Report: Rizin looking for Emelianenko opponents after Singh's tepid showing

Rizin officials are searching for alternative opponents for Fedor Emelianenko's return to MMA after being somewhat underwhelmed by their first choice, kickboxer Jaideep Singh, according to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani.

Booked in a short-notice bout against middling veteran Carlos Toyota at DEEP 73 earlier this month, Singh apparently didn't wow Rizin officials with his performance, though he did notch a second round TKO victory. Rizin reps also felt Singh looked out of shape, and would be a hard sell to the Japanese audience.

Although heavyweight free agents like Shawn Jordan, Soa Palelei, and even Randy Couture are roaming the MMA landscape, as Helwani points out, Rizin officials are really hoping to pit "The Last Emperor" against someone with a strong Japanese following, which significantly shrinks the potential talent pool.