Fedor Emelianenko Not Sure Who He’s Fighting In December
The Rizin Fighting Federation is reportedly targeting Indian-Japanese heavyweight kickboxer Jaideep Singh as Fedor Emelianenko’s opponent come December. Singh is 40-10 (1 NC) in kickboxing but just 1-0 in MMA and that fight came back in 2013. His last kickboxing fight was in 2011.
Recently in an interview with rsport.ru, “The Last Emperor” offered a few new details on his future in the promotion.
“The Japanese side is still negotiating with several fighters, and his name is still unknown. But there is still time.”
“(We agreed on a) certain number of fights until the end of next year,” he said. “But that will depend on the performances. Depending on the outcome, I will think of what to do next.”
The promotion will hold three events in three days at the end of the year on Dec. 29, 30 and 31 with all events expecting to be held at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, with the hope that the Dec. 29 and 31 events will be televised locally on Fuji TV in Japan.
Nobuyuki Sakakibara, who is starting the new promotion, is the same man who once headed PRIDE before the promotion sold to the UFC in 2007, is planning a comeback this year, and his first event will be on New Year’s Eve.
Emelianenko hasn’t fought since October 7th, 2011, which was when he announced his retirement following a first-round knockout of Pedro Rizzo. Emelianenko is 3-3 in his last six, but after a three-fight losing streak in his last three Strikeforce appearances, he ripped off three straight wins. In his last two bouts, he won by the first-round knockout over less quality opponents.
