'Bigfoot' Silva would welcome a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko

The line of fighters itching to violently welcome Fedor Emelianenko back to MMA is growing by the day.

With UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum already expressing interest in facing "The Last Emperor," Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, one of the few men to ever defeat Emelianenko, is throwing his hat into the ring.

"Man, Fedor is a legend," Silva told reporters following UFC 190 last week. "I'm a big fan of his. When he said, 'I'm going to stop fighting,' I said, 'Wow, the fans are going to be sad.' Now, when they see he's coming back they say, 'Wow, that's nice!' He's a big legend, and if one day he comes to the UFC, I want to fight him again."

Coming off what was quite possibly a career-saving performance against Soa Palelei at UFC 190, another victory over Emelianenko would push "Bigfoot" back into relevance in the shallow heavyweight division.

"I'm a professional fighter," Silva said. "And I'm an employee of the UFC, and if (Fedor) wants to come back and fight in the UFC, I want (that fight)."