes who will help me in the training process. There is still work to do to prepare to leave the ring. Negotiations are underway with promotions. Once agreements are reached, there will be information on the date of the fight and rival.”

As recently as March of this year, Fedor turned down $10 million to join the UFC and fight former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. It wasn’t the first time Fedor was offered a fight with Lesnar, but him turning down the fight helped Lesnar decide to stay with WWE, as a fight with Fedor is the only fight that Lesnar is interested in.

Fedor hasn’t fought since June of 2012, where he knocked out Pedro Rizzo. At that time, he had ended his career on a three fight winning streak.

Fedor’s last fight in the United States didn’t end well for him, as he was knocked out by Dan Henderson in July of 2011. That was the third of Fedor’s then three-fight losing streak, as he had lost to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and the current UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum previously.

The UFC is the only major fighting organization that Fedor hasn’t competed for, and it’s unclear whether or not the UFC will offer him a deal when he’s ready to negotiate with all of his suitors. But the only red flag about Fedor’s career is that he’s never competed in the UFC, so maybe he’ll be looking to erase that red flag and sign with the UFC to take on the world’s best heavyweights.

[Image via MMA Mania]

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