Bellator 269 results: Fedor Emelianenko flattens Tim Johnson with three-punch knockout

“The Last Emperor” isn’t done yet.

“The Last Emperor” isn’t done yet.

After two years away from the cage, 45-year-old [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] returned Saturday at Bellator 269 when he knocked [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] unconscious at 1:46 of Round 1.

The heavyweight fight headlined the event, which took place Saturday at VTB Arena in Moscow. The main card aired on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

The excitement in the venue built with the walkouts. Johnson leaned into the U.S.A. vs. Russia theme, as he strolled to the cage to Hulk Hogan’s theme song “Real American.” Meanwhile, Emelianenko made his way to the cage with his vintage Russian walkout song blaring through the home arena.

The fight began, as did the “Fedor, Fedor, Fedor” chants. There wasn’t much of a feeling-out process as both men opened up early. Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) looked like the lighter fighter as he bounced around. Johnson (15-8 MMA, 3-4 BMMA), meanwhile, stayed a lot more stationary as he looked for a big punch.

Both men landed in the exchanges, but around the 90-second mark of the fight, Emelianenko found the home for a hard combination. Stunned, Johnson opened himself up as he stood square to the Russian legend. Emelianenko uncorked a hellacious three-punch combo that folded Johnson over backward. No follow-up shots were thrown as Fedor walked off.

With the win, Emelianenko advances to 3-1 in his most recent four fights. He also holds wins over Frank Mir, Chael Sonnen, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in Bellator. After Saturday’s win, Emelianenko has one fight remaining on his Bellator contract, which is expected to take place in 2022.

As for Johnson, the American falls to 0-2 in as many outings. The skid comes on the heels of a three-fight winning streak that earned him an interim title shot in June.

The latest Bellator 269 results include:

  • Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Johnson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:46
  • Said Sowma def. Vitaly Minakov via TKO (doctor stoppage) Round 3, 3:08
  • Usman Nurmagomedov def. Patrik Pietila via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:06
  • Anatoly Tokov def. Sharaf Davlatmurodov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Kirill Sidelnikov def. Rab Truesdale via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:01
  • Katarzyna Sadura def. Darina Mazdyuk via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:17
  • Irina Alekseeva def. Stephanie Page via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Nikita Mikhailov def. Brian Moore via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Alexey Shurkevich def. Grachik Bozinyan via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:25
  • Aiden Lee def. Alexander Osetrov via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:41