Fedor Emelianenko has shut down the idea of a possible cross-promotional fight between himself and Junior dos Santos.
Eagle FC owner and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently expressed interest in a fight between the two heavyweights leading up to dos Santos’s Eagle FC debut in May. That main event bout between Yorgan De Castro and dos Santos ended when the former UFC heavyweight champion injured his shoulder early in the third round.
In an interview with Russia media outlet Okko, Emelianenko indicated that the result of that fight took some appeal away from a potential matchup between himself and the Brazilian.
“A meeting was planned with Scott Coker. But, as I understand it, Scott and I are not interested in this fight with Junior dos Santos. First of all, because of the defeat of the latter.”
“Cigano” was ahead on the scorecards heading into the third round of the fight at Eagle FC 47 before dislocating his shoulder just over 30 seconds into the final round. De Castro subsequently left the cage as the winner, and the 38-year-old dos Santos suffered his first loss since leaving the UFC and fifth in a row overall.
Fedor Emelianenko has been competing for Bellator since 2017 and has gone 4-2 during his time in the promotion. The 45-year-old is currently on a two-fight win streak after first-round knockouts of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tim Johnson.
“The Last Emperor” suffered his most recent loss when he challenged Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight championship in 2019. Emelianenko currently has one-fight remaining on his Bellator contract, and he’s indicated a desire to challenge Bader again for the title in what could also end up being his retirement fight.
Considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters of all time, Junior dos Santos recently named Emelianenko as his GOAT of heavyweight MMA.
What do you think of Fedor Emelianenko’s comments that a fight with Junior dos Santos has lost its appeal?
Continue Reading Fedor Shuts Down Cross-Promotion Fight With Junior Dos Santos at MMA News.