Tag: Fedor Emelianenko

Bellator 290 ceremonial weigh-ins faceoff highlights video and photo gallery from Los Angeles

Watch as the athletes at Bellator 290 got one last look at each other before the fights.

LOS ANGELES – All the pre-fight activities are in the books for Bellator 290, the first Bellator event of 2023, following Friday’s official and ceremonial weigh-ins.

A rematch between heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) and [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who meet for Bader’s title in what also is Emelianenko’s retirement bout, serves as the event headliner. In the co-main event, middleweight champ [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time against challenger [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-3 MMA, 7-0 BMMA).

At the ceremonial weigh-ins Friday, the fighters came face to face for final staredowns. Check out the highlights in the video above and a photo gallery below.

[lawrence-related id=2613508,2613469]

Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card marks the promotion’s debut on CBS, which follows prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[vertical-gallery id=2613709]

Photos: Bellator 290 ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs

Check out these photos from the Bellator 290 ceremonial weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs in Los Angeles.

Check out these photos from the Bellator 290 ceremonial weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs in Los Angeles. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

 

 

Bellator 290 ceremonial weigh-ins video: Ryan Bader, Fedor Emelianenko face off one last time before CBS headliner

All that’s left for Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko is to run it back after they faced off for the last time before Bellator 290.

LOS ANGELES – All that’s left for [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] and [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] is to run it back.

Bader is set to put his heavyweight title on the line in a rematch with Emelianenko as the two headline the promotion’s CBS debut Saturday night at Bellator 290 from Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Their second encounter comes four years after Bader needed just 35 seconds to TKO Emelianenko to win the heavyweight grand prix and championship. Bellator 290 marks the retirement fight for the 46-year-old Emelianenko.

On Friday at the ceremonial weigh-ins, Bader and Emelianenko had their final faceoff. You can watch it in the video above.

[lawrence-related id=2613508,2613433,2613539]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[pickup_prop id=”30070″]

Bellator 290 predictions: Is anyone picking Fedor to retire with upset of Ryan Bader?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the Bellator 290 main card, its debut on CBS, featuring Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko.

Bader
vs.
Emelianenko		 Eblen
vs.
Tokov		 Homasi
vs.
Ward
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
5-5		 bader2023
Bader
(52%)		 eblen2023
Eblen
(63%)		 ward2023
Ward
(62%)
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
8-2		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 ward2023
Ward
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
7-3		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 ward2023
Ward
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
7-3		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 homasi2023
Homasi
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
6-4		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 ward2023
Ward
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
6-4
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 ward2023
Ward
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
6-4		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 homasi2023
Homasi
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
5-5
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 bader2023
Bader		 tokov2023
Tokov		 homasi2023
Homasi
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
5-5		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 homasi2023
Homasi
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
5-5
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 homasi2023
Homasi
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
4-6		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 ward2023
Ward
Nolan King
@mma_kings
4-6		 bader2023
Bader		 eblen2023
Eblen		 ward2023
Ward

Bellator returns this week for its first event of the year, and a pair of titles and monumental sendoff top the lineup.

Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) takes on legendary Russian challenger [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who has announced this will be his final fight. It is a rematch of a 2019 tournament final and title fight that saw Bader finish Emelianenko with a 35-second TKO.

Bader is a sizable favorite at -320 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on former PRIDE champ Emelianenko is +255. But none of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have “The Last Emperor” with a fairytale ending. Bader is a unanimous pick at 11-0.

In the co-feature, middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time when he meets challenger [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-3 MMA, 7-0 BMMA). Eblen is a -270 favorite at the betting window, and he has a near-unanimous rout in the picks. Just one of our staff members has Tokov in an upset.

And to open the main card, which is Bellator’s debut on CBS, [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (17-10 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) takes on [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) at welterweight. Homasi is more than a 2-1 betting favorite, but our pickers are split. It’s Ward with a 6-5 lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Bader (52 percent), Eblen (63 percent) and Ward (62 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[listicle id=2613120]

[vertical-gallery id=314594]

Bellator 290 weigh-in results: Entire main card set; only one big miss

Check out the results from the official Bellator 290 fighter weigh-ins, which features heavyweight champ Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko.

LOS ANGELES – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Friday’s official Bellator 290 fighter weigh-ins.

The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel. The nearby Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., hosts Saturday’s event, which has a main card on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Among those weighing in were heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) and Fedor Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who meet in a main event rematch for Bader’s title in what also is Emelianenko’s retirement bout.

In the co-feature, middleweight champ Johnny Eblen (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) puts his title on the line for the first time against challenger Anatoly Tokov (31-3 MMA, 7-0 BMMA).

All four title fighters made weight. Only one fighter missed weight – Diana Avsaragova, who is scheduled to meet Alejandra Lara in a women’s flyweight bout.

The full Bellator 290 weigh-in results are below:

MAIN CARD (CBS, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Champ Ryan Bader (234.4) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (236.2) – for heavyweight title
  • Champ Johnny Eblen (184) vs. Anatoly Tokov (184.8) – for middleweight title
  • Sabah Homasi (170.8) vs. Brennan Ward (170.8)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Neiman Gracie (170.4) vs. Dante Schiro (170.6)
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov (171) vs. Lorenz Larkin (171)
  • Henry Corrales (145.6) vs. Akhmed Magomedov (145.2)
  • Ali Isaev (261.8) vs. Steve Mowry (253.4)
  • Chris Gonzalez (155.6) vs. Max Rohskopf (155.6)
  • Karl Albrektsson (205.2) vs. Grant Neal (205.2)
  • **Diana Avsaragova (128.8) vs. Alejandra Lara (125.8)
  • Darrion Caldwell (135.8) vs. Nikita Mikhailov (135.4)
  • *Jaylon Bates (136) vs. Jornel Lugo (135)
  • Isaiah Hokit (145.6) vs. Peter Ishiguro (145)
  • Ethan Hughes (170.8) vs. Yusuf Karakaya (170.2)

*Bates missed the bantamweight limit by 0.8 pounds on his first attempt; he was 0.2 over on his second attempt; he made the 136 limit on his third attempt.

**Avsaragova missed the flyweight limit by 2.8 pounds. 

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[listicle id=2613473]

[listicle id=2613120]

Bellator 290 weigh-ins video: Fedor Emelianenko steps on the scale for final MMA bout

Watch Fedor Emelianenko step on the scale for what is expected to be the final weigh-in of his MMA career.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] stepped on the scale Friday for what is expected to be his final MMA bout.

Ahead of Saturday’s Bellator 290 main event bout, all eyes were on Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) when he took the stage for the official weigh-ins.

For a heavyweight fighter who always has come in well under the limit, there was little doubt Emelianenko would make weight, and he did, with a kiss to his cross necklace before and after.

Emelianenko fights in the first rematch of his Bellator career Saturday at Kia Forum, as he looks to avenge his loss against [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA), who was first on the scales at 234.4 pounds.

Also on the card, middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-3 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) hit championship weight. Eblen was 184 pounds. Tokov was slightly heavier at 184.8 pounds.

Main card openers [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (17-10 MMA, 6-4 BMMA) and [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] (16-6 MMA, 11-6 BMMA) both weighed in at 170.8 pounds.

Check out Emelianenko and Bader’s weigh-ins in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[vertical-gallery id=314594]

Farewell to Fedor: ‘The People’s Forever Heavyweight Champion’

Saturday, after nearly 23 years and almost 50 fights, all-time heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko will hang up his MMA gloves.

Saturday, after nearly 23 years and almost 50 fights, an all-time great will hang up his MMA gloves.

Russian legend [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] is set to retire after one more fight – and that fight happens to be one last crack at Bellator’s heavyweight title.

Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) will challenge champion Ryan Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) for the heavyweight strap in the Bellator 290 main event. At one point, the promotion had grand plans to send off “The Last Emperor” in front of his home fans in Moscow’s Red Square. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war put an end to that idea, and Emelianenko will retire in the same building in which he fought the champ the first time in January 2019 – when Bader finished him with a 35-second TKO to win the then-vacant title.

If Emelianenko upsets Bader to win the title at Bellator 290, it will be a monumental fairytale ending. But regardless of the outcome, Emelianenko’s impact is undeniable.

Ahead of Emelianenko’s retirement title fight, look back at his legacy with MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George Garcia and Brian “Goze” Garcia.

Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[listicle id=2612819]

[vertical-gallery id=314594]

Bellator 290 referee, judges selected for Fedor Emelianenko retirement bout

The four officials for the Bellator 290 headliner, between Ryan Bader and Fedor Emelianenko, have been selected by California.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] has one more walk to the cage left in him.

When Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) steps foot on the canvas for the final time, [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) will soon after join him. The two heavyweights headline Bellator 290, which takes place Saturday at Kia Forum. The main card marks the promotion’s debut on CBS after prelims on MMA Junkie.

On Wednesday, the California State Athletic Commission finalized its referee and judge assignments for the entire 14-fight card. Below, check out who will officiate the event.

Ryan Bader respects Fedor Emelianenko but has no issue being ‘the bad guy’ at Bellator 290

Bellator heavyweight champ Ryan Bader is OK with the position he’s in having to play spoiler for Fedor Emelianenko’s retirement fight.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] is the reigning, defending, undisputed Bellator heavyweight champion, but nobody cares about that.

OK, so it’s not that nobody cares. It’s just that his next title defense is against [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] on Saturday night at Bellator 290, which also happens to be “The Last Emperor’s” retirement fight. Being the beloved MMA legend that he is, Bader knows fans would like to see Emelianenko ride off into the sunset with a victory and gold strapped around his waist.

Bader understands the situation.

“No, he deserves it,” Bader said Wednesday at the Bellator 290 pre-fight news conference. “He’s a legend of the sport. I respect that man, and he’s a good human being. Don’t get me wrong: I know, walking in there, that I’d be doing the same. If I’m watching Fedor’s last fight, I’m cheering for him. I like to do that. I like to see these legends go out on top. …

“Make no mistake: I know people are gonna be rooting for him. But on the flip side, I have a job to do, and my job is to go out there, spoil that party, go out there, and do what I came here to do, retain that belt, win that fight, and move on. All the best. There will be respect there no matter what.”

[lawrence-related id=2613191,2613153]

There was respect between Bader (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) and Emelianenko (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) the first time they met back in 2019, when Bader finished him in 35 seconds in the Bellator heavyweight grand prix final to win the tournament and heavyweight title, which he’s held ever since. That’s why Emelianenko, 46, chose 39-year-old Bader as his retirement fight. He’s intent on avenging that defeat.

It’s the ending to Emelianenko’s illustrious career that most MMA fans will want to see, and Bader knows this.

“Me going out there doing my job and winning, you know, I’m the bad guy taking that away from him,” Bader said. “… But I’m in that position. What am I gonna do? Just go in there and fold up for him? I’ve got to do my job. I respect that guy a lot, what he’s done in this sport, also as a person. But I’ve got a job to do at the end of the day.”

Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on CBS following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[listicle id=2613120]

Bellator 290 faceoffs video: Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko, Johnny Eblen vs. Anatoly Tokov

Watch all four Bellator 290 championship combatants, including Fedor Emelianenko, face off for the first time during fight week.

LOS ANGELES – All four fighters involved in the two Bellator 290 title bouts came together for faceoffs following Wednesday’s pre-fight news conference.

In the main event, heavyweight champion [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) puts his belt on the line in a rematch with [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in what will be the legendary “Last Emperor’s” retirement fight. And in the co-headliner, undefeated middleweight champion [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) attempts to make his first title defense against top contender [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (31-3 MMA, 7-0 BMMA).

You can watch the fighters square up in the video above.

[lawrence-related id=2613153,2612540,2613075]

Bellator 290 takes place Saturday at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card airs on CBS following prelims on MMA Junkie.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 290.

[listicle id=2613120]