The dream match that many have waited years to happen finally has a date and venue.
Hot off the heels of this past weekend’s event, the next stage of the Bellator heavyweight Grand Prix tournament is confirmed to take place this April.
After a long time away from fighting, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir faces the man who is one of the best fighters the sport has ever seen, Fedor Emelianenko. The news was confirmed Monday via press release, and the event will take place April 28th at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
Mir (18-11) has had a rough patch since 2011, going 2-6 since defeating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He was granted his release from the UFC and was promptly picked up by Bellator, making this his debut for the organization. His inactivity was due to a two-year suspension after failing an in-competition drug test for dehydrochloromethyltestosterone (DHCMT), an anabolic–androgenic steroid. That suspension ends on April 7th, three weeks before this event takes place.
As for Fedor (36-5-1 no contest), things were going rather well for him since the closure of Strikeforce, at least on paper. After a brief retirement, he returned to action against Pedro Rizzo in 2015, then went on to defeat Jaideep Singh and Fabio Maldonado to go on a 5-0 run. The win over Maldonado was highly controversial, and a subsequent KO loss this past June against Matt Mitrione (also in the tournament) concerned many as to whether or not Fedor should continue fighting. No other fights have been announced for this card, numbered Bellator 196, as of yet.
Also announced earlier was the inclusion of Cheick Kongo (27-10-2 draws) and Bellator mainstay Javy Ayala (10-6) as the first set of alternates for the tournament. Ayala is coming off a decision loss against former UFC fighter Roy Nelson, while Kongo defeated Augusto Sakai last May to extend his win streak to five.
The next quarterfinal matchup for the Bellator HW Grand Prix is on February 16th, as Matt Mitrione fights Roy Nelson in Connecticut.