UFC Vegas 68 went down late Saturday night and in the main event Sergei Spivac made a statement against former title challenger Derrick Lewis.

Bellator 290 saw the end of Fedor Emelianenko’s career at the hands of Ryan Bader. We look back at the legacy that is ‘The Last Emperor’ and how he stacks up against other heavyweight legends.

It is officially fight week for UFC 284 in Perth, Australia where we will see a super fight between champions in the main event. Islam Makhachev will defend his title lightweight against featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski.

Finally a new season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ has been announced which marks the return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor who will coach against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler.

All of this and more on this episode of Cageside Live!

Cageside Live is an interactive show where viewers are invited to join on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Twitch. Comments will be put on screen which allows for fun discussions about MMA, sports, storylines and more.

Cageside Live goes down every Monday night at 5:30pmPT/8:30pmET

Tune in!

The post Cageside Live: Fedor Retirement, McGregor and Chandler, UFC Vegas 68, UFC 284 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fedor, who retired Saturday night at Bellator 290 just as the UFC Vegas 68 card was getting underway, went out on his shield in a loss to Bellator’s heavyweight champ Ryan Bader. White and Fedor have had an rocky relationship at times over the years, with White questioning his place as one of the sport’s greats, and Fedor opting not to sign with the UFC despite attempts to sign him.

Following UFC Vegas 68, which ran into the wee hours of the morning on the east coast, White was asked for his thoughts on Fedor’s retirement.

“Listen, he’s what, 46? He shouldn’t be fighting. But he’s a grown-ass man, he can do whatever he wants to do,” the UFC President stated. “But he probably should have hung it up a few years ago.”

Asked if he regretted not signing the Russian, White answered in the negative. “No. I don’t like dislike Fedor or anything like that, but nah, it didn’t happen. We gave it a shot. Can’t say we didn’t try. We gave it a shot, and it is what it is.”

White did appear to question Fedor’s legacy, however. “I don’t want to sh*t on the guy, he’s retiring tonight and all that stuff. But you guys know the old interviews with me. I never thought Fedor was that— I mean he got knocked out by middleweight Dan Henderson, you know what I mean? It’s like— I think some of the guys in the business, people liked him, so they praised him. He never got to test himself over here, but I was never one of the guys that thought he was one of the greatest of all time.”

Of course, the asterisk next to that statement is that Fedor, always undersized for heavyweight, was knocked out by Hendo in 2011, at the end of a disastrous run in Strikeforce. In his heyday in Japan’s Pride, however, “The Last Emperor” defeated Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, all of whom won gold in the UFC. In Affliction he beat two more UFC champions in Tim Sylvia and Andre Arlovski — not to mention his wins over future UFC stars like Mirko Cro-Cop and Mark Hunt.

Of course, White is a promoter — with a product to promote. And to White, it’s Jon Jones, making his return this March, and moving up to heavyweight, who is the GOAT. “Jon Jones, when you talk about his legacy, if he can come in and beat Ciryl Gane, I said this when I talked to you guys last time, nobody can deny that Jon Jones is the greatest of all time, if he comes in and wins at heavyweight. It’s hard to debate if he doesn’t win the fight. If he wins this fight, there’s no more talking, no more debating. It is what it is.”

The post Fedor “Never Got to Test Himself Over Here” in UFC, Not One of the Greatest: Dana White appeared first on Cageside Press.

One of the last holdovers from the Pride era, the legendary Fedor Emelianenko retired off a loss to Ryan Bader in the main event of Bellator 290 in Los Angeles.

A second loss to Bader won’t detract from Fedor’s legacy any, even while boosting Bader’s own. At 46, and over a year removed from his last fight, Emelianenko (40-7, 1NC) was always going to be the underdog. That wasn’t the point. The point, as Bellator did a wonderful job making clear throughout the evening, was to give a proper sendoff to a man many consider the heavyweight GOAT.

“I feel great. He hit me a few times, but I didn’t feel anything,” Emelianenko told media outlets including Cageside Press following the event, adding that he never lost consciousness.

The loss wraps up a career that began over two decades ago, and took the Russian heavyweight — consistently undersized, fighting larger foes — to the heights of the sport in the 2000s. Fedor dominated opponents in Japan’s PRIDE at a time when it had the best heavyweight roster in the sport. While he never made the jump to the UFC — one of the few big fish Dana White couldn’t land — he beat many of the UFC’s best in his heyday: Tim Sylvia. Andrei Arlovski. Big Nog. Mark Hunt. Mirko Cro-Cop. Kevin Randleman. Mark Coleman. Gary Goodridge.

All heavyweight stars of the UFC, past and present. Only match-ups with Randy Couture and later, Brock Lesnar, never came to fruition.

As far as how his career wrapped up, with a 2-1 record in his last three Bellator fights, Emelianenko said it all went to plan. Except losing to Bader, of course. “Basically I’m very happy, I’m very excited it happened here [in the U.S.]. Because right from the beginning we were discussing with Scott Coker that it’s going to be three fights. One is going to be in Russia, another one is going to be in Japan, and the third one is going to be in the United States. This is exactly how it happened.”

Many of Fedor’s peers and past opponents joined him in the Bellator cage following the bout. Rampage Jackson. Josh Barnett. Mark Coleman. Chuck Lidell. Randy Couture. Royce Gracie. A who’s who of MMA legends.

“I was really happy to see all those legends, all those fighters, because with some of them, I shared the ring, some of them, I just basically was watching them and learning from them,” said Fedor. “It was great that all those fighters came to support me.”

As far as the fights that stand out to him from his career, “I think probably the first fight with Antonio Nogueira. [And] the fight with Mirko Cro-Cop. But I don’t know why I still remember, all the time, the fight with Tim Sylvia.”

Who says Fedor Emelianenko doesn’t have a sense of humor?

The Nogueira fight, and their series, in one in particular that stands out to Fedor. “With Antontio Nogueira, it was a special fight, and it was very interesting to me. He was a very smart fighter, and at that moment, he was the strongest and best one. I always remember it, it’s a special memory. Our fights were really specially, so I would really like to remember those fights.”

Watch the full Bellator 290 post-fight press conference with Fedor Emelianenko above.

The post Fedor Emelianenko Reflects on Legacy, Sendoff at Bellator 290 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The man who dominated Japan’s PRIDE and went undefeated for a decade hung up the gloves following his rematch with Ryan Bader — a rare opportunity for a pioneer in mixed martial arts to compete for a title two decades into his career. A chance to go out on top.

It was also a chance to exact his revenge on Bader, who defeated “The Last Emperor” several years ago in the final of Bellator’s heavyweight grand prix.

One final walk, stoic and emotionless as ever. One final round of introductions, and the last ride of “The Last Emperor” was underway. It wasn’t the storybook ending fans and the Russian himself no doubt wanted, but it was an ending.

Emelianenko opened with a lunging overhand that fell short, then had to fend off a Bader right hand as the champ charged forward. Again, Fedor extended on a right hand, while Bader caught the Russian with a solid shot. Moments later, a Bader right hand sent Fedor down! Fedor was bloodied, with Bader on top, dropping ground n’ pound – but Fedor held on, trying to recover.

It wasn’t to be. Ryan Bader sat back in half-guard, absolutely smashing Emelianenko with ground n’ pound. Ref Herb Dean gave Fedor ample opportunity to defend, recover, escape, but there was nothing he could do but roll over — and take more of a drubbing.

Ultimately, it was Ryan Bader coming away with his second finish of the legend, adding another line to the tome that is his own legacy. And defending his heavyweight title. But nothing, no single loss, will take away from the career of Fedor Emelianenko, who retires as one of the best mixed martial artists to ever compete.

#ThankYouFedor 🐐

📺 #Bellator290 | 𝑪𝑩𝑺 & 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕+ | LIVE NOW pic.twitter.com/OZf9iwNEBk

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 5, 2023

“I’m so happy that all these people are here cheering for me, and all these veteran fighters that walked the same path are here tonight,” Fedor said following the fight, as legends including Josh Barnett, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddlell, Rampage Jackson, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, Royce Gracie and others joined him in the cage.

And with that, Fedor laid down the gloves, showing perhaps more emotion — just a little — than in any of his past outings combined.

Official Result: Ryan Bader def. Fedor Emelianenko by TKO, Round 1, 2:30

The post Bellator 290: Ryan Bader Stops Retiring Legend Fedor Emelianenko, Retains Title appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fedor has the opportunity this Saturday to do something few retiring fighters ever get to do — challenge for gold in the final bout of their career. The former Pride champion, a dominant force in the Japanese organization and undefeated for a decade, struggled when transitioning to western promotions, first in Strikeforce and later Bellator. But after falling short in the organization’s heavyweight grand prix, Fedor gets his chance for revenge — and a chance to avenge his loss to the man who defeated him for the title, Ryan Bader.

Ryan Bader has been all but overlooked ahead of the event, despite being the promotion’s reigning heavyweight champion and a former double-champ. But Bader also acknowledged this week that he was unquestionably the villain of the piece.

Entering the cage ahead of Bader vs. Fedor 2 was the promotion’s middleweight champ, Johnny Eblen. After claiming gold in what can only be considered an upset opposite Gegard Mousasi last year, Eblen had draw Emelianenko teammate Anatoly Tokov for his first title defense.

Bellator 290 takes place live at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles (Inglewood), California on Saturday, February 4, 2023. The preliminary card kicks off at 5:55PM ET, and can be viewed up. Where available, the main card streams live below. Full results can also be found below.

Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 Results

Main card

Ryan Bader def. Fedor Emelianenko by TKO, Round 1, 2:30 – for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
Johnny Eblen (c) def. Anatoly Tokov by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) – for the Bellator MMA middleweight championship
Brennan Ward def. Sabah Homasi by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 1:34

Post-Liminary card

Yusuf Karakaya def. Ethan Hughes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Isaiah Hokit def. Peter Ishiguro by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jaylon Bates def. Jornel Lugo by split decision (28–29, 29–28, 29–28)
Neiman Gracie def. Dante Shiro by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)

Preliminary card

Lorenz Larkin def. Mukhamed Berkhamov by KO (elbow), Round 1, 1:41
Henry Corrales def. Akhmed Magomedov by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ali Isaev vs. Steve Mowry ends in a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Chris Gonzalez def. Max Rohskopf by TKO (strikes), Round 2, 1:22
Grant Neal def. Karl Albrektsson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Diana Avsaragova def. Alejandra Lara by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Nikita Mikhailov def. Darrion Caldwell by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Will @RyanBader defeat the GOAT again?! 🤔#Bellator290 | ⏰ 9p ET / 6p PT | 📺 @CBS ➕ @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/T5OBuNlXKh

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) January 30, 2023

Almost four years ago to the day, Ryan Bader stopped Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko in the seminal moment of his career.  A perennial top ten contender in the light-heavyweight division of the UFC, Bader flourished in Bellator as he won the title in his promotional debut in 2017, defended it, then went on to move up in weight and dominate the heavyweight Grand Prix.  His run led to that night at Bellator 214, where he faced biggest name in the bracket in Emelianenko.  Most expected a final hurrah from the Russian legend, but Bader would find the opening to knock out Emelianenko early and become a two-division champion while absorbing virtually no damage throughout the tournament.

His first defense of the heavyweight title was marred by a No-Contest due to an eye poke in a bout he was winning, and the pandemic of 2020 led to him being out of action nearly twelve months before returning to light heavyweight that  August and subsequently losing his title to current champion (and Emelianenko teammate) Vadim Nemkov.  Bader would alternate a win and loss after that before electing to remain at heavyweight for the rest of his career.  While there was question that “Darth” might be approaching the end of an amazing run, he showed that he had plenty left in the tank by defending his belt against interim champion Valentin Moldavsky and Cheick Kongo.  While Bader dismissed the idea of a rematch at first, he has since changed his stance as he sees the opportunity to hand a second loss to Emelianenko in another high profile bout.

The 🐐's legacy will be solidified in LA.

Will he leave with the heavyweight belt, or will Ryan Bader be victorious once again?#Bellator290 LIVE on @CBS – February 4th. pic.twitter.com/DKRcu31naj

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) January 17, 2023

One could be here a long time discussing the career of Fedor Emelianenko.  The stoic veteran was one of the cornerstones of the now defunct PRIDE organization and dominated the competition en route to being considered one of the best mixed martial artists of all-time. While his legend was cemented for his work in Japan between 2000 and 2007, he has since added a significant chapter to it in American promotions as part of the short-lived Affliction, Strikeforce, and now Bellator.  Though not as dominant as his run in PRIDE, Emelianenko continues to draw large crowds and great interest with every appearance.

Going into his rematch with Bader, Emelianenko is 46 years-old and has not competed in over a year.  The international situation in Russia scrapped plans to bring him back home for his career finale, so now he gets the chance at a poetic ending by returning to the site of one of his most disheartening losses and avenging it against the same man who handed it to him.  While Bader enters as the heavy favorite, Emelianenko and his fans take hope in the fact that his power looked as formidable as ever as he scored first round knockouts in his last two fights.

Bader enters as the younger fighter once again who has proven himself more recently against elite competition.  His blend of physicality and wrestling has proven to be handful for opponents throughout his career and Fedor is no exception.  That said, Fedor’s best weapon is his deceptive speed and power as he has been highly effective in landing devastating shots when exchanging in the pocket.  It is expected that a Fedor upset on his final night will see him look to force such scenario’s once again.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 🔥@RyanBader defends the Heavyweight world title against the GOAT Fedor Emelianenko 🐐#Bellator290 | ⏰ Saturday 9p ET / 6p PT | 📺 @CBS ➕ @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/wChoq1kUbU

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) February 3, 2023

Currently, two of Bader’s former foes are scheduled to meet as former interim champion Valentin Moldavsky and Linton Vassell will be fighting on March 10. A rematch between either man and Bader would make the most sense given the rankings.  While a title defense may be enticing for Emelianenko if he were to prevail on Saturday, it is doubtful he would entertain the notion considering he is a training partner of Moldavsky.

The post Bellator 290: Deja Vu as Bader and Fedor Meet at Unique Time in Their Careers appeared first on Cageside Press.

For a full decade, Russia’s “The Last Emperor” ruled over the rank and file of the heavyweight division, an undersized fighter taking out large opponents time and time again. Mirko Cro-Cop, Gary Goodridge, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (“Big Nog”), Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski — time and again, Fedor took on the best and won.

While the back half of his career was not quite as illustrious, with losses in Strikeforce to Fabricio Werdum, Bigfoot Silva, and Dan Henderson, Fedor has managed to stay relevant. After a brief retirement starting in 2012, Fedor returned to action in 2015, winning his first two fights before falling to Matt Mitrione in a double-knockdown that his opponent recovered from first. Since then, a 4-1 record has seen Fedor defeat the likes of Frank Mir and Tim Johnson, with a loss to Ryan Bader the only blemish.

Emelianenko looks to right that wrong as he faces Bader for Bellator’s heavyweight title in a rematch years in the making atop Bellator 290. A win would mean riding off into the sunset with another major title. A loss won’t detract from Fedor’s legacy any, as at 46, he’s competing at a level few still do.

With Bellator 290 also marking the promotion’s debut on CBS, the event has a second title fight attached to it, that sees Johnny Eblen put middleweight gold on the line against Fedor teammate Anatoly Tokov.

Weigh-ins for the event go down Friday in L.A. — results can be found below.

Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 Weigh-In Results

Main card

Heavyweight: Ryan Bader (c) (234.4) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (236.2) — for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship
Middleweight: Johnny Eblen (c) (184) vs. Anatoly Tokov (184.8) — for the Bellator MMA middleweight championship
Welterweight: Sabah Homasi (170.8) vs. Brennan Ward (170.8)

Preliminary card

Welterweight: Neiman Gracie (170.4) vs. Dante Schiro (170.6)
Welterweight: Lorenz Larkin (171) vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov (171)
Featherweight: Henry Corrales (145.6)  vs. Akhmed Magomedov (145.2)
Heavyweight: Ali Isaev (261.8) vs. Steve Mowry (253.4)
Lightweight: Chris Gonzalez (155.6) vs. Max Rohskopf (155.6)
Light Heavyweight: Karl Albrektsson (205.2) vs. Grant Neal (205.2)
Women’s Flyweight: Alejandra Lara (125.8) vs. Diana Avsaragova (128.8)*
Bantamweight: Darrion Caldwell (135.8)  vs. Nikita Mikhailov (135.4)
Bantamweight: Jornel Lugo (135) vs. Jaylon Bates (136)
Featherweight: Isaiah Hokit (145.6) vs. Peter Ishiguro (145)
Welterweight: Ethan Hughes (170.8) vs. Yusuf Karakaya (170.2)

*Missed Weight

The post Bellator 290: Bader vs. Fedor 2 Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s one last walk for “The Last Emperor,” and one last shot at gold in a western promotion, something that has eluded him since his Strikeforce days.

Fedor, one of those rare fighters like Shogun or Rampage who need only be referred to by a single name for immediate recognition, has retired once before. But this time, it feels like retirement will stick, with the Russian citing age as a major factor during a press conference on Wednesday, and in his final pre-fight media scrum a short time later.

“Then I was 20 years old, 20-something years old. 27. Now I’m 46. The difference is huge,” Emelianenko said, comparing his early bouts to this final fight when asked if the feeling was similar at all. “The way I felt, generally. Body health.”

In terms of what the Russian great wishes was different about the sport of mixed martial arts today, Fedor acknowledged the shift away from sportsmanship. “As it used to be before, athletes most of the time used to be super-respectful to each other,” he said via translator. “Right now, things have shifted towards the negative parts, towards where people are showing more negative, and trash talk, rather than showing skills inside the cage.”

For the most part, Emelianenko escaped such disrespect. Such was the admiration his peers held for the Russian.

“The only thing that surprised us was, was right before the fight with Andrei Arlovski, there was some [negativity] from that side,” recalled Emelianenko. “One of my coaches commented to me that, we were really nervous about that. I told him ‘don’t read about it, don’t pay attention. We have to get ready, we have to prepare.'”

Fedor is perhaps infamous for his lack of emotion heading into fights, something that has been noted endlessly over the years. Asked what helps him keep those emotions in check, be it excitement or frustration or anything else that comes with the fight game, “The Last Emperor” told Cageside Press on Wednesday that “first of all, we don’t have to live by emotions, we have to be driven by emotions. We have to analyze the situation, and we have to control and analyze every single word that [someone] is saying.”

And, he finished, “if there is a bad situation, something bad happening to you, just take a pause.”

Emelianenko takes his final bow this Saturday, February 4, 2023 against Ryan Bader at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA.

The post Bellator 290: Fedor Emelianenko Says “Difference Is Huge” Fighting at 46 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Couture will be serving as a celebrity judge on the latest instalment of the PFL Challenger Series this weekend, for the women’s featherweight fights. That’s a role, for those curious, that he’ll serve in twice more this season, before returning to the broadcast booth for the league’s regular season.

Following this week’s Challenger Series card, Couture will also be on hand for Fedor Emelianenko’s retirement fight, having been announced as one of the special guests expected to greet “The Last Emperor” in the cage following his final fight at the Kia Forum in L.A.

We caught up with “The Natural” this week to get his thoughts on the Challenger Series, Fedor’s final fight, his role in the upcoming Expendables 4 and more.

“This is about determining and ferreting out new talent and giving them an opportunity to sign a contract with a big organization,” Couture told Cageside Press about the Challenger Series, “and potentially to get into the regular season, come through to the playoffs and make it to the final, the championship, which is a big shiny title belt and a million bucks.”

Case in point, Couture noted, Challenger Series alumni Carlos Leal, and Dilano Taylor, the latter of whom made it all the way to the final last season. “Both those guys’ fight records were pretty low, it wasn’t like they had a plethora of fights and experience. I think that’s an indication of just how much talent is out there.” Giving that talent a shot is what the PFL Challenger Series is about, Couture added. “I like it a lot.”

Help me vote on who gets the contract this Friday at 9pm est live on fubo sports network @PFLMMA and @fubosports
#PFLonFubo pic.twitter.com/uzetC6Mxa2

— Randy Couture (@Randy_Couture) January 31, 2023

The PFL format is, in a way, a return to the sport’s roots, back to the tournament days where Couture got his start. But the sport itself has come a long way since then.

“My first fight was UFC 13, it was still a tournament format, there were very few rules on the books back then, I think four rules on the books. We did the weigh-in in the lobby of the hotel in Augusta, Georgia,” Couture recalled. “I didn’t know a single guy I was fighting. There was no video footage, I didn’t see those tapes, I didn’t even see those guys until I stepped on the scale.”

“Now, we’re on the ticker on every sports channel out there, they’re cordoning off half the arena just to do the weigh-ins. It’s changed tremendously since 1997 when I started, and the PFL is a huge step in the right direction I think for our sport,” he continued. “Getting back to the root of martial arts. It’s not about publicity stunts, trash talk or any of that stuff that seems to be rewarded in other places. It’s about going out in that cage and executing tactics and techniques that are going to score you points, and win fights, and give you a shot at the playoffs and ultimately a shot at that championship every year.”

With the PFL being a “true sports format,” the athletes involved are certainly asked to embrace the grind, Couture added, “but most of them to a man and woman like knowing when their next fight’s going to be and who their next fight’s going to be against, potentially.”

During this year’s PFL Challenger Series run, the league is introducing both a women’s featherweight and flyweight division. That has some, including the fighters themselves, wondering if more than one spot in the regular season could be up for grabs.

“I think there’s a possibility, especially if you start talking about the women’s divisions,” said Couture, who noted that lightweight had been created for Kayla Harrison. The PFL, the only organization who featured the weight class, is now doing away with it, with featherweight being introduced in its place this year. “So creating an opportunity for more women and getting more women into each of those divisions I think is exactly what we need to do. We need to give more opportunities to more women and create more places for them to fight, and the PFL is certainly doing that by adding a new weight class.”

Couture is interested in seeing how Kayla Harrison looks cutting down to 145lbs, something she has done just once before, and never in the PFL. While Harrison is expected to feature in the super-fight division, Couture also believes she’ll want revenge on Larissa Pacheco, who served up her first defeat as a professional in the 2022 women’s lightweight championship.

“I know Kayla, and Kayla wants that rematch with Pacheco for sure. Now, is she going to shy away from [Cris] Cyborg or [Amanda] Nunes or any of these other top females? I don’t think so. She’s as competitive as a person as I’ve ever met, and as diligent and forthright as any athlete I’ve been around too,” Couture stated. “She does a great job. I know her, she wants that match back. For sure. So we’ll see when and where that happens, but she savours the opportunity to fight any of those top gals, because her goal is to be considered the top female in our sport. Actually, the top athlete in our sport. Forget gender, she doesn’t care. She wants to be considered the best athlete in our sport, and I think she’s well on her way and in the conversation already.”

Fedor Emelianenko has long been considered one of the best in the game, arguably the GOAT, especially at heavyweight. He’s a talent Randy Couture himself never managed to share the cage with, though not for lack of effort.

“He’s the epitome of a competitor in our sport. No nonsense, rarely spoke, that walkout was so stoic and amazingly Russian, honestly, but I think it captured the imagination,” Couture said about Fedor, looking back to the time the pair were neck-and-neck as the top heavyweights in the world. “And the way he competed. As explosive as anybody, bullets from that right hand that you’d better be aware of, and his submission skills. He was just a very, very well-rounded fighter that fought the best guys in the heavyweight division.”

While reports surfaced years ago about RIZIN trying to ink a deal with Couture for a Fedor fight, “The Natural” clarified that while the promotion may have wanted to book the bout, he never actually received an offer.

“I never got an offer from RIZIN, maybe it was something they thought about, but they never reached out to me or my team,” said Couture. “Obviously when Fedor came back out of retirement [in 2015], my phone rang a lot.”

Couture, of course, was the driving force behind the initial push to make the fight happen years earlier. “Obviously a lot of rankings had him ranked #1 in the world and me ranked #2, so I was pushing the UFC, like ‘look this is the fight I want, I want to be the #1 guy in the world. I want to fight the best guys in the world, so make this fight happen.'”

While the UFC threw considerable money at Fedor, Couture added that “there were a lot of ancillary things that the M-1 group that owned his contract wanted, and the UFC wasn’t willing to concede on any of those things. So the fight never happened.” When Couture attempted to leave the promotion and make the fight happen elsewhere, as has been well-documented, “they filed injunctions and all that and were trying to bleed me of money, knowing that I didn’t have a bottomless pit of funds to try and make that fight happen.”

“So at some point, push comes to shove. The window was closing for me to continue to compete at that level. I had to make a decision — it was obvious the fight wasn’t going to happen, and I just had to let go of that.”

To this day, Couture sees Fedor as a “great example of what a martial artist is supposed to be like.” And while for many fans, Fedor vs. Couture is the fight that got away, “The Natural” has no regrets. “I wouldn’t even call that a regret. Yeah, that’s the fight I wanted at that time, I had to come to terms with the likelihood that that was never going to happen, and move on. So I wouldn’t call it a regret.”

Couture feels he did everything he set out to accomplish in the sport. Now, he’s transitioned to an on air career in the broadcast booth. And he continues to find work as an actor, reprising his role as Toll Road in the next Expendables movie.

“Amazing. Had a great time,” Couture said of the fourth film in the franchise, which just wrapped shooting. “I’m excited to see it. There’s only four original Expendables left in this one: myself, Jason Stathem, Dolph Lundgren, and obviously Sylvester Stallone. Some new faces showing up— an absolute honor and pleasure to get to know and work with Andy Garcia in this one, Megan Fox, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, had a great time working with all of them.”

And while there has been talk of this being the final instalment of the franchise, Couture believes there could be a fifth film. “I think you’re seeing a little transition from Sly being the predominant character in all the Expendables, and you’re seeing a little shift now to Jason Statham.” But, Couture added, “I don’t think Sly’s going away. I think Sly is always going to be a part of this property one way or another. He’s the one that developed it, he wrote the first script, and he’s heavily involved in this intellectual property, so I don’t see that going away, at least I hope that doesn’t go away.”

Calling Stallone an “amazing guy” to work with and get to know, Couture believes “there will be another one. I think this one’s going to do very, very well at the box office. Obviously at the end of the day, it’s a business decision. I think if this one does well at the box office, then you’re absolutely going to see Expendables 5.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Challenger Series judge and UFC Hall of Fame member Randy Couture above.

The post Randy Couture Says Fedor “Epitome of a Competitor” in MMA, Talks PFL Challenger Series appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fedor Emelianenko, long considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, will take a bow this weekend, after a rematch against Ryan Bader for the Bellator MMA heavyweight championship.

The card will air on CBS, a historic first for Bellator, and a fitting turn of events for the retirement party of one of the greatest fighters of all time.

That party is expected to be attended by a host of famous names, including Randy Courture, Rampage Jackson, Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell and more. Since that cast of notables was announced earlier on Wednesday, there has been constant talk of who else might show up.

“We have a lot of martial arts dignitaries coming, but the gentleman that we’re going to invite into the ring are mostly retired, and have either fought Fedor before, or been around him in the same timeframe,” Bellator CEO Scott Coker told Cageside Press during Wednesday’s Bellator 290 press conference. “We will have a lot of MMA stars, and different martial artists and different celebrities. But the people we invite into the cage will be people that are special to Fedor.”

As far as opponents for Fedor’s final fight, Coker acknowledged that several names were on the market, including Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and Josh Barnett. But the Russian legend insisted that he wanted to rematch Bader, who defeated him in 2019 in Bellator’s heavyweight grand prix, for the title.

Coker granted that wish.

Among the other options was Anderson Silva, Coker later revealed. But “The Spider” opted to focus on boxing, saying the wear and tear on his body in MMA was too much.

It wasn’t long before free agent Francis Ngannou was brought up at Wednesday’s press conference. And while both Ryan Bader and Fedor himself said they’re focused on the fight ahead, Coker was clear that the promotion wants to continue a dialog with the former UFC champ.

“I’ll tell you, our policy has been, we reach out and talk to every free agent that is available to talk, and have a conversation,” Coker stated. “And to bring the top free agents to Bellator. We have reached out, there is dialog, and we look forward to having a sitdown with him at some point in the near future.”

That led to a question about another free agent, Nate Diaz. “There has been dialog with everybody. I think that Nate was somebody that Mike [Kogan]’s talking to, with his management. It’s just preliminary talks, it’s just an ongoing conversation, but if there’s anything to update, we’ll let everybody know,” replied Coker.

“Every fighter has different needs, so we’re going to sit down and have a conversation,” Scott Coker said when asked what it would take to land some of the big free agents on the market. “And with Francis, I think it’ll happen I think sooner than later. With Nate, maybe it’ll be later than sooner. With Nate, I think it’ll depend on when he’s ready to come back. Sometimes he takes a long period off, sometimes he comes back quickly.”

“Top free agents, we definitely want them to come here, and have a home here. And we’re looking forward to those conversations.”

As for Fedor, as he approaches his final fight, he admits that age, and his family, have spurred the decision to retire. But he’ll continue to share his wealth of fighting knowledge with his teammates — many of whom, like Vadim Nemkov and Anatoly Tokov, have found success in Bellator.

“Of course I’m very happy to see all that,” Emelianenko told Cageside Press on Wednesday. “Because all this time, all this life I did compete at the highest level, plus right now I have a new generation of fighters coming over, and they’re winning the belts, they have good careers. So I have a legacy behind me that I’m going to leave.”

Fedor Emelianenko challenges Ryan Bader for the heavyweight championship at Bellator 290 this Saturday, February 4, 2023. The main card airs live on CBS.

The post Bellator 290: Scott Coker Says Anderson Silva Discussed for Fedor, Promotion Talking with Ngannou appeared first on Cageside Press.