Former PRIDE FC heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko is still without an opponent for his mixed martial arts (MMA) return, expected to take place under the Rizin banner inside Saitama Super Arena on New Year's Eve in Japan.
Makes perfect sense.
We're just over a month away from fight night and the promotion has no match to market. That means no video previews, epic posters, media staredowns ... nothing.
What a great way to maximize your investment!
Initial reports tapped Indian-Japanese heavyweight kickboxer Jaideep Singh, until someone actually bothered to watch him compete and realized it wasn't the best play for a combatant like "The Last Emperor." Then came rumors of a rematch with Tsuyoshi Kosaka.
Which in the end were untrue.
That's because "TK" is facing international bruiser James Thompson, leaving Emelianenko without an opponent. The good news is, his name alone should be enough to generate local interest (read: ticket sales) but those folks hoping for Spike TV viewers are probably pacing back and forth.
Time to shit or get off the pot, no?