Shane Carwin tweets photo of Rizin FF glove, says he accepted fight with Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Emelianenko is always in need of recognizable heavyweight opponents and he may have found one – if Shane Carwin is to be believed.

Carwin (12-2), a former UFC interim heavyweight champion who recently announced his intentions to return to fighting, tweeted a photo of a Rizin FF glove with a message reading, “Hey @rizin_PR you are going to need bigger gloves, these do not fit, not even close!”

Of course, this sent fans into a fit of fantasy matchmaking. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Wanderlei Silva are among those competing in the Rizin FF open-weight tournament currently and in the Wild West world of Japanese MMA, it’s possible to see either man across the ring from Carwin in the future.

However, Carwin tweeted he accepted a fight with Emelianenko (36-4) “two weeks ago” and said the ball is in the Russian’s court.

“I accepted that fight two weeks ago,” the tweet read. “Would be an honor. It is up to him.”

Carwin last fought in June 2011, losing a unanimous decision to Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131. The loss to Dos Santos came on the heels of his submission loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116.

Prior to the loss to Lesnar, Carwin won the first 12 fights of his career, all by first-round stoppage. At UFC 111, he captured the interim heavyweight title with a knockout of Frank Mir.

He retired from MMA after his two-fight losing skid and a series of injuries.

Emelianenko has only been slightly more active, fighting twice since his own short-lived retirement in 2012. Once the most dominant heavyweight on the planet, his 27-fight winning streak from April 2001 to November 2009 included a lengthy reign as PRIDE champion.

He returned for his retirement this past December with a TKO of unheralded Singh Jaideep in the Rizin FF ring. In June, Emelianenko faced former UFC fighter Fabio Maldonado. Maldonado came very close to knocking out the Russian in the early stages of the fight and was competitive throughout the fight, earning the decision in the eyes of many viewers. Emelianenko won the official decision, however, and is now riding a five-fight winning streak.

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