Touring Fedor Won’t Commit To Retirement

Photo by Valery SharifulinTASS via Getty Images

Despite getting laid to rest in just 35 seconds back in January, former PRIDE FC heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko, signed a new, three-fight contract with Bellator MMA the following June, because Scott Coker is going to milk “The Last Emperor” for every last drop.

But the “retirement tour” that begins with his Quinton Jackson showdown this weekend in Japan may not spell the end of the Russian’s storied career. The 43 year-old Emelianenko prefers to wait until the final fight before making any decisions on his combat sports future.

“That’s what we discussed, that’s what we agreed on, but let’s see how I feel,” Emelianenko told reporters through his translator. “Right now the plan is just like Scott laid out, there’s gonna be three fights and it’s kind of a retirement tour, but when the tour is over let’s see how I feel, we’ll go from there.”

Emelianenko (38-6, 1 NC) signed with Bellator MMA back in early 2017, and has since racked up a 2-2 record. In true “Last Emperor” fashion, none of those four fights have made it to the judges’ scorecards. In addition to finishes over Chael Sonnen and Frank Mir, the former Strikeforce attraction registered knockout losses to Matt Mitrione and the aforementioned Bader.

As for Jackson (38-13), he hooked up with Bellator MMA in late 2013, mustering up a 5-2 record with a lone UFC win sandwiched in between to satisfy his contract requirements in 2015. “Rampage” recently snapped a two-fight losing streak by laying waste to longtime PRIDE nemesis, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva.

No doubt a victory over Emelianenko this weekend would go a long way in helping the Stary Oskol native make up his mind about calling it quits.