With less than a month to go until Fedor Emelianenko's long-awaited return to professional competition, rumors and reports continue to spread like wildfire, fueled by curious and frustrated fans determined to figure out the ‘Last Emperor's' New Year's Eve opponent.

The latest report comes from renowned Russian state-sponsored sport's media website Sportbox.ru, which claimed that Rizin Fighting Federation is interested in signing Antonio Silva to set up a rematch against Fedor.

According to the website's lead MMA writer, Ilya Buyaev, the promotion has already reached out to Bigfoot but it remains unclear whether he will be available to them in the near future.

The first contest between Fedor and Bigfoot took place on Feb. 12, 2011 and followed Fedor's stunning upset loss to Fabricio Werdum. The Russian heavyweight was tasked with beating another fighter bigger than him and failed to do so against Bigfoot. Fedor found himself battered and bruised throughout the duration of the fight, so much so that the doctor brought an end to the proceedings following the end of the second round. The ‘Last Emperor's' face had taken on a bluish hue from the bruising and he could no longer see out of his right eye.

Much has changed, however, since that upset win four years ago. Silva is 1-4 (1) over his past six fights and coming off a knockout loss to Mark Hunt at UFC 193 in Melbourne. He is also under contract with the UFC and it is not clear how many fights remain on his contract.