Rizin back to square one in search for Emelianenko’s foe

After months of speculation as to what direction Rizin Fighting Federation officials would go in naming a replacement opponent for heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko's return to competition on New Year's Eve, the organization will go back to the original plan.

RFF officials announced Thursday night Emelianenko will fight Jaideep Singh, who was originally reported as his opponent in September.

MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani broke the news several months ago that Emelianenko would fight Singh on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan to headline an event that will air on Spike TV in the United States.

RFF, which is headed by former Pride Fighting Championships boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, never confirmed the news amid rampant criticism about the lack of competitiveness and has allowed speculation to run rampant in the meantime about just who would face Emelianenko, who hasn't competed since June 2012.

The 39-year-old Russian former Pride champion will now officially take on Singh, a kickboxer who has won both of his professional MMA fights, on New Year's Eve.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj