The final chord of 2019 in mixed martial arts was the duel between Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton Rampage Jackson at the Bellator 237 tournament held at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The Russian knocked out the American in the first round and successfully began a farewell tour.
The fight involving Fedor Emelianenko is traditionally considered one of the main events of the year in MMA. During his career, he managed to become famous as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of sports, so his every appearance in the cage is expected with special impatience. This time the fans were really waiting for a real classic of mixed martial arts. because his rival was supposed to be another veteran of the Japanese PRIDE promotion Quinton Jackson.
Athletes fought for a long time under the auspices of the organization, but never once crossed in the ring. At that time, Emelianenko performed in heavyweight, and Jackson - on average, which practically deprived them of a chance to meet. Subsequently, the American went to the UFC, where he became famous in the light heavyweight category, and the Russian went to conquer Strikeforce. True, with much less success.
For a long time, fighters' careers developed in parallel, until their paths crossed at Bellator. Promotion president Scott Cocker always liked to arrange legends in the octagon, so he set about organizing a duel between Emelianenko and Jackson. And to ensure the maximum level of hype, he decided to hold it in Japan, where both athletes are most popular.
Thus, the duel between the legends of PRIDE was supposed to be the first of the last three in the career of Emelianenko. According to the original plan, Fedor was supposed to hold a fight in Japan and one of the European countries, after which he would please the Russian fans and lead the card for the first Bellator tournament in Moscow.
Despite the importance of the battle, there was no tension between the opponents on its threshold. Fedor publicly declared friendly relations with Quinton and admitted that for him this fight was exclusively a business, and Rampage himself even called himself a fan of the Last Emperor. In addition, he noted that the fans will win at any outcome of the match.
At the end of the weighing procedure, it became clear that Rampage intends to bet on physical power. So, he showed a weight of 120.4 kg, which was the highest result in his career. Emelianenko also seriously added in comparison with the latest fights. His body weight was 109 kg, and the last time he showed similar parameters in the battle by Frank Mir (108.8 kg).
Many could be surprised that Emelianenko went to the cell under an unusual instrumental composition. Over the years, he has accustomed his fans to doing this exclusively for domestic songs, but this time he decided to change traditions. However, in the octagon, it became clear that this detail did not affect his mood and concentration.
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Published by Bellator MMA (@bellatormma) Dec 28, 2019 at 10:02 am PST
Fedor immediately brought down a hail of attacks on Quinton and practically did not allow him to respond. He acted swiftly, over and over again found gaps in the defense of the enemy and did not allow him to respond. Against the background of his vis-à-vis, Rampage looked unusually heavy and clumsy, but his counterattacks were still fraught with great danger.
Emelianenko worked in series, connected his legs and, on the whole, fought very differently, as a result of which Jackson repeatedly had to go into a blank defense. True, once a Russian was too carried away that he almost cost him success. The right side American came exactly to the head, but could not shake the Last Emperor.
Nevertheless, the superiority of Fedor was visible with the naked eye and already in the middle of the first five-minute it was embodied in a beautiful victory by knockout. Quinton adventurously went ahead and gape, which Emelianenko instantly took advantage of. The exact right line knocked Jackson off his feet, and the referee hastened to stop the bout. The American was unhappy, but both his lost look and the dissection under the eye spoke of the inexpediency of continuing the duel.
Emelianenko won 39 victories, with 30 of them won ahead of schedule (15 by knockout and 15 by delivery). After the fight, he expressed deep respect to local MMA fans and thanked them for their support over the years.
“I'm glad that we won and I managed to please you again. In Japan, my formation as a fighter happened. Here I won your respect. Unfortunately, my sports career is ending. Perhaps this is my last fight here. I want to thank you for your support. I also want to say thanks to my fans in Russia, Serbia, Greece - everywhere, ”said Emelianenko.
Also, the Bellator 237 tournament was remembered for its striking performances by other athletes of the organization. Michael Page knocked out Shinso Ansai and extended his winning streak to three fights. The Japanese barely survived the first round, having missed a couple of powerful kicks in the performance of the vis-a-vis, and in the second he could only endure 23 seconds. The most powerful counter strike on the right became fatal. Nevertheless, for Venom this success can hardly be considered serious, because the opponent was completely inferior to him in the class.
In the second most important match, Michael Chandler won an early victory. Former Bellator lightweight champion did not experience any problems in the battle with Sidney Outlo, sending him to the flooring already in the middle of the first round. As in the case of the previous duel, the difference in class between the athletes was visible with the naked eye, however, this success should add to the American good emotions. In May, he was beaten by Patricio Freire and lost his honorary title.