Vadim Finkelstein, Fedor Emelianenko’s manager, has announced through his M-1 website, that Fedor was close to a deal with the UFC and had actually agreed in principal to a contract that would have put the Russian Sambo star and reigning PRIDE FC World Heavyweight Champion inside the UFC Octagon as early as October, with the hopes of putting together a PRIDE/UFC World Heavyweight Championship unification bout at the proposed February “MMA SuperBowl Show” between Fedor and Randy Couture.

But, according to published reports both in Russia and the United States, the contract that arrived at the doorstep of Fedor Emelianenko AFTER the UFC returned to the States after UFC 75 this past Saturday night was “absolutely different” than the one they had agreed on during negotiations.

Vadim claims that this snafu is the reason why Fedor Emelianenko is NOT signed to the UFC and why the fighter is still a free-agent.