Carwin says he's accepted fight with Fedor in Rizin FF

The newly unretired Shane Carwin has found a new home, and could soon make his return official against an MMA luminary.

The former UFC interim heavyweight champion revealed via Twitter he's ended his five-year retirement to sign with throwback Japanese promotion Rizin FF. Instead of explicitly announcing the move, Carwin playfully asked Rizin to send him bigger gloves for his meat hook-sized hands.

The 41-year-old slugger dropped another nugget hours later, when he told a matchmaking fan he recently agreed to meet legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in his first fight in five years. Carwin said the Russian has yet to meet him halfway.

Before nagging injuries and consecutive losses to Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos led him to hang up his gloves in 2013, Carwin earned a rep as one of the heavyweight division's hardest hitters with 12 straight first-round finishes. The Colorado native won the interim heavyweight strap at UFC 111, where he finished Frank Mir inside of a round.

Carwin most recently flaunted his still lethal punching power in an exhibition boxing match against skateboarder Jason Ellis. He starched his foe - with one arm taped to his body - in the second round.

Emelianenko has been fairly idle of late as well, having fought just twice since 2012, when he too called it a career. The Russian phenom last took a controversial decision over Fabio Maldonado in June.

- With h/t to MMAjunkie