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It's no secret that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tried to land mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Fedor Emelianenko more than once.
The last time negotiations failed, it was for a mega-fight pitting "The Last Emperor" against former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, but he could not be lured out of retirement. At the time, White said "anything is possible" when asked if the UFC would ever pursue Emelianenko again.
In light of recent news, UFC could be making one more run at the Russian fight icon.
After a three-year hiatus from the sport, the former PRIDE heavyweight champion announced in a statement on Tuesday (July 14, 2015) that he was, in fact, making a comeback.
UFC President Dana White weighed in on the topic on FOX Sports 1 after the conclusion of the UFC Fight Night 71 fight card (results) on Wednesday night (July 15, 2015) and tipped his hand the UFC may already be in discussions with the long coveted Russian heavyweight.
"We'll see what happens," White told Heidi Androl. "We'll see how this thing plays out."
Emelianenko, 38, currently has a working relationship with Bellator, having taken part in several fan events recently and it's more than likely the Viacom-owned promotion will also be looking to lock up Emelianenko's services.
The former Sambo champion retired with a 34-4 (1) record and knocked out Pedro Rizzo on an M-1: Global card in St. Petersburg, Russia, in what was thought to be his final fight back on June 21, 2012.
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