After months in the making, Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione finally got it on in a heavyweight bout at Bellator NYC on Saturday night in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
If you recall, the pairing was supposed to meet at Bellator 172, but Mitrione had to be hospitalized due to kidney stones. Thus, the promotion had to rebook the fight for this event, which marked Emelianenko’s Bellator MMA debut.
To say that this was an interesting ending would not do this fight justice. In the opening round, they both blasted each other and were hurt. Both fell to the ground as a result. Mitrione got back to his feet first and finished Emelianenko with strikes on the ground. It was almost a double KO, but Mitrione was able to recover first to earn the win.
This loss for Emelianenko could just be a hiccup in the road for him or his last fight of his career. Coming into this fight, he was on a five fight winning streak that spanned five years with his previous bout coming in June of last year against Fabio Maldonado by decision.
Once Mitrione signed with Bellator MMA, there was some speculation that he would be the next heavyweight champion for the promotion. Partly due to his performance in the cage and the fact that the promotion does not have a heavyweight champion right now. Since joining Bellator MMA last year, Mitrione holds wins over Carl Seumanutafa by KO, Oli Thompson via TKO and now Emelianenko.
Final Result: Matt Mitrione def. Fedor Emelianenko via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:14
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