Report: FBI shadowing Fedor ahead of Bellator 198 bout vs. Mir

Fedor Emelianenko met with the unlikeliest of guests in his latest trip stateside.

According to the Telegraph's Gareth A. Davies, the heavyweight legend was approached by the FBI during his stay in Chicago ahead of a date with Frank Mir at Saturday's Bellator 198.

Emelianenko arrived in Chicago on Tuesday and reportedly spoke to federal agents after they asked to see him a day later while he was on a walk with several members of his team. The nature of the visit and discussion is unknown, although Davies floated the possibility of safety concerns given the Russian's ties to presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, and their involvement in the current happenings in Syria.

Emelianenko's association with Trump stems from the long defunct Affliction promotion - in which the US president held a significant stake. The former Pride FC luminary headlined each of the outfit's two shows before it folded in 2009. Michael Cohen, a fixture in the Trump camp long known as his "fixer" and former Affliction COO, is currently the subject of an FBI investigation.

Federal agents raided Cohen's New York office earlier this month and seized business records, emails, documents, and cell phones in relation to possible fraud and a payment made to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels. Emelianenko's name surfacing in the probing of Cohen's activities is not outside the realm of possibility.

With Bellator 198 mere hours away, it does not appear as though the FBI's visit with Emelianenko - whatever the nature - will keep him from facing Mir in Saturday's main event at Allstate Arena in Rosemont.