What has long been considered impossible might finally come true. 

Fedor Emelianenko, the man considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, could finally be on the verge of signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 

Emelianenko fights this weekend for Eurasia Fight Nights, facing UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado. The event airs on the UFC's Fight Pass service. After that bout, he'll be a free agent, and Emelianenko told Ariel Helwani on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour that there's a possibility his next fight after this weekend will be in the Octagon. 

"In a word, yes. That possibility does exist," he said through a translator. 

Emelianenko said he is "closer than ever" to signing with the UFC, and that an offer has been made. But the heavyweight said there are some issues that need to be worked out, and that nothing will be finalized until both parties are happy. 

"I always wanted to fight for UFC and I would fight for UFC, but at this moment we're looking at the deal and the deal has to satisfy both parties," he said. "Until there's no friction, until we are 100 percent in terms of seeing eye-to-eye, we are basically in limbo."

UFC officials have pursued Emelianenko for years, but a deal has never been reached. If the Russian fighter is telling the truth, however, we might finally see him grace the Octagon sooner than later.