Remember when it was rumored that Fedor Emelianenko was going to be fighting JaiDeep Singh at Rizin FC 1 and everyone was like, “Huh?”, “Who?” and “Why?”, which then led the promotion stop short of making the fight official and instead going back on the hunt for a suitable opponent?
Well, several months later, after presumably scouring the globe for a heavyweight talent worthy of this golden opportunity, the new Japanese promotion from the former owner of PRIDE held a press conference today to unveil the man who would fight the heavyweight legend, and it turns out that it’s none other than…[cue drum roll]…err, JaiDeep Singh.
That’s right, the same JaiDeep Singh who “sources close to the situation” told MMAfighting.com back in late October that Rizin had lost interest in because, “they weren’t blown away” by his last MMA fight and, “felt Singh looked out of shape and would be a tough sell for the Japanese public.”
Well played Rizin FC, well played!
For those who are still none the wiser, Singh is an Indian-Japanese kickboxer, holding a 40-10 record in that sport with his last three bouts all ending in defeat. He also has a very limited MMA experience, going just 2-0 so far, though he did win DEEP’s Megaton championship back in October by defeating Carlos Toyota, a 44 year-old who’s record now stands at 6-7.
So, not exactly an ideal candidate to be facing one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, though Rizin will no doubt point to the fact that this is the 39 year-old Russian’s first fight since retiring over three years ago.
Rizin’s first ever event takes place over two different shows in a three day spell, concluding on New Years Eve with Fedor Vs Singh headlining.
