According to a Dec. 17 report from Sherdog, Russian heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko (34-4) is set to make his hotly-anticipated return to MMA, coming back after three years away from the cage. Emelianenko, 39, will collide with undefeated kickboxing superstar Jaideep Singh (2-0) in the main event of the inaugural Rizin World Fighting Grand-Prix, live Dec. 31 on Spike TV.
Forget about Kevin Randleman. Forget Mirko Cro Cop and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. Those guys are all legends, but Emelianeko fought them many, many years ago. All of those brawls are completely irrelevant to the Emelianenko of 2015. All fight fans should worry about is the present and future of Emelianenko and Singh.
What we have here is an aging legend who might not have a chin anymore, and a fast-rising sensation who is just now coming into his prime. Singh, who trains with four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champ Peter Aerts, may be Emelianenko's toughest and most dangerous opponent ever. The Indian-Japanese heavyweight kickboxer has the power of the unknown working for him.
Let's be clear: There's not a whole lot of footage on him. Emelianenko and his team don't have any film to study him properly. Singh, 28, might be a hard-hitting power puncher, or he could shock the world by showing off some high-level wrestling. No one really knows what to expect.
The only way to find out is by tuning in. Singh is expected to keep the fight in standup position, being that he comes from a kickboxing background. But he could surprise fight fans by shooting for a takedown or two. There's no doubt he's working on his ground game as the fight inches closer.
Additionally, Singh is in the midst of his athletic prime. At just 28 years old, he's just now coming into the best years of his fighting career. MMA fans should also remember this isn't the Fedor who smashed the likes of Mark Coleman, Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski.
Those fights were a very long time ago. Emelianenko is now less than a year from his 40th birthday, and he has been stopped in three of his past six contests. Cage rust may also play a factor, as Emelianenko hasn't fought inside a cage in over three years.
Fight fans won't want to blink, because Singh could shock the world with a first-round knockout for the ages. Elsewhere on the Rizin card, Brennan Ward (12-3) battles Ken Hasegawa (10-0-1), and Bob Sapp fights Akebono Taro.
