(George Galanis is a freelance journalist, MMA fan and BPL contributor.)

The deal is done; the stage is set; the time is fast approaching: three clichés that mixed martial arts fans around the world have been eagerly waiting to hear.

On the 12th of February, when the first bell sounds to kick off what is being widely considered the greatest heavyweight tournament in the sports history, it's in proper fashion that the assembled cast of superstars set to collide in the single-elimination tournament should include Fedor Emelianenko.

Widely considered one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in the sport's history, Emelianenko's unprecedented run of 28 consecutive victories, spanning nearly a decade of fighting, marked the Russian native as a true ambassador for what ‘sportsmanship' was meant to define in MMA.

With the world reeling after his shock upset loss to Fabricio Werdum last June, a humble man who many considered to be the most dangerous human being on the planet, spoke to the media with a quote that embodies a warrior's heart and humility: "A man that does not fall, does not stand up."

A truly inspirational message from the mild-mannered athlete, which succinctly described his acceptance that the streak was over and the time for a new battle was imminent. At the time, no one could have predicted that the horizon included his position in a tournament of such epic proportions.

In the highly anticipated fight of the M-1 Global and Strikeforce's co-promoted event from the IZOD Center in New Jersey, Emelianenko (31-2, 1 No Contest) is set to take on Antonio Silva (15-2) in the evening's second quarterfinal fight of the three-stage, single-elimination tournament.

With all eight participants equally talented, no fighter is receiving a free pass to advance to the semi-finals. Silva represents a true threat in his own right as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, winning eight of his last nine. All but two of his victories have come by knockout with only five fights venturing past five minutes.

But the great Fedor Emelianenko has fought some the most recognisable names in the sport as well; men like Antonio "Minotoro" Nogueira, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Andrei "The Pit Bull" Arlovski and Mark "The Hammer" Coleman, and defeating many of those rival superstars in devastating first-round affairs.

Clearly, the heavyweight tournament of 2011 represents a new era of increasingly talented mixed martial artists and marks a new challenge for Emelianenko, who is as stoic and ready as he has ever been.

"I have been training very hard since my last fight and eager to get back inside the cage,'' he said recently. ''Strikeforce has assembled a roster filled with the best heavyweights in the world and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to fight them in a great tournament format."

With only one other official loss to his record resulting from a doctor stoppage due to an early cut against Tsuyoshi Kosaka during their bout in 2000, Fedor seized the opportunity to avenge the blemish nearly five years later with his own first-round TKO of Kosaka. If the tournament plays out in favour of the Russian's fans, Emelianenko could face Werdum later this year and provide yet another grand stage to avenge his second career loss within the tournament.

But following in the humble footsteps of Emelianenko, fans will wait in earnest for the clock to tick down to February 12, and play out the ‘what-if' scenarios at the close of this legendary tournament's first bouts.