Fedor Emelianenko Resumes Training: 5 Fights for the Last Emperor's Return

Fedor Emelianenko is back. 

Back in training, anyway. I don't want to get too hot and bothered about this, but it does appear that Emelianenko has a desire to return to active MMA competition.

The initial report came from Russian website Union MMA and was subsequently translated and confirmed by Karim Zidan and Anton Tabuena of Bloody Elbow:

"

During my time at the Ministry, I was able to work on the development of the sport, work closely with the presidents of sports federations, recognize the problems from within the sport, and as far as possible, try to solve them. But now I feel that it is time to return to the ring. I was able to recover and heal old injuries. The last three years I have maintained physical form, but this level is not enough to go into battle, therefore recently I started intensive training.

"

Many fans and analysts consider Emelianenko (34-4-1) to be one of the two or three best fighters ever, and he's a bona fide folk hero to a lot of those whose MMA allegiances trace back to the days of Pride.

Now 38 years old and out of competition for more than three years, what does The Last Emperor have left? Probably not a title run, but there are some interesting opponents out there for him in his return to action. Here are five of them. They are listed in no particular order.

Kimbo Slice

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Kimbo Slice

I'm not saying I want to see this. Wait, yes I am. That is exactly what I am saying.

Tuesday's reports confirmed Emelianenko definitely wants to return, but they also noted discussions with promotions are still in process, which means we don't yet know exactly where he would compete.

But that's what wild speculation is for. And Bellator, with its recent penchant for novelty fights featuring old but still big names and its marketing relationship with Emelianenko, is the leader in the speculation clubhouse.

Kimbo Slice makes the most sense within that stable. The 41-year-old is fresh off a huge (if hugely novel) win over 51-year-old Ken Shamrock at Bellator 138. His own celebrity and hard-slugging style make him a natural matchup for Emelianenko.

Sergei Kharitonov

This video is pretty old. Look at Alistair Overeem! He looks like a middle-schooler.

But Sergei Kharitonov is still going strong. The 34-year-old might have broken into the UFC, had he not been so adamant about also continuing his pro kickboxing career, which is a no-no if you want to enter the Octagon.

Plus, Kharitonov fights his MMA fights under the M-1 banner. As many people know, Emelianenko last fought professionally under the same banner. His manager, Vadim Finkelstein, is also M-1's president.

So, yes. M-1 makes sense as a landing place. And Emelianenko's fellow Russian makes sense as an exciting first opponent.

Ray Sefo

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This might be a long shot. After all, Ray Sefo, for all his success in MMA and around combat sports, is now 44 years old and has a nice day job as president of World Series of Fighting.

Further, WSOF has no known ties to Emelianenko or his team, at least not directly.

Still, Sefo did fight for his own promotion once, back in 2013. Did he look good doing it? Nope. He lost to Dave Huckaba. But he's still a bigger name from the old days and is in Emelianenko's general age bracket. I'm sure Sefo would do it again, if the circumstances (and potential payday for WSOF) align just right.

Randy Couture

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If we're going to dream, why not dream big?

The greatest fight that never was now has a chance to be. Randy Couture, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, couldn't quite turn his wish to fight Emelianenko into a reality.

Couture is now 52, and he's been retired for more than four years. So likely there's a bit of an uphill climb before he could even think about a return. At the same time, his ties to Bellator make it at least a slight possibility.

You know who else seems intrigued by it? Bellator President Scott Coker. We shall see.

Mirko Cro Cop

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What did I just say about dreaming big? What did I just say?

Novelty fights don't get much bigger than Fedor vs. Cro Cop 2. The first one was a Pride classic that saw Emelianenko get battered early but then seize and hold control down the stretch for a decision victory.

In April, Cro Cop redeemed himself for that embarrassing loss to Gabriel Gonzaga, aka Bizarro Head Kick 2007, with a third-round TKO. Apparently, it felt good, because he later said he wanted to avenge more losses. 

I can think of one.

The UFC's relationship with M-1 is not sterling. We all know that. You know what heals things like that? Money. This fight could bring in a lot of it, for all parties involved.