Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures), the consensus top fighter in the heavyweight division and widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the sport, has agreed to fight in St. Petersburg, Russia, on March 3, sources inside the Bodog front office confirmed to Sherdog.com Friday.

With one bout remaining on his Dream Stage Entertainment contract, Emelianenko is scheduled to defend his PRIDE heavyweight belt in Japan versus Mark Hunt (Pictures) on New Year's Eve. While a clause in Emelianenko's current deal allows the Russian to compete in his home country, one Bodog source indicated that the well-financed company intends to sign Fedor to a long-term deal.

Considering Bodog's working relationship with Fedor's Red Devil Fight Team, from which eight fighters will compete on bodogFIGHT's initial pay-per-view Saturday in Vancouver, this revelation is not all that surprising.

At a minimum, Bodog has inked a deal with Fedor to fight March 3, likely versus recent UFC championship contender Jeff Monson (Pictures). Also on the card, which will be broadcast on worldwide pay-per-view, both via the Internet and television, Sherdog.com was told that Aleksander Emelianenko (Pictures) will fight Antonio Silva (Pictures), should the Brazilian heavyweight defeat Eric Pele (Pictures) Saturday.