A press conference will be held at 3 PM (1 AM ET) today in Tokyo, Japan to formally announce former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko’s participation in a mixed martial arts event on Monday, Dec. 31.

“Part of the deal is that they choose the opponent,” said M-1 CEO Monte Cox. “They’re choosing an opponent that makes sense for the Japanese market.”

Cox said M-1 Global and Emelianenko would remain open to whichever opponent the Japanese promotion presents, Hong Man Choi included.