Fedor vs Kimbo in Bellator?
Fedor vs Kimbo in Bellator?
One of the greatest of all time, former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will be on U.S. soil tomorrow night for a fan festival at a Dave & Buster’s restaurant in Manchester, Connecticut. The event, part of Bellator 134: British Invasion will also feature legends Royce Gracie, Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock.
Recently Bellator President Scott Coker traveled to Russia to speak with Emelianenko, possibly to lure the legend out of retirement. What exactly they spoke about is anyone’s guess, but do you really believe that Fedor would board a plane and head to the States just for a meet and greet at a Dave & Buster’s? I don’t buy it.
With Coker being the former head honcho at the now defunct Strikeforce, where Emelianenko once competed and brought in some of the organization’s highest television ratings, it is safe to assume that if anyone is going to bring the Russian out of retirement it is going to be him.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon, just an hour or so before the first preliminary Bellator 134 bout, a special press conference will be held with Kimbo Slice.
If you recall, just about a month ago it was announced that Slice had returned to mixed martial arts, signing under the Bellator banner. The former YouTube sensation and competitor on the UFC’s Ultimate Fighter reality series also “moves the needle” when it comes to television ratings as far as MMA goes.
So….why would Bellator feel the need to hold a “press conference” for Kimbo Slice when they already announced his signing, and already had him appear on Spike TV during one of their recent broadcasts?
Seeing that Emelianenko will also be at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut on Friday (signing autographs for fans), and some sort of announcement needs to be made in order for Kimbo’s press conference to have relevance, what else could the announcement be other than two of the biggest draws in televised mixed martial arts history returning to face one another?
Scott Coker is all about bringing the fans what they want, but he is also a business man and knows the entertainment value of pitting two guys with already established names against one another, even if they have each had a few years off. Enter Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar.
The WWE’esque storyline that unfolded leading up to the bout resulted in the mostly highly watched Bellator event ever, period.
Prediction: Friday afternoon an opponent will be named for Kimbo Slice and the man that will stand opposite him inside the cage will be none other than Fedor Emelianenko.
