Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko will fight on his native soil in June under the Fight Nights banner.
Last month, Fedor Emelianenko confirmed that his next fight would take place in his native Russia instead of Japan. The Russian heavyweight lived up to his word, as it was announced that the ‘Last Emperor’ would compete under the Fight Nights banner on June 17 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Though the date and location are not set in stone, Fight Nights has already released a press release that confirmed Fedor’s participation in one of their upcoming shows. They plan to host a press conference on April 19 to announce Fedor’s next opponent to the public.
The press conference will take place in Moscow, and will include a host of Russian prospects, including Vitaly Minakov, Kirill Sidelnikov, Rasul Mirzaev, Anatoly Tokov, Sergey Pavlovich, Vadim Nemkov, Valentin Moldavsky and Mikhail Mokhnatkin. Many of those fighters are currently a part of ‘Team Fedor’ and competed alongside the legend on the New Year’s Eve show in Japan.
“I am very pleased to fight in Russia, the native land for the Russian fans,” said Fedor. “I return to the ring together with the guys from my Team Fedor. I hope that we will please you with interesting fights.”
Fedor’s apparent cooperation with Fight Nights will likely mean that fans will have the opportunity to watch the legendary fighter live on UFC Fight Pass because of the deal with EFN.
While it remains unclear what Rizin Fighting Federation’s role is in Fedor’s upcoming fight, the promotion informed BloodyElbow that Fedor is not under exclusive contract and is free to take fights in Russia.
The event is expected to take place on June 17 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It should be noted that M-1 Global is expected to host the final of the middleweight Grand Prix between Alexander Shlemenko and Ramazan Emeev on the same date in St. Petersburg.