Tag: Ryan Bader

Fedor Emelianenko Admits He’s Thinking “More And More” About Retirement

Could this weekend’s (Sat. January 26, 2019) Bellator 214 event be the last time mixed martial arts (MMA) fans see Fedor Emelianenko? “The Last Emperor” has been a staple in the heavyweight division of mixed martial arts (MMA) since 2000. This weekend, Emelianenko will step into the cage to challenge for the vacant Bellator heavyweight […]

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Could this weekend’s (Sat. January 26, 2019) Bellator 214 event be the last time mixed martial arts (MMA) fans see Fedor Emelianenko?

“The Last Emperor” has been a staple in the heavyweight division of mixed martial arts (MMA) since 2000. This weekend, Emelianenko will step into the cage to challenge for the vacant Bellator heavyweight championship. He’ll face light heavyweight title holder Ryan Bader. Speaking to media recently, Emelianenko admitted he’s thinking “more and more” about retirement at this point in his career (via MMA Fighting):

“To tell the truth, at the age I’m at right now, more and more I am thinking about retiring,” Emelianenko said. “I cannot answer this question at this moment.

“But I am willing to take some rest and then decide. It is not because I don’t want to fight. Definitely it is because of the age, you know, and injuries that I have.”

Emelianenko and Bader were put through the ringer in Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament for the opportunity to fight for the title. Emelianenko defeated the likes of Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen to get to the finals. As for Bader, he defeated Muhammed Lawal and Matt Mitrione to maintain his perfect Bellator record.

Now, they’ll lock horns with one another in the main event of Bellator 214 from The Forum in Inglewood, California.

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Fedor Emelianenko Praises Ryan Bader’s MMA Skills

Fedor Emelianenko has a tall task ahead. He’ll challenge Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader for the promotion’s vacant heavyweight strap. Emelianenko and Bader have found their way into the finals of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament to crown a new champion. The pair will square off in the main event of Bellator 214 from […]

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Fedor Emelianenko has a tall task ahead.

He’ll challenge Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader for the promotion’s vacant heavyweight strap.

Emelianenko and Bader have found their way into the finals of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament to crown a new champion. The pair will square off in the main event of Bellator 214 from The Forum in Inglewood, California on January 26th.

Speaking on a media call to promote the event, “The Last Emperor” had nothing but good things to say about his opponent’s ability inside the cage (via MMA News):

“Ryan Bader is an exceptional fighter, probably one of the most toughest and skilled guys of this tournament. He has a strong wrestling background, but it’s not easy to hit Ryan. He’s got very good defense and [I have to make sure I don’t get hit]. The rest we’ll see in the fight.”

Emelianenko earned his way into the finals of the tournament with a first-round TKO victory over Chael Sonnen. He defeated “The Bad Guy” at Bellator 208 back in October. As for Bader, he defeated Matt Mitrione with a dominant unanimous decision win at Bellator 207. Now, he’ll attempt to become a double champion in Bellator with a potential heavyweight title win.

However, to do so, he’ll have to get past one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport.

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Ryan Bader Throws Shade At UFC’s Light Heavyweight Division

Ryan Bader throws some shade at the current state of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He did so while promoting his upcoming fight against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. The two fighters are slated to meet in the finals of the Bellator heavyweight tournament at Bellator 214. Bellator MMA has signed a ton of former UFC […]

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Ryan Bader throws some shade at the current state of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He did so while promoting his upcoming fight against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. The two fighters are slated to meet in the finals of the Bellator heavyweight tournament at Bellator 214.

Bellator MMA has signed a ton of former UFC stars through the rush of free agency in 2017 and 2018. Bader made it clear that he’s not holding his breath for the next import of new talent signings if this trend continues this year. That remains to be seen. In the eyes of Bader, he thinks that the UFC’s light heavyweight division is not very deep at all.

“I don’t feel the UFC’s light heavyweight division is very deep at all,” said Bader to MMAJunkie. “There’s a handful of guys they keep regurgitating to fight for the belt. There’s not too many to pull from there. Yeah, there’s always guys out there floating around, but I haven’t really thought about it too much. Bellator is doing a great job attracting these high-level guys, and that’s going to come with just a little bit of time.”

Bellator 214 is set to take place on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.The preliminary card will air online at 7:00 pm EST while the main card will air on Paramount Network and DAZN at 9:00 PM EST. Bader continued by stating that he thinks the message to fighters has been sent loud and clear.

“The word’s getting out we’re treated well over here. To be able to have this (Bellator heavyweight) grand prix, and we saw Darrion Caldwell fight in Japan, and so that’s attractive to us.”

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Ryan Bader’s Coach Talks Key To Defeating Fedor Emelianenko

Ryan Bader’s coach believes his fighter has the formula to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. Bader will be taking on Emelianenko in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. The winner will be rewarded with the Bellator heavyweight champio…

Ryan Bader’s coach believes his fighter has the formula to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. Bader will be taking on Emelianenko in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. The winner will be rewarded with the Bellator heavyweight championship. It all goes down on Jan. 26 inside The Forum in Inglewood, California. Ryan Bader’s Coach […]

The post Ryan Bader’s Coach Talks Key To Defeating Fedor Emelianenko appeared first on MMA News.

Ryan Bader’s Coach Talks Key To Defeating Fedor Emelianenko

Ryan Bader’s coach believes his fighter has the formula to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. Bader will be taking on Emelianenko in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. The winner will be rewarded with the Bellator heavyweight champio…

Ryan Bader’s coach believes his fighter has the formula to defeat Fedor Emelianenko. Bader will be taking on Emelianenko in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. The winner will be rewarded with the Bellator heavyweight championship. It all goes down on Jan. 26 inside The Forum in Inglewood, California. Ryan Bader’s Coach […]

The post Ryan Bader’s Coach Talks Key To Defeating Fedor Emelianenko appeared first on MMA News.

Ryan Bader’s Coach Describes How To Beat Fedor Emelianenko

Ryan Bader’s coach has offered the details on the gameplan that he thinks will get his fighter a win against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. The two fighters are slated to meet in the finals of the Bellator heavyweight tournament. This fight will go down next month at Bellator 214. The Bellator light heavyweight champion scored […]

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Ryan Bader’s coach has offered the details on the gameplan that he thinks will get his fighter a win against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. The two fighters are slated to meet in the finals of the Bellator heavyweight tournament. This fight will go down next month at Bellator 214.

The Bellator light heavyweight champion scored a decision win over Matt Mitrione at Bellator 207. This served as a heavyweight grand prix semifinal bout. Before this fight, Bader picked up a first-round knockout victory over Muhammed Lawal in the quarterfinals of this tournament. This fight went down at the Bellator 199 event on the Paramount Network at the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Bader’s coach Jair Lourenco told MMA Fighting what he expects to happen in this contest and his gameplan.

”It’s going to be a fight between true champions,” Lourenco said. “They are both experienced fighters. Many people talks about Bader being younger and all that, like he’s in his 20’s, but he’s 35. The thing is, he’s an athlete and takes care of himself. They both hit hard and have high-level grappling. It’s going to be a high-level fight and, the longer it takes, the better for Bader because of his conditioning. He does well in five-round fights.

”We’re planning on putting pressure early on to force Fedor to work at a higher pace since the beginning,” he continued. “We will fight to submit him or knock him out, attacking the entire time, full pressure, for five rounds. I think that’s the path. You can’t let Fedor be too comfortable in the fight.”

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