Jaideep Singh was going to be Fedor Emelianenko's opponent on New Year's Eve. And then he wasn't. But really, it seems like Singh was the plan all along.
Rizin Fighting Federation made it official Thursday night, naming Singh as Emelianenko's opponent in a press conference in Japan. The two will meet in the main event of the two-day megacard Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena. The event marks former PRIDE boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara's return to MMA. It will air in the United States on Spike TV.
MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani reported in October that Singh would be Emelianenko's foe, just hours before Sakakibara was supposed to announce it at a press conference.