Bellator 290 pre-event facts: Fedor Emelianenko can make history in final fight

Bellator kicks off its 2023 schedule on Saturday with a landmark event in company history. Bellator 290, which takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., marks the company’s main card network debut on CBS, which follows prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

A championship doubleheader is set to headline the card. In the main event, Ryan Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) will put his heavyweight title fight against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 BMMA), who is set to retire from MMA competition. The pair previously met at Bellator 214 in January 2019, with Bader scoring a 35-second TKO victory.

The co-headliner of the card, meanwhile, will see middleweight champion Johnny Eblen (12-0 MMA, 8-0 BMMA) attempt to make his first title defense when he welcomes challenger Anatoly Tokov (31-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA), who has lost just once over the past 11 years.

For more on the numbers behind the event, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for Bellator 290.