TOKYO – Fedor Emelianenko has started his retirement tour and Bellator president Scott Coker wants it to end at home.
Emelianenko’s first stop is Saturday (Sunday locally) at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, when he takes on Quinton Jackson at Bellator 237.
And having recently signed Emelianenko to a new three-fight deal with the promotion, Coker has mapped out how he’d like to see Emelianenko’s remaining fights play out.
“The second fight hopefully, if he is ok, doesn’t get hurt then maybe he can fight towards late fall or early fall,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters Friday. “Location, I don’t know but in my mind, the second fight will be some place in Europe or the Middle East and then the third fight will be in Moscow, maybe sometime next year. That’s the game plan because I would love to do a fight in Moscow with Bellator, with Fedor’s retirement fight.”
The meeting with “Rampage” pits two legends of the sport that had significant moments in their careers under the PRIDE banner, but never crossed paths.
They will clash in a throwback style fight, and Coker urges fans to come watch Emelianenko (38-6 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who’s competed over half of his career in Japan, in what will highly likely be the last time he makes the walk in that historic arena.
“How I feel about Fedor is, he’s a very special fighter, a very special person in the landscape of MMA, and he’s a legend, and he is to me the greatest heavyweight of all time. In saying that, I feel like he should be honored and treasured on his way out and he should go out on his own terms and that’s really what this is all really about.”
“I got to give him that respect that deserves and we signed him to a three-fight retirement tour and this is the first stop. This will be the last time he fights in Japan, so if they want to see him live, they have to come down and check him out against a legendary fighter like ‘Rampage’ who got his start here.”
To hear more from Coker, watch the video above, and to hear from Emelianenko himself, watch the video below.
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/?p=475088
