Fedor Emelianenko seemed to have closed the book on his storied MMA career when he announced his retirement in 2012. Three years later though, and the legendary PRIDE champion has decided to write a new chapter as he will be coming back to active mixed martial arts competition.

The now 38-year-old fighter from Stary Oskol has began training again and will be returning to the sport. Bloody Elbow has confirmed the news with multiple sources close to the situation, with Russian outlet Union MMA first to report on the comeback.

"For every athlete it is very important to be able to engage in their favorite thing: give all the best in training, performing in competitions, defending the honor of the motherland," said Fedor on a statement released in his native tongue.

"During my time at the Ministry, I was able to work on the development of the sport, work closely with the presidents of sports federations, recognize the problems from within the sport, and as far as possible, try to solve them. But now I feel that it is time to return to the ring."

"I was able to recover and heal old injuries. The last three years I have maintained physical form, but this level is not enough to go into battle, therefore recently I started intensive training. We have assembled a team of versatile coaches and athletes who will help me in the training process" Emelianenko continued. "There is still work to do to prepare to leave the ring. Negotiations are underway with promotions. Once agreements are reached, there will be information on the date of the fight and rival."

Emelianenko has compiled a 34-4 record in his MMA career, with wins on his last three contests. Stay tuned as Bloody Elbow will have more updates on the return of the Last Emperor.