In his final fight, Fedor Emelianenko will get his long-desired rematch.
Emelianenko (40-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) is set to rematch heavyweight champion Ryan Bader (30-7 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) in the Bellator 290 main event on Feb. 4 at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., promotion officials verified to MMA Junkie following an initial report from CBSSports.com.
The event is scheduled to air on CBS, a first for the Bellator brand.
“We have been working tirelessly on growing this brand into the global powerhouse it is today and a primetime slot on CBS has always been one of our key objectives,” said Bellator president Scott Coker in a press release. “With a healthy roster full of many of the world’s very best fighters, along with elite up-and-coming prospects and legends of the game, I’m very excited to showcase this event on the most watched network in America.”
Heavyweight champion Bader needed just 35 seconds to knock Emelianenko out when they first fought in the grand prix final in January 2019. However, the legendary former PRIDE champion has since rebounded with back-to-back first-round knockouts of Quinton Jackson and Timothy Johnson.
Beating Emelianenko helped Bader reach dual-champion status. Although Bader would go onto lose his light heavyweight title to Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 244, he managed to defend his heavyweight title twice against Valentin Moldavsky and Cheick Kongo.
Now Emelianenko will attempt to close his legendary career with gold around his waist while avenging an important career loss.
The latest Bellator 290 lineup includes:
- Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko – for heavyweight title
- Vadim Nemkov/Corey Anderson winner vs. Yoel Romero – for light heavyweight title
