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There’s no UFC show this weekend, and so the eyes of the MMA world will turn instead to the UFC’s top rival, Bellator MMA. Scott Coker’s promotion have put on plenty of entertaining events in 2018 but of their double-header this weekend, it’s Saturday’s Bellator 208 that looks more intriguing.
The main reason for that is, of course, the main event. The fans at Uniondale’s famous Nassau Coliseum will get to see a pair of legends go head-to-head in the second semi-final of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, as former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko takes on ‘The American Gangster’, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.
But is this really a fight worth watching? The answer, of course, is yes. And here are 4 reasons why.
#1 It’s a chance to watch one of the greatest of all time in action
Okay, so Fedor Emelianenko’s prime realistically came to an end almost a decade ago, somewhere between his StrikeForce losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva. And sure, there’s an argument to be made that he should’ve stuck with his 2012 retirement.
But he didn’t, and so here we are. And eight years after his unbeaten streak was broken, there’s still a fair argument to be made that the Russian is the best Heavyweight in the history of MMA. Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier could all be considered, but there’s still something alluring about ‘The Last Emperor’ and his mythical PRIDE run.
And that’s why any fan who truly loves MMA should watch Bellator 208 and Fedor’s fight with Sonnen on Saturday. It could be argued that this comeback is spoiling Fedor’s legacy – did anyone want to see him lose to Matt Mitrione? – but Bellator 208 is still a rare chance to see an all-time great in action before he hangs it up for good this time.
Look at it like this; Tennis has Roger Federer, golf has Tiger Woods and football has Cristiano Ronaldo. None of those three are anywhere close to their best any more but it’s still a privilege to see them performing as they slow down – and the same can be said for Fedor Emelianenko in MMA.
#2 Anything involving Chael Sonnen is interesting
One of the most polarizing characters in MMA, only a fool would deny that Chael Sonnen is at least an intriguing man to watch in the cage. Shoddy recent fight with ‘Rampage’ Jackson aside, it’s hard to find a dull Sonnen fight in the past decade – win or lose, there’s always something worth watching, even if that’s some kind of controversy.
Oftentimes with Sonnen, it’s the post-fight promo. Say what you will about ‘The American Gangster’ and his work on the mic, but it was Sonnen who largely paved the way for modern-day trash talkers like Conor McGregor and Colby Covington with his rants against Anderson Silva and Brazil back in 2010.
And faced with Fedor Emelianenko – even past his prime, one of the toughest opponents of Chael’s career – things should get interesting indeed. Sonnen has actually been calling Fedor out since his 2017 win over Wanderlei Silva – a fight which also took place in New York and a fight that saw Sonnen reveal his hatred for the state on the mic after the final bell.
Essentially, the fans will be hugely into the fight, and win or lose, there’s literally no telling what Sonnen might do once he’s locked in the cage with the Russian legend. And for me that makes this a must-watch fight.
#3 It’s an interesting fight from a stylistic point of view
During his prime years in PRIDE and then Affliction, Fedor Emelianenko fought an absolute who’s who of MMA Heavyweights – from top-rated PRIDE stars like Mirko Cro Cop and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to former UFC champions like Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski.
Surprisingly enough though, one style of fighter was largely absent from Fedor’s record – a truly great amateur wrestler. Now, the Russian did face off with both Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman in PRIDE – both absolutely outstanding wrestlers – but outside of them, the only other top wrestler he faced was the far smaller Matt Lindland.
That means that Sonnen – a relentless takedown machine with tremendous top control and ground-and-pound – represents a tough stylistic match for ‘The Last Emperor’. Sure, Fedor beat both Coleman and Randleman, but both men gave him tough fights – Randleman in particular – and neither was as far developed in the other areas of MMA as Sonnen is.
To counter this, of course, Sonnen has always been susceptible to submissions throughout his career – and Fedor has 15 tapout wins on his resume, a number of which came while the Russian was on his back.
What does this mean? Well, even if Fedor and Sonnen weren’t such big names, it’d be a highly intriguing fight anyway purely from a stylistic point of view. Can Fedor handle Sonnen’s takedowns and his wild pace? And can Sonnen avoid Fedor’s submission game?
They’re both valid questions and the only way to find out the answer is to watch the fight.
#4 Both men are past their prime
Saying that both Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen are past their prime seems like an odd way to sell the fight, but just think about it for a second. MMA is a sport that waits for no man, and on seemingly every UFC card this year there’s been a sad scene involving a younger, hungrier fighter destroying a veteran whose skills have begun to wane.
That’s all well and good for the young fighter, but for fans of the veteran, it just isn’t a lot of fun to watch. But that shouldn’t be the case at all on Saturday as both Fedor and Sonnen are some years removed from their primes – Fedor had a steady decline from around 2009 onwards while Sonnen suddenly slipped somewhere around 2013.
That means that this fight is far fairer – and a far better indicator of where both men currently lie in the overall landscape – than something like Fedor’s horrible 2017 fight with Matt Mitrione. I mean really, did anyone need to see the great Fedor beaten by ‘Meathead’? I didn’t think so.
Fedor vs. Sonnen is a clash of iconic veterans – the equivalent of two old gunslingers going at it rather than the older man being beaten to the draw by a faster, younger opponent. And there’s definitely something to be said for that being a better idea for both men at this stage.
