Josh Barnett and Tito Ortiz lobby to be Fedor’s final foe

The topic of Fedor’s final foe is an interesting one having just encroached into 2021. The global pandemic presented hurdles that got in the way of Fedor returning to the cage for 2020 competition.

The Last Emperor stopped Rampage Jackson in the first round of their Bellator 237 main event. But he has not fought since that December 2019 prizefight. Presumably, there are many that want to take on Fedor for his swan song. But two notable names have specifically thrown their hats into the proverbial ring.

There's only one true option here. https://t.co/C0cMZXYNkY

— 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 (@JoshLBarnett) January 2, 2021

Josh Barnett recently took to his personal Twitter to raise his hand for the Fedor fight. Barnett and Emelianenko have a lengthy history with one another despite never having competed against each other.

They were infamously set to do battle in the main event of Affliction III. But Josh Barnett would fail a drug test in a move that canceled the event. That scrapped August 2009 bout also folded the promotion altogether.

Barnett last fought in MMA when he secured a third-round submission over Andrei Arlovski in their September 2016 bout. In the last four-plus years, The Warmaster has been competing in submission grappling as well as bare-knuckle boxing.

Fedor’s final foe

The other aforementioned notable name to express the desire to compete with Fedor is the Huntington Beach Bad Boy/ political figure himself.

I will second that!

— Tito Ortiz (with the blue check) (@titoortiz) January 2, 2021

Ortiz is certainly no stranger to Bellator MMA. He last competed there when he bested Chael Sonnen via first-round submission at Bellator 170 in January 2017. Like Emelianenko himself, Ortiz last fought in December of 2019 for Combate Americas where he sunk in a rear-naked choke. He defeated former WWE champion, Alberto Del Rio, in the opening frame of that contest.

Ortiz is currently riding a three-fight win streak. The Sonnen and Del Rio victories bookend a first-round knockout of Chuck Liddell in November 2018 for the ill-fated, inaugural Golden Boy MMA show.

The former UFC light-heavyweight champion is more immersed in politics these days. But he seemingly wants to step into the cage at least one more time.

Who do you think eventually gets the distinction of being Fedor’s final foe?

Dylan Bowker

I've been enamored with combat sports for as long as I can remember. I've hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, Mark Coleman, and more. I've been an MMA broadcaster for XFFC as well as BTC and have done play by play commentary on live pay per view on GFL as well as FITE TV. I've provided written, audio, and video content covering some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage. I've worked as a sports entertainment personality for over five years and given play-by-play or featured promotions of KSW, ONE Championship, TKO, and Invicta FC. My work can be found in the USA Today Sports affiliate MMA Torch, Cageside Press, MMA Sucka, and Liberty Multimedia.

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