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2009 called, it wants its main event back.
More than a decade after Fedor Emelianenko was expected to fight Josh Barnett under the Affliction MMA banner, former Strikeforce CEO and current Bellator MMA head cheese, Scott Coker, believes the pair may finally hook ‘em up at some point in 2020.
But he’s only got two more chances to make it happen, if this timeline is correct.
“The guy that keeps knocking on the door is Josh Barnett,” Coker said (via MMA Junkie). “He had an unfortunate situation two weeks ago, or a week ago in Hawaii. He was sick. I’ve been texting with him, and he’s recovering and getting back. We’ll see if it’s something Fedor wants to do. I know Barnett would like to do it. He tells me he’d like to fight Fedor, so maybe that’s a fight we can put together.”
The not-scared Barnett, 42, is expected to make his Bellator MMA debut against Ronny Markes before securing a “Last Emperor” fight.
Emelianenko (39-6, 1 NC) got back into the win column by smashing a bloated Quinton Jackson last weekend in Japan. Barnett (35-8), meanwhile, has been on the bench for over three years following a drug-testing fiasco during his time in UFC.
Early predictions on the potential heavyweight showdown?