Nikita Mikhailov thinks strong team support will help in grand prix

HONOLULU – Nikita Mikhailov is hoping the support from a team led by the legendary Fedor Emelianenko will help give him a push this week.

Mikhailov (9-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) starts his path toward the bantamweight title when he takes on Enrique Barzola (17-5-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) on Friday at Bellator 278 in Honolulu. Their fight is a wild card bout to open Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix.

The winner of the fight will move into the semifinals of the bracket to take on Magomed Magomedov. Ultimately, the tournament winner will be Bellator’s interim bantamweight champion and get a title unification bout against champ Sergio Pettis.

Check out Mikhailov’s full pre-fight media day interview in the video above.