Fedor Emelianenko and Junior dos Santos are longtime heavyweight favorites but have never met in the octagon. That is, until now. New rumors are surfacing that Fedor Emelianenko will face Junior dos Santos as the last fight of this career.
Both fighters have had periods of domination within their respective promotions. Over a 22 year career, Emelianenko (39-6-0) was the longtime king of Pride FC. He continued his reign of dominance in Strikeforce, M-1, Dream, and Bellator. At age 44, he has continued to fight past what many would consider his prime with success. His last fight resulted in a finish of another MMA legend, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Junior dos Santos (21-9-0) has spent most of his career in the UFC, the only major promotion for which he has fought. The UFC recently released Junior dos Santos earlier this year after a four-fight losing streak, the longest of his career.
Since his departure from the UFC, dos Santos has shared that he is open to fighting for Bellator as he is not ready to retire. While there are several exciting fights for him, one name was at the top of his list.
“I am a big fan of Fedor and it would be something really cool to be able to face him. I don’t know what his situation is, if he’s still fighting and I know he’s at Bellator. Bader who called us, who would welcome us, would be very interesting. He’s a really tough guy too. A rematch against Alistair Overeem himself, who always finds a way to get away from this issue. It can be at Bellator, wherever it is,” dos Santos shared.
Russia’s Tele Sport has reported that dos Santos is close to signing a deal with Bellator.
The deal is not yet official, but if signed he is expected to fight Fedor in Russia.
Do you want to see these Fedor and Junior fight each other?