On Tuesday afternoon, BloodyElbow confirmed a report by Dave Meltzer that suggested legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was interested in a return to Mixed Martial Arts. The former PRIDE champion even released a statement through the Russian MMA Union announcing his resignation from his position at the Ministry of Sport in Russia.
With all signs pointing towards a return to MMA in the near future, many fans and pundits have contemplated which promotions would bid for his services and, more importantly, which one would succeed. According to Fedor’s longtime manager Vadim Finkelchtein, it may be a while before such a decision is made.
According to the M-1 Global founder, Fedor’s decision to return to MMA was a sudden one, even though Vadim had suggested it numerous times over the past couple of years.
“It was unexpected,” Vadim told BloodyElbow.com. “I was trying to convince Fedor to come back for about year or two, but then gave up this idea. And about a week or two ago he told me he is thinking about coming back to sport. I am happy about that.”
While Fedor’s mental preparedness is unwavering, Vadim suggested that he will need to regain his former form through training camps and dedication to the craft once more.
“I am ready to help him anyway I can. I see that he is mentally ready. All he needs is to train hard. He remained in good shape all those years but it will still take some time to be ready to fight.”
With his return unlikely for the next few months, Fedor is yet to commit himself to any one promotion. The UFC, Bellator and other are reportedly interested in his services, yet no agreements have been reached.
“There is no information about time and place of his first fight for now. And there is no information about possible opponent. But I am sure he is able to fight any Top 10 world heavyweight.”
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