Fedor Emelianenko will fight for the final time on Saturday at Bellator 290. (AP Photo/Gregory ... [+]
It’s the last hurrah for “The Last Emperor”— a final fight for arguably the greatest heavyweight in MMA history.
The legendary Fedor Emelianenko — a fighter who helped take the sport from sideshow spectacle to a billion-dollar mainstream industry — is finally retiring after debuting professionally 23 years ago.
In his farewell match, Emelianenko will challenge heavyweight champion Ryan “Darth” Bader in the main event at Bellator 290 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California on Saturday. The event will air live at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, with prelims at 6 p.m. ET on the Bellator and Showtime YouTube channels. The main card marks the promotion’s debut on CBS.
Emelianenko said, even at 46 years old, he’s as hungry as ever to enter the cage. “The only extra motivation for this fight is that I will be very happy to finish it,” he said.
In combat sports — as we know — no retirement is guaranteed. Emelianenko previously retired back in 2012 after he defeated former UFC title contender Pedro Rizzo in Saint Petersburg, Russia. But three years later, Emelianenko returned to the cage. This time, he said, the retirement is real.
He told ESPN: "I'm 46 years old, and the longer I do this, my injuries from the past remind me [of that]. And my wife, from fight to fight, she says, 'Listen, you have to stop doing it, keep yourself with family.'"
For his last fight, Emelianenko (40-6, 31 finishes) wanted to face Bader, who beat the Russian legend four years ago via 35-second TKO in the final of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Bader still holds the championship belt he won that night.
Bader (30-7, 15 finishes) understands all the adulation for Emelianenko in their rematch.“I’m not frustrated that the talk in the buildup to this fight is all about Fedor,” Bader said. “He deserves it. He’s a legend in this sport, and I respect that man and what he’s done for the sport.” But Bader said he plans to “spoil that party.”
Bader successfully defended his title against Cheick Kongo in his last bout. Emelianenko earned a first-round TKO over Tim Johnson most recently.
In the co-main event at Bellator 290, middleweight champion Johnny Eblen will go for his first title defense as he battles Anatoly Tokov. Eblen beat Gegard Mousasi by unanimous decision to claim the belt last June. Tokov has been undefeated since joining Bellator in 2017.
But everyone knows Saturday night is about Fedor’s farewell, and Emelianenko wants to give the fans a lasting memory. “I want to be remembered by MMA fans as an athlete who gained his popularity and his fanbase based on his skills,” he said. “Based on his fighting skills, not based on his trash talking or any of that nasty stuff that’s popular right now. That’s how I want to be remembered.”
