4 reasons why you need to watch Bellator 214: Fedor vs Bader

#2 It’s a chance to watch Fedor Emelianenko in action

Any chance to watch the great Fedor Emelianenko in action is worth it

The name of Fedor Emelianenko might not carry as much gravitas as it did a decade ago, but you’d still be hard pressed to find a lot of fans who would argue against him being one of – if not the – greatest Heavyweight fighter in the history of MMA. Whether you like him or not, the man ruled the division with an iron fist for the best part of a decade – it’s simply impossible to argue against that.

‘The Last Emperor’ is undeniably past his prime now, and despite his recent wins over Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen, there’s a big argument to be made that he should’ve stayed retired after initially hanging up his gloves in 2012. There’s a good chance in fact that he’ll lose this upcoming fight to Ryan Bader, something that would’ve been unthinkable in say, 2010. But that isn’t a reason not to watch the fight.

Essentially, Bellator are showcasing a true living legend in the Russian. It’s the equivalent of Roger Federer continuing to do his thing at Wimbledon, or if Michael Phelps randomly decided to return from retirement to compete in the pool at Tokyo 2020. Sure, you’d know they wouldn’t be as good as they were in 2008, but it’d still be worth watching them purely for the spectacle of seeing a true great in action.

The same can be said for Fedor. He’s not the fighter he once was but he’s still capable of flashes of the old magic, like his crazy fight with Mir last year showed. Win or lose to Bader, Fedor just won’t be around for much longer and so fight fans should treasure him while he’s here. That makes Bellator 214 practically unmissable.