When is Fedor Emelianenko making his MMA return?

Fedor Emelianenko is making his MMA return on October 23rd, 2021.

‘The Last Emperor’ – who’s proudly represents Russia and is regarded as one of the greatest Russian sportspersons of all time – is now set to headline Bellator MMA’s first-ever event in Russia. The event that Bellator MMA has lined up for the October 23rd, 2021 date is Bellator 269.

---

Fedor Emelianenko is set to make his long-awaited return

The last time Fedor Emelianenko competed in a professional MMA fight was when he took on fellow MMA legend Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at Bellator 237 (December 29th, 2019). Emelianenko secured a spectacular victory over Jackson, defeating the latter via first-round TKO.

Despite riding high on the momentum of his win over Jackson, Emelianenko didn’t compete again. The 2020 calendar year witnessed the COVID-19 global pandemic wreak havoc across the world, which is believed to be one of the primary reasons behind the delay in Emelianenko’s much-anticipated return to the Bellator MMA cage.

Be that as it may, it was recently confirmed that Fedor Emelianenko will indeed be returning to compete in a professional MMA bout this year. Ariel Helwani reported that Emelianenko would be returning to fight in October 2021.

Additionally, Bellator MMA have confirmed that Fedor Emelianenko will headline the organization’s first-ever event in Russia. The fight card that’ll feature Emelianenko in the headlining matchup is set to take place at the VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia on October 23rd, 2021.

Furthermore, at a press conference this Friday, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker officially announced that the organization will be holding its first event in Russia. Coker emphasized that the event will be headlined by the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.

As of this time, an opponent for Fedor Emelianenko has not been finalized. Nevertheless, Coker did note that they’re going through the process of finalizing an opponent and that several names have popped up. Fans can expect an announcement regarding Emelianenko’s opponent to be made in the days to come.

---

Fedor Emelianenko aims to close out his career on a high note

During his time at the top of the MMA world, Fedor Emelianenko went on an unbeaten run that lasted for about a decade. Emelianenko is widely regarded as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

He went through a few ups and downs in the latter stages of his career, which even saw him step away from the sport from 2012 until his return in 2015. Fedor Emelianenko has amassed five wins and two losses since his comeback to the sport in 2015.

The former Pride heavyweight champion is 3-2 in Bellator MMA. Emelianenko has beaten Frank Mir, Chael Sonnen, and Quinton Jackson in the Bellator cage. On the other hand, his Bellator losses include two first-round stoppages at the hands of Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader respectively.

Fedor Emelianenko currently has two fights left on his Bellator MMA contract. The consensus in the combat sports community is that Emelianenko is likely to retire from the sport of MMA in the near future.