The almighty Fedor Emelianenko touched back down on U.S. soil last night (Sat., June 24, 2017) at Bellator NYC live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York City, when he made his Bellator debut opposite former UFC heavyweight contender Matt Mitrione. These two were originally scheduled to fight back at Bellator 172, but “Meathead” pulled out due to kidney stones.
Mitrione pranced and danced early, giving Fedor a ton of different looks. It didn’t take long for Mitrione to get into the Russian’s personal space and launch an attack. As Mitrione landed a punch in the middle of the cage, Emelianenko landed his own shot at the same exact time. Both heavyweights toppled to the canvas. Mitrione recovered much quicker than “Last Emperor” and took full advantage. He jumped on Emelianenko like a blanket over fire and torched him with heavy ground-and-pound under the armpit for the first-round knockout finish.
What a performance for Mitrione. Just when you thought Emelianenko was going to catch the former UFC fighter and put a cap on his promotional debut, “Meathead” ruins the party, lands a dynamite punch, recovers, and then finishes it up with nasty strikes on the ground. As long as Mitrione can stay healthy, he’ll continue to be showcased as one of Bellator’s most marketable fighters.
As for Emelianenko, hopefully this isn’t the last time we see him compete under the Bellator banner. He did knock Mitrione on his ass before suffering his first knockout loss since Dan Henderson smoked him in 2011, so maybe he’ll give it one more go.
For complete Bellator NYC results and coverage click here.