Scott Coker would like to hold another Bellator pay-per-view (PPV) next year. Last night (June 24), Bellator NYC took place live inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was Bellator’s first PPV under Coker as the promotion’s President. It featured two title fights, a heavyweight legend, and a grudge match. Bellator 180 also […]
Scott Coker would like to hold another Bellator pay-per-view (PPV) next year. Last night (June 24), Bellator NYC took place live inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was Bellator’s first PPV under Coker as the promotion’s President. It featured two title fights, a heavyweight legend, and a grudge match. Bellator 180 also […]
As heated rivals in the media for several years, longtime veterans Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva finally put their feud to rest in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 24, 2017) Bellator NYC from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Neither man was likely coming into the fight in the shape they were in […]
As heated rivals in the media for several years, longtime veterans Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva finally put their feud to rest in the main event of last night’s (Sat., June 24, 2017) Bellator NYC from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
Neither man was likely coming into the fight in the shape they were in before their failed UFC 175 meeting back in 2014, as Sonnen came in off a disappointing submission loss to Tito Ortiz in his Bellator debut earlier this year and hadn’t won since August 2013, while “The Axe Murderer” hadn’t fought since his exciting knockout of Brian Stann in March 2013.
The actual in-cage action promised to be somewhat unpredictable based on that, but in the end, it wasn’t. Sonnen used his usual wrestling game and despite being nailed by a few big shots from Silva ended up winning with a blanekting unanimous decision. Watch the full fight video highlights of Sonnen’s win right here:
Matt “Meathead” Mitrione stopped all-time legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko in a quick but insane fight that almost ended in a double KO at last night’s (Sat., June 24, 2017) Bellator NYC. It was Emelianenko’s long-awaited debut in the Bellator cage after a controversial decision win over Fabio Maldonado, and the stage was set for the glorious return […]
Matt “Meathead” Mitrione stopped all-time legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko in a quick but insane fight that almost ended in a double KO at last night’s (Sat., June 24, 2017) Bellator NYC.
It was Emelianenko’s long-awaited debut in the Bellator cage after a controversial decision win over Fabio Maldonado, and the stage was set for the glorious return of “The Last Emperor” to a major MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion.
However, the 40-year-old looked stiff and slow in front of Mitrione, who, in the past, would not have been much competition for perhaps the greatest heavyweight of all-time. Despite Mitrione only being two years younger than Emelianenko, it is obvious that the Russian’s more than 40 fights are catching up to him.
After his poor performance against Maldonado and tonight’s brutal KO, it is hard to imagine a reality where Emelianenko will serve as a challenge for the top heavyweights in the world, something to be expected given his age and the miles on his tires.
Regardless, the MMA legend is under a multi-fight contract with Bellator that was signed last November, so this will not be the last time he steps into the cage. But the more he insists on fighting, the more tainted his record will become with lackluster performances and savage beatings.
He has an incredible record of 36-5-1, a rarity for a heavyweight, and during the 2000s, he terrorized every fighter on the planet by going on a 28-fight win streak in 7 different promotions.
A man who did not lose from 2000 to 2010 has nothing left to prove in the fight business, and the best course of action for Emelianenko is to retire and not risk any more brain injury. He has the respect and love of mostly everyone who knows his name, and he has countless options for work around the world.
Unfortunately, we all know he is not going to retire. When asked whether he would continue fighting, he said:
“Yes, because I am a fighter.”
For a fighting legend as dominant as he was, retirement may seem like giving up, or tapping out, if you will. But too much pride can be a dangerous thing for a fighter, and there aren’t a lot of reasons to take many more of those heavyweight punches to the head. It would seem the time is right for Fedor to hang up the gloves and focus on himself, not on his less-than-promising future in the sport.
Nevertheless, there might already be a fight on the horizon for “The Last Emperor.”
Chael Sonnen is already campaigning for a fight against Emelianenko after he beat Wanderlei Silva in the main event, calling out “The Last Emperor” despite being a light heavyweight.
Emelianenko expressed no interest in the fight, as they are in different weight classes, but Sonnen said that he would be happy to go up in weight to face him. Perhaps Sonnen thinks it will be an easy win for him, but he should not forget that Emelianenko dropped Mitrione with a straight right, and he could be biting off more than he can chew.
If the aging legend insists on fighting then the bouts will be there, and it is obvious that he can still knock people out. But the fight game is unforgiving, and the lights go out for even the brightest star eventually.
Fedor is a legend, one of the greatest of all-time, and this point, whatever he can accomplish in Bellator will always pale in comparison to the glowing, historic resume he put together during his prime.
Bellator: NYC took place last night (June 24, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The main event featured a grudge match years in the making, as veterans Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva finally did battle. Sonnen used his trademark wrestling to repeatedly drag Silva to the mat en […]
Bellator: NYC took place last night (June 24, 2017) live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The main event featured a grudge match years in the making, as veterans Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva finally did battle. Sonnen used his trademark wrestling to repeatedly drag Silva to the mat en route to a unanimous decision victory.
The co-main event played host to a heavyweight bout between the legendary Fedor Emelianenko and veteran Matt Mitrione. Mitrione ended up scoring an impressive TKO victory in the very first round.
Check out how Twitter reacted to the event below:
You had 15 minutes to fight him. Why push him after the bell???
After their first meeting fell apart due to a case of kidney stones, Fedor Emelianenko made his Bellator debut against UFC veteran Matt Mitrione in the co-headliner of tonight’s (Sat., June 24, 2017) Bellator NYC from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. All-time legend Emelianenko was looking to pick up a big win that proved […]
After their first meeting fell apart due to a case of kidney stones, Fedor Emelianenko made his Bellator debut against UFC veteran Matt Mitrione in the co-headliner of tonight’s (Sat., June 24, 2017) Bellator NYC from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
All-time legend Emelianenko was looking to pick up a big win that proved he was still able to contend with top fighters after a highly controversial unanimous win over Fabio Maldonado in his last fight and a prior victory over an inexperienced Jaideep Singh in his first comeback bout.
“Meathead” had won his only two Bellator bouts by knockout coming into the biggest fight of his career against the respected “Last Emperor,” and many felt that his superior hand speed and size would rule over a declining Fedor.
When it was all said and done, what resulted was one of the strangest bouts on a very strange card from MSG. When the dust settled, Mitrione picked up the win by knockout after he dropped Emelianenko just as “The Last Emperor” dropped him, recovering quickly to follow up with an absolutely brutal onslaught of punches. Watch the full fight video highlights of the exciting co-main event here:
Tonight’s (Saturday, June 24th, 2017) Bellator NYC event is in the books from the Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bellator NYC was headlined by Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. In the co-main event, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko took on former UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione. Rounding out the main card was Michael Chandler defending […]
Tonight’s (Saturday, June 24th, 2017) Bellator NYC event is in the books from the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Bellator NYC was headlined by Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva. In the co-main event, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko took on former UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione. Rounding out the main card was Michael Chandler defending his lightweight title as well as Douglas Lima defending his welterweight title against Lorenz Larkin, and Aaron Pico vs. Zach Freeman in a lightweight bout. A light heavyweight title fight headlined the Bellator 180 main card.
Join LowKick MMA for the event’s post-fight press conference starting shortly after the event is over.
