Controversial MMA veteran Alex Emelianenko, younger brother of Fedor Emelianenko, has officially received an offer from Bare Knuckle FC, although the deal is not signed yet due to the fighter's US visa issues.
Emelianenko, who has competed for various MMA organizations in his 16-year professional career, has always been something of an antithesis to his sibling when it comes to their lives outside of sports.
While Fedor, nicknamed 'the Last Emperor', has always carried himself in an outwardly calm manner, Alex has a history of run-ins with the law, and controversy has consistently followed him.
In 2014, Alexander was convicted of raping his housekeeper and sentenced to four and a half years in prison. He was released on parole in October 2016 and returned to MMA competition in September 2017, recording five wins and one draw since then.
Since that time, Emelianenko claimed to be living a clean life, and managed to stay away from trouble for a while. That lasted until this March, when the troubled fighter was arrested in Kislovodsk, Russia on DUI charges after ramming two vehicles in his all-gold Mercedes while trying to escape from the police.
Also on rt.com MMA fighter Emelianenko arrested for drunk driving after ramming his Mercedes into 2 cars (VIDEO)He once again managed to escape serious consequences, but his name did hit the headlines recently in connection with a potential deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, the American promotion which recently hosted the much talked about fight between Paulie Malignaggi and another Russian MMA star, former UFC fighter Artem Lobov.
On Monday, Gagarin Management group, the organization responsible for Lobov's multi-fight BKB deal, confirmed the official talks to RT Sport, adding that papers are expected to be signed in the coming days.
The Lobov-Malignaggi bare knuckle fight attracted attention from fight fans all over the world due to the number of controversial moments surrounding the build-up.
And if controversy is something to run with for Bare Knuckle FC, Alex Emelianenko is the right pick. However, we are yet to see how the organization will get around the issue of gaining a US visa for the fighter who, on top of a criminal record, reportedly has a health condition which would prevent him from passing the medical for a US fight.
Also on rt.com Watch the highlights as Artem Lobov defeats Paulie Malignaggi at BKFC 6 (VIDEO)