Despite upcoming fight negotiations with Rizin founder Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Fedor is technically not under contract with the Japanese organization. The former Pride FC champion opted not to sign a long-term agreement to leave his options open following his return fight against Jaideep Singh.
"Executive Director Nobuyuki Sakakibaran wanted to sign a long term contract with me last year, but I have to be cautious in this regard," Emelianenko told Sportbox.ru. "Because I need to understand the form I'm in, whether I'll be able to recover for the next fight and gain the form that I had before. And that's why I did not give an agreement for a long-term contract with Rizin. A contract was signed for one fight. And then we will see."
Following his NYE fight, Fedor returned to his native Stary Oskol in Russia in time to celebrate Orthodox Christmas and take a deserved holiday. He revealed that he will meet with Rizin officials in February to discuss his next fight.
"We talked and agreed to meet again after some time when we and the Japanese side rest, collect our thoughts, and then we can make a decision. But Rizin plans to carry out events a few times a year, which will involve all the guys. With regard to my participation in the tournament, we have scheduled a meeting with the organizers in February."
LINK: Fedor explains why he never signed a long-term contract with Rizin
