Fedor Emelianenko vs Matt Mitrione staredown pic from Bellator 180 press conference

Bellator MMA began its march toward the June 24, 2017 pay-per-view (PPV) event, taking place inside Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, with today’s (March 28) pre-fight press conference held inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

Watch the video replay here.

Headlining the promotion’s debut in “The Empire State” is former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen, who (finally) settles his longstanding beef with PRIDE FC legend Wanderlei Silva.

Regrettably, “The Axe Murderer” was unable to make the trip from Brazil, but managed to attend the live presser by way of satellite feed. That led to the usual back-and-forth banter with “The American Gangster.”

In the Bellator 175 co-main event, former heavyweight deity Fedor Emelianenko returns to mixed martial arts (MMA) action against the stone-free Matt Mitrione, in what will be “Meathead’s” third fight for the Viacom-owned promotion.

Check out their staredown below:

Elsewhere on the card, former UFC welterweight contender Lorenz Larkin will make his Bellator MMA debut against combat sports veteran Douglas Lima, while lightweight champion Michael Chandler puts his 155-pound strap on the line opposite Brent Primus.

For much more on Bellator MMA and its upcoming fight cards click here.