Fedor Emelianenko’s retirement tour is still on tap – just on a new timeline.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Emelianenko’s final fights will have to occur later than expected. Beyond that, Bellator president Scott Coker hopes to keep the plans in tact as much as possible.
“I definitely think (the pandemic) effected his timeline and the timeline we wanted to do for him,” Coker said in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “We wanted him to fight some time in the fall. That might be tough now. The idea of Fedor was not to bring him into the States anymore. It was to fight in the Middle East or in Europe. In Japan, we already did that as our first one.”
In particular, Coker voiced excitement about the potential final stop on Emelianenko’s farewell tour: Moscow. If Bellator organizes an event there, it will be the first time the promotion has done so on Russian soil.
“The final one would be in Russia in Moscow,” Coker said. “We’d throw a fight in his home country where he lives now and put on a great show and bring Bellator there for the first time. I mean, look at how many great Russian fighters we have. It’s unbelievable. The list goes on and on. There’s some great talent there, and we’re scouting all the time. We’re going to be in the Russian fight business for a long time. We wanted to go there with Fedor. We wanted to do the first Bellator event there.”
If he had to give a specific estimate in the current climate, Coker predicted the stops on the tour would each be delayed by four to five months.
“Now I think everything gets pushed back four of five months,” Coker said. “Something that we’re trying to do maybe at the beginning of the year might not go until May of next year. We’re going to do right. We’re going to do it in a way that’s health and safety first. Then, we’re going to put on some great fights. It’s going to be a matter of time.”
Coker said Bellator is targeting a summer return, possibly in July. With the promotion still on hiatus, Coker asked Bellator fans to remain patient until operations resume.
“I just tell all of the MMA fans out there: MMA fans, Bellator fans, just be patient,” Coker said. “We’re getting this thing together. I believe this, too, will pass at some point and then we’re going to get it on.”
Emelianenko’s last fight came in December, when he defeated former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson by first-round TKO at Bellator 237 in Japan.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full interview with Scott Coker below:
Scott Coker: Fedor Emelianenko's retirement tour still happening but on new timeline
