MMA fans got a glimpse at the future of the sport Saturday when Conor McGregor and the entire cast of UFC 189 put on a fight card for the ages.
Now, it is time for MMA fans to prepare for a blast from the past.
News coming out of the other side of the globe today has former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko mulling a long awaited comeback to professional mixed martial arts.
After retiring in 2012, "The Last Emperor" became even more of an elusive enigma as he dabbled in politics and 'healed old wounds.' The once pound-for-pound king of MMA is apparently ready to return to the cage and is entertaining offers from various promotions.
"The last three years I have maintained the physical form," said the 38-year-old to Union MMA, "but this level is not enough to go into battle. Therefore recently I started intensive training.
"We have assembled a team of versatile coaches and athletes who will help me in the training process. I will try to participate in professional growth fighters. There is still work to do to prepare to leave the ring. Negotiations are underway with companies that conduct battles. Once agreements are reached, there will be information on the date of the fight and rival. "
At his advanced age it isn't clear how much the Russian great has left in the tank. Emelianenko was undefeated from 2000-2010, until current UFC champion Fabricio Werdum in Strikeforce finally conquered him. He would lose two more fights to Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson, respectively, before leaving the promotion. He retired three fights later after a victory over UFC legend Pedro Rizzo in 2012.
With a stellar record of 34-4-1, Emelianenko is one of the greatest fighters of his generation. His run through the now-defunct Pride organization is something fans still talk about like fairytale, or some sort of golden age.
Now, three years removed from competition, and apparently fully healed from nagging injuries, Emelianenko is setting the fighting world abuzz with talk of a potential comeback.
But is 38 a case of too little, too late? The sport of MMA is a brutal one and it hasn't exactly slowed down since Fedor left. Then again, we are talking about a man who consistently proved fans wrong for a large majority of his career.
He has been resting, recuperating and allowing his body to heal. And the return of Emelianenko could be just what heavyweight mixed martial arts needs.
Take a look at the recent training video of Fedor, and see for yourself if you think he has what it takes to still mix it up with the big boys
(H/T to MMAMania's Jesse Helton on the find.)
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Ryan McKinnell is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports Cagewriter blog. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
