The Old Guard
Fedor Emelianenko’s retirement put a stamp on a whole generation of MMA
As we enter the second month of the new year, we go to see something in MMA that made this young sport feel old, the announcement of a match-up for two guys that need it, and an undermarketed UFC pay-per-view that should have more eyeballs on it.
Those are the topics for this week’s newsletter.
Fedor’s last fight
Fedor Emelianenko fought for the last time at Bellator 290.
“The Last Emperor” like many fighters before him went out on his shield against current Bellator MMA heavyweight champion, Ryan Bader. It’s a fight many knew the outcome of, but fans like myself were hoping his “puncher’s chance” was greater than most. It wasn’t though.
The first jab Bader threw that landed seemed to snap Emelianenko’s head back and by then we all saw the outcome we got. A TKO at the 2:30 mark of round one. The 46-year-old former Pride GP Champion, heavyweight champion, was finished.
Smiling is not something Emelianenko did a lot in his career but his stoic demeanor was part of what made…
