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Official confirmation of today’s earlier news that famed heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko will be fighting in Japan on New Year’s Eve could come within the next day or two, but his reported opponent, Hong Man Choi, is not a definite.
The latest news on this big story comes from our friend Sam Caplan at fiveouncesofpain.com.
According to Caplan, several of his sources confirmed that Emelianenko has been booked for the event, and an official announcement will likely be made soon. According to today’s Savage Dog Radio report, M-1 Global (a former Russian-based fight promotion recently purchased by American investors) is not producing the show, and instead, the event is being promoted by former employees of PRIDE Fighting Championships.
Therefore, the announcement won’t come from M-1 Global itself.
Prior to signing with M-1 last month, Emelianenko spent five years with PRIDE. However, when Zuffa LLC (the UFC’s parent company) purchased the organization this past spring, Emelianenko’s contract was one of the heaping handful that couldn’t be transfered. And last month, all PRIDE employees were laid off. Many of them are now organizing the upcoming event.
Caplan also reports that Choi isn’t a done-deal as far as Emelianenko’s opponent goes.
When it was reported that the former K-1 kickboxer and one-fight MMA veteran would be Emelianenko’s opponent, the news didn’t exactly go over well with most fans.
Emelianenko, once considered the sportâ€,,s undisputed top pound-for-pound fighter, has been heavily criticized for facing just three fairly sub-par opponents over the past two years. However, Emelianenko does own an 26-1 record, his reign as PRIDE champion lasted from March 2003 to the organization’s eventual demise, and he’s beaten a who’s who of MMA talent, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko “Cro” Filipovic, Ricardo Arona and others.
However, despite Choi being an unfathomable 7-foot-2 and 350 pounds, his MMA credentials are all but nonexistent.
According to Caplan, though, Choi is nothing more than a possible candidate at this point, and M-1 Global will have final say over any of his opponents.
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