Fedor Emelianenko is considered by many the greatest MMA fighter of all time. What makes that title even more incredible is that Emelianenko never fought in the UFC.

It had long been rumored that Emelianenko was in contract negotiations with the UFC to fight Brock Lesnar, however a deal was never reached, leaving many MMA fans to always ask ‘what if’.

In an interview with BloodyElbow, M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein explains that the UFC never made Emelianenko a specific offer to fight for them, and that was the reason for ‘The Last Emperor’ not fighting in the UFC.

“It is drivel. The UFC doesn’t have any relation to our arena; similarly about the earnings. The UFC didn’t offer a specific deal to us.

“Fedor talked about that, hundreds of times. They beat about the bush. There was nothing but talk. We had great offers from Affliction and Strikeforce, so we worked with them.”