Ahead of Bellator 238, relive Fedor Emelianenko finish Chael Sonnen by TKO.
It’s well-known by now: [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] is a legend of the sport.
While he’d suffered a handful of losses since his heyday, the Russian heavyweight proved he still had more mileage left in the tank at Bellator 208 in October 2018.
At Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York, Emelianenko turned back the clock when he took on three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.
The fight saw an aggressive Emelianenko tag Sonnen with big punches on the feet. Midway through the first round, Sonnen scored a takedown. Upon Sonnen’s entry into mount, Emelianenko reversed position.
When the fight rose back to the feet, Emelianenko tossed Sonnen to the canvas. From there, Emelianenko produced an onslaught of ground-and-pound. Referee Dan Miragliotta waved off the fight with 14 seconds left in the first frame.
With the victory, Emelianenko advanced to the Bellator heavyweight grand prix final.. He took on light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader, but lost by first-round TKO.
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On December 29, Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) returns to action when he takes on Quinton Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) in the main event of Bellator 238.
The event takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The main card will air on Paramount Network after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Ahead of Bellator 238, relive Fedor Emelianenko’s finishof Chael Sonnen in the video above.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – [autotag]Quinton Jackson[/autotag] knows not to underestimate [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], even at this stage of his career.
Jackson (38-13 MMA, 5-2 BMMA) takes on Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 237 main event at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, a sort-of throwback style fight. Both men were stars in the PRIDE era, but they never crossed paths.
And since both guys are known to put people away, “Rampage” is expecting fireworks Dec. 28.
“Fedor is very, very dangerous,” Jackson told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “Still very aggressive. Styles make fights, and I think the matchup between Fedor and I makes for a dangerous fight for either one of us. …
“Fedor is really, really good on the ground, and I like to think I have good defense against jiu-jitsu and all that stuff, so I don’t care where the fight goes. I just want an exciting fight.”
Jackson, the former UFC light heavyweight champion who competed at 205 pounds for most of his career, moved up to heavyweight to avoid draining himself in the latter years of his career.
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While he hasn’t exactly decided when he’ll walk away from the sport, Jackson says he certainly thinks about it a lot, but is happy he’ll get to compete in Japan again before it’s all said and done.
“Man, I’m 41. You don’t think … I think about it every time I get on the mat, every time I train. It’s all I can think about is my retirement,” Jackson said.
“It’s going to be like old times. I really do miss fighting (in Japan), and I was telling my coach like maybe a couple months ago, like man it would be nice to finish up my career fighting in Japan again. And he said yeah, that would be nice, fighting back there, so hopefully I can fight back there again.”
Fedor Emelianenko and “Rampage” Jackson face off ahead of their Bellator Japan fight. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)
Jackson takes on one of the greatest fighters of all time in Emelianenko, but he admits that he wouldn’t have taken this fight under other circumstances.
“If it was in the (heavyweight grand prix), that was the only way they would have gotten me to fight him outside of Japan,” Jackson said. “I would have turned it down to be honest. Who wants to fight their favorite fighter?”
Fighting Emelianenko is something “Rampage” never really thought of, as when both guys were in PRIDE, they were competing in different weight classes.
“I never dreamed of fighting Fedor because back when we were both in PRIDE, I wasn’t a heavyweight, and I’m a big guy now. I’m a heavyweight now; he’s obviously still a heavyweight,” Jackson said. “I knew it was a matter of time that I was going to have to fight him as soon as I came to heavyweight, but I never thought about it.”
Nevertheless, the some 15 years later, here they are.
You can watch the full interview with “Rampage” in the video above.
