Heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko’s next fight will be against Fabio Maldonado for the EFN organization in his native Russia on June 17th.
Fedor made his comeback to fighting at the end of 2015, defeating Singh Jaideep by submission due to punches in the opening round of their fight at Rizin FC 2 in Japan.
In Maldonado he’s facing a former UFC fighter who was released from the organization late last year after losing three of his past four fights.
The 36 year-old Brazilian is looking to keep himself busy now that he’s a free agent, having also booked a fight with the undefeated Felipe Oliveira a little over a month earlier on May 6th.
“I am very pleased to fight in Russia, the native land for the Russian fans,” Fedor said of his latest fight announcement. “I return to the ring together with the guys from my Team Fedor. I hope that we will please you with interesting fights.”
Fans will be able to watch Fedor’s fight with Maldonado live on the UFC Fight Pass subscription service as the Eurasia Fight Nights (EFC) organization has a broadcast deal with the platform.
What everyone really wants to see is the 39 year-old Russian actually fighting in the Octagon however, but while Fedor has indicated an interest in fighting the likes of current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, it still remains unclear whether the two parties will ever reach a deal to bring him to the sport’s biggest stage.
