Heavyweight legend and Bellator fighter Fedor Emelianenko is gearing up for his return to the Bellator MMA which is most likely to take place in October.
Fedor is undoubtedly one of the first superstars in MMA. He is one of the best heavyweights to have ever fought in the sport of MMA. With a spectacular record of 39-6 at the age of 44, he is still fighting at the top of the sport. In 2017 Bellator announced that the 2018 Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix would crown the Bellator Heavyweight champion, Eight fighters competed between February and December 2018. Fedor was one of those. He won the fights against different fighters in all the rounds and made it to the final of the Tournament.
In the final, Emelianenko faced Ryan Bader for the vacant Bellator Heavyweight World Championship in the main event at Bellator 214. Emelianenko lost the fight via knockout just 35 seconds into the first round.
In mid of 2019, news surfaced that Fedor might retire but soon after that Emelianenko had signed a new exclusive, multi-fight contract with Bellator. Emelianenko fought Quinton Jackson in December 2019 at a Bellator and Rizin co-produced event in Japan. Emelianenko won via first-round knockout. That was his last fight in the Bellator and he hasn’t fought since. 
Now more news is flurrying around about his return to the Bellator promotion. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reports that Emelianenko will officially announce his return to the Bellator cage on Friday against an opponent that is still to be determined.
Fedor Emelianenko is expected to announce tomorrow that he is returning to action later this year, sources say. Opponent TBD. Slated for October. The 44-year-old legend hasn’t fought since his December 2019 win over Rampage Jackson. Presser set for 11 am et.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 24, 2021
“Fedor Emelianenko is expected to announce tomorrow that he is returning to action later this year, sources say. Opponent TBD. Slated for October. The 44-year-old legend hasn’t fought since his December 2019 win over Rampage Jackson. Presser set for 11 am et”
It’ll be under the Bellator banner.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 24, 2021
“It’ll be under the Bellator banner.”
Bellator President Scott Cooker recently announced that he is in talks with Emelianenko and soon the comeback of the ‘The Last Emperor’ will be scheduled in Bellator against a top opponent. Scott Coker also had some opponents in his mind for Fedor’s return fight.
“He’s doing much better and he’s ready to start training and getting ready,” Coker told MMA Junkie. “He will fight here in the next several months, I think. I’m going to talk to him when he gets here next week. He’s coming with (Vadim) Nemkov. I’ll have a chance to sit down and talk to him. I’ll make sure we’re on the same page as far as the timing of it all. I’m thinking late summer or early fall, you’ll see Fedor in the cage again.”
“We’re not going to sign these guys to, like, a two-year, six-fight deal or build them up,” Coker said. “They’ve done everything. They’ve already proved themselves. They are legends of the sport already. But what I will say is we do have legends of the sport here. If we go down the road, and we think a Fedor opponent will work, Alistair and Fedor will be very interesting to me. Junior Dos Santos and Fedor will be very interesting to me.”
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