Shane Carwin Tells Twitter He Has Signed on To Face Fedor Emelianenko in Rizin FF

We all know Shane Carwin prides himself on the size of his hands, but has it ever led to a news story before?

“Hey @rizin_PR you are going to need bigger gloves, these do not fit, not even close!” Carwin tweeted late on Saturday night. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship interim heavyweight champion did not expand upon his contractual status with the upstart Japanese promotion Rizin, but ended up making a notable claim to in response to a fan, who told Carwin he would like to see him fight legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko.

“I accepted that fight two weeks ago. Would be an honor. It is up to him,” Carwin tweeted Sunday morning in response.

Carwin, 41, has not fought an official mixed martial arts bout since June 2011, when he dropped a three-round unanimous decision to Junior dos Santos at UFC 131. After the dos Santos bout, a slate of injuries prompted the Coloradan to announce his retirement, leaving the sport with a 12-2 mark, including his famous July 2010 UFC title loss to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116. Earlier this month, Carwin returned from retirement, albeit in non-traditional fashion, knocking out Australian skateboarder and radio host Jason Ellis -- with one hand duct taped to his body – at the 13th edition of Ellis' self-promoted, annual “Ellismania” series in Las Vegas.

Rizin has yet to announce at a forthcoming fight for Emelianenko. “The Last Emperor” fought for the promotion last Dec. 31, taking part in its New Year's Eve festivities, punching out Indian K-1 veteran Jaideep Singh in just over three minutes. Rizin's open-weight grand prix is scheduled to begin on Dec. 29 at Saitama Super Arena, with the semifinals and finals resolving on Dec. 31 (online betting). Carwin did not disclose whether a hypothetical Emelianenko bout would take place as part of Rizin's year-end tournament.

The 40-year-old Emelianenko last fought under the Eurasia Fight Night banner in June, winning a highly-contested decision over UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado after nearly being stopped in the first round.