Fedor Emelianenko will fight Antonio Silva on February 12th in New Jersey, according to a Brett Okamoto of ESPN and Mike Whitman of Sherdog. Reports of the bout surfaced in December, though M-1 Global denied anything had been finalized.

The Sherdog story indicates that a fight between former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett is also in the works. Both fights will be part of the rumored eight-man heavyweight grand prix tournament that Strikeforce has been planning for 2011. Fabricio Werdum and Brett Rogers are expected to meet in March in Columbus, Ohio, though that fight has not been confirmed.

Emelianenko last fought in June of 2010 and suffered his first loss in ten years to Fabricio Werdum. M-1 Global, Emelianenko's management, has been mired in renegotiations with Strikeforce since the loss.

Silva knocked out late-replacement Mike Kyle last month and won a decision over Andrei Arlovski in May. He last lost by decision to Werdum in November of 2009.

Strikeforce: Emelianenko vs. Silva coverage