Fedor Emelianenko headlines Bellator 172 vs. Matt Mitrione in San Jose in February

After years of wondering if he’d wind up there, heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko is headed to Bellator.

Emelianenko (36-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make his Bellator debut on Feb. 18 against Matt Mitrione (11-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 172 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card will air on Spike following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Bellator officials made the announcement during tonight’s Bellator 165 event in San Jose.

Emelianenko signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator, the promotion announced in a release. His fight against Mitrione will be his first in the United States since 2011.

“It’s great to be back in business with Fedor,” Bellator President Scott Coker stated. “The man is a legend both inside and outside of the cage and I’m elated to bring him back Stateside for the American MMA fans to witness him fight Matt Mitrione in San Jose. He and I go quite aways back, and I look forward to continuing to build our partnership here in Bellator MMA.”

After three straight losses under the Strikeforce banner, where Emelianenko first fought for Coker, he has won five straight fights. He started his career 31-1 with one of the most storied runs in MMA history. Then he was submitted by Fabricio Werdum and knocked out by Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson. In December 2015, he returned after more than three years away, and speculation began over whether he’d wind up in the UFC or Bellator. Bellator eventually won the prized 40-year-old.

Mitrione has won back-to-back fights for Bellator after signing with the promotion in 2015 following a 9-5 run in the UFC. He knocked out Carl Seumanutafa in the first round at Bellator 157 in June 2015, then followed it up with a TKO of Oli Thompson earlier this year.

For more on Bellator 172, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.