Fedor Emelianenko

By FCF Staff

For years, people hoped to see the day when Fedor Emelianenko would step into the Octagon, and now that the fighter is coming out of retirement, his former manager admits he’s one of them.

Emelianeko recently buzzed, and surprised the combat sports world, by confirming he’s returnign to the cage. As of now, it’s not clear where the former PRIDE heavyweight champ will end up signing, but his former manager, Vadim Finkelchtein, would like to see him in the UFC.

Recently Finkelchtein spoke to MMA Fighting.com, and while discussing Fedor’s pending comeback, the M-1 Global promoter stated:

“Of course, I would like him to fight for me,” said Finkelchtein. “And M-1, by the way, does have great fighters that match UFC fighters. But I understand fans want to see him and me, as a friend, would like to see him fight the best people in the UFC as well.”

“As of now, none,” Finkelchtein added, when asked if Fedor has received an offer from the UFC. “But he’s hoping it’s going to come in soon. The announcement is terribly fresh. Fedor hopes that the offer from the UFC, that it’s on its way.”

Finkelchtein also relayed that Fedor is a free agent, and as a result, a co-promotional deal with M-1 Global is not on the table. It’s believed this was a major stumbling block back in 2009, when the UFC was attempting to sign Fedor. The latter ended up signing a deal with Strikeforce, which was a cross-promotional deal with M-1 Global.

The 38 year-old Emelianenko hasn’t fought since 2012 when he stopped Pedro Rizzo.