Fedor Emelianenko waves to the crowd following a fight in 2018.
Scott Coker says promoting a Fedor Emelianenko fight in Russia is 10 years in the making
Scott Coker always wanted to promote a Fedor Emelianenko fight in Russia.
Emelianenko is considered one of, if not the best heavyweight of all time and will return on October 23 in Moscow. It could very well be the Russian’s final fight, but according to Coker, he says he’s excited about the event. A lot of Fedor’s protegees will also be on the card to add some hype to it.
“When Fedor said to me, ‘I have a team. I want to bring a team over,’ we started signing fighters, developing them from different territories and countries, and then it just panned out that they have a lot of amazing talent in that area,” Coker told MMA Junkie at a Bellator 261 post-fight news conference. “I think you’re seeing that here at Bellator.”
As of right now, there is no word on who Emelianenko will fight. Coker has mentioned the likes of Junior dos Santos, Josh Barnett, and Fabricio Werdum have also been rumored.
No matter who Emelianenko fights, it will be a big event as it could very well be the final time Russians get to see him fight at home for the final time. Coker, meanwhile, says this is something he has been working on for a decade.
“Moscow is a big statement,” Coker said. “To me, I feel like honestly, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for the last 10 years since I started working with Fedor – to go to Moscow. Fedor always invites me and we couldn’t work out the timing. I haven’t been there, but to go there and bring Bellator there in their inaugural event and have Fedor leading us into Moscow is a special treat.”
Fedor Emelianenko hasn’t fought since he scored a first-round TKO win over Rampage Jackson in December of 2019. He’s 3-2 in his last five with wins over Chael Sonnen and Frank Mir.
