Josh Barnett

Bellator: Will Tito Ortiz be Fedor’s last opponent?

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Right now, Bellator has been having some preliminary discussions on what to do with Fedor Emelianenko (39-6,1 NC). Fedor is one of the greatest of all time and he’s getting very close to the end of his career.

At 44 years old, the next time we see Fedor in the Bellator cage, it might be the final time. Scott Coker has talked about doing the promotion’s first event in Russia with Fedor headlining for his final card.

Of course, that all depends on the fans situation. Coker has made it clear that Bellator doesn’t want Fedor’s final career fight to come in front of just the production crew and the promotion’s staff.

If all goes as planned and fans can return, Bellator will attempt an even in Russia with fans in the stands for Fedor. That’s one aspect of figuring out his final fight and of course the other is figuring out the opponent.

There are a couple of different options for Bellator to pick from. One option is of course Josh Barnett (35-8). Barnett was actually my first thought when thinking about who Bellator could pair him with. However, another interesting possibility is emerging.

Will Bellator book Fedor – Ortiz?

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz (21-12-1) is wanting to return to the Bellator cage. Ortiz is wanting to come back and be the man who faces Fedor in Fedor’s final career fight.

It’s worth noting that Ortiz hasn’t fought for Bellator since 2017. However, he did go 3-1 in his four fight run inside of Bellator and even challenged for the Bellator light heavyweight championship.

Ortiz was always known as a big light heavyweight and wouldn’t have much of an issue fighting Fedor at heavyweight. In terms of name recognition, Ortiz is probably the bigger sell than any other option in front of Bellator.

Ortiz is riding a three-fight win streak at the moment. Granted, the 45 year old’s last two victories have come against Alberto Del Rio and a very old Chuck Liddell. He did defeat Chael Sonnen in his final Bellator bout.

While Ortiz has offered to take the fight on Twitter, there is no word on if there are active talks at the moment. However, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them materialize. It definitely would be interesting if it happens.

Bellator wants to do something special for Fedor’s final fight

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Fedor Emelianenko

The career of one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time is winding down and Bellator wants to do something special for him. Fedor Emelianenko (39-6, 1 NC) is getting ready to call it a career after fighting for over 20 years.

The Russian heavyweight superstar has been in discussions with Bellator about what they could do to close out his career. By all accounts, Fedor wanted to fight in 2020, however, the promotion wanted to wait.

Scott Coker recently talked with MMA Junkie about Fedor’s final fight with Bellator. They don’t want him to just fight in front of the production staff in the bubble type environment that was created due to the pandemic.

Bellator is wanting to do something truly special for Fedor for his final fight. According to Coker, the promotion is envisioning a monumental sendoff in front of his home country with fans in the stands.

“I really want Fedor to finish his career in front of 30,000 people in Moscow, to be honest, Bellator MMA’s first fight in Russia. Do a fight in Moscow. Fedor is the greatest fighter of all-time. He’s now coming home to retire and put his gloves up and hang it up to retire,” Coker told MMA Junkie.

Who could Bellator pair him with?

If the COVID vaccine makes its way through Russia, there is a chance that Bellator could pull an event off with fans in 2021. However, I think having 30,000 fans might be a little bit of a stretch.

If Bellator is able to pull off a Russian event with fans, they have a couple of options for Fedor’s last fight. One option would be Josh Barnett (35-8). Barnett and Fedor were supposed to fight a number of times in their careers.

However, the fight never came together. At this stage in their careers, they aren’t going to be challenging for world titles. Barnett is a bigger name that Bellator could throw at Fedor for his final fight.

Another option would be top heavyweight contender, Cheick Kongo (30-11-2, 1 NC). Kongo is coming off of his first loss since 2015. He’s 45 years old and appears to be nearing the end of his career as well.

That could be another matchup that Bellator puts together. There is also the possibility that the promotion signs a one-off fighter to fight Fedor in his final fight in Russia. They have a few options to play with.

Either way, you can bet that Bellator is going to work on putting this together in 2021. Fedor has had an incredible career and it would be fitting to give him a proper sendoff in front of fans in Russia.