INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Fedor Emelianenko lost his final mixed martial arts bout Saturday night when Ryan Bader stopped him halfway through the first round with a relentless ground-and-pound finish at Bellator 290.
The 46-year-old Emelianenko says he is ending a storied 23-year MMA career with this bout, and he ceremonially laid down his gloves in the cage in the familiar martial arts gesture by a retiring fighter.
The much-loved Russian MMA pioneer is one of the most compelling fighters in the still-young sport’s history, and the crowd at the Forum was firmly behind a perennial fan favorite known as The Last Emperor.
That adoration didn’t help when Bader defended his heavyweight title by becoming the only fighter ever to beat Emelianenko twice.
Bader knocked down Emelianenko with a punch that connected with the back of his head one minute into the opening round. Bader quickly pounced on Emelianenko and never let him up, gradually hammering his guard with dozens of blows until the referee stopped the punishment 2:30 into the round.
“On the one side, I’m sad I didn’t deliver on the fight as I wanted to,” Emelianenko said through a translator. “But on the other side, I’m so happy that all these fans and all these veteran fighters are here cheering for me.”
Emelianenko began his MMA career in 2000 after serving in the Russian Army, and he quickly acquired a reputation as a vaunted underground talent in a sport that still felt like a countercultural phenomenon at the time.
The slightly pudgy, slightly undersized heavyweight improbably recorded a long series of spectacular knockouts and submissions while fighting for the Pride promotion in Japan. He acquired mainstream attention when he began fighting stateside in 2008 while retaining the blank-faced earnestness and violent talents that made him such a favorite.
Emelianenko famously refused to fight for the UFC, eschewing the world’s most powerful promotion to maintain his independence, both promotionally and financially. He retired in 2012 before returning in 2015 to steady MMA success.
His first fight with Bader was a notable exception: Four years ago last weekend at the Forum, Bader knocked out Emelianenko with a massive left hook just 35 seconds in. Emelianenko had fought only twice since then, and just once since the start of the coronavirus pandemic — yet he still insisted on finishing his career against Bader, the tested heavyweight champion.
The 39-year-old Bader realized he would be the villain with a victory over Emelianenko, and he expressed admiration for the Russian pioneer as he prepared for his third title defense.
Bellator 290 marked the promotion’s debut on CBS in the network’s latest dalliance with MMA. Both CBS and Bellator are owned by Paramount Global, which broadcast the three-fight main card worldwide.
In the penultimate bout of the main card, Johnny Eblen retained his Bellator welterweight title with a dominant decision victory over Anatoly Tokov, one of Emelianenko’s proteges in Russia.
Emelianenko says he is done fighting, but not done with MMA: He plans to renew his commitment to help Tokov and other fighters who study in his camp.
“I’m going to dedicate my time to my coaching, to my team,” he said.
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