Former heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia has officially left the UFC to begin fighting for Adrenaline MMA instead. One of the reason Sylvia cites for the move is that Adrenaline MMA, previously known as M-1 Global, permits its fighters to battle for other organizations. On March 28, he told HDNet’s “Inside MMA” that he would like to participate in the Affliction show and all the fights scheduled in Japan. He says he’d also love to battle Fedor Emelianenko.

Speaking of Fedor Emelianenko, the long sought after PRIDE heavyweight champ and free agent is still being courted by the UFC. No doubt, the UFC wants him bad; Emelianenko currently holds a 27-1 record with a pair of wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the current interim UFC heavyweight champ.

Sylvia isn’t the only fighter hungry to step into the Octagon with Emelianenko. Wearer of the current UFC heavyweight belt, Randy Couture, is in the thick of a legal battle primarily over his desire to battle Fedor himself.

Meanwhile, undefeated IFL Quad City Silverbacks champ Ben Rothwell was also signed to Adrenaline MMA at the same time as Sylvia. Both Sylvia and Rothwell will be training at Bettendorf, Iowa’s Miletich Fighting Systems.

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