The great Fedor Emelianenko is awfully close to making his Bellator MMA debut. Per a report by Flo Combat, “The Last Emperor” in on target to fight former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight Matt Mitrione inside the Bellator cage in early 2017. It has the potential to headline Bellator’s debut event in New York City.
Emelianenko, 40, has experienced a rocky road since returning to professional mixed martial arts (MMA) in late 2015. The legendary Russian defeated tomato can Singh Jaideep in his comeback fight then escaped a battering at the hands of one-dimensional brawler Fabio Maldonado via decision this past June. It’s no secret that Emelianenko needs a significant finish to reestablish himself as one of the best heavyweights in the world.
As for Mitrione, 38, fighting a legend like Emelianenko would do wonders for his career. Mitrione has compiled a 2-0 Bellator record since coming over from UFC, but “Meathead” needs big names to establish himself as one of the promotion’s biggest tickets.
While nothing is set in stone, it seems like this is the fight that Bellator president Scott Coker must make to further expand his product.