The fight with Timothy Johnson was of tremendous importance in the context of Fedor Emelianenko's prospects. Although the Last Emperor himself said that his decision to continue his career did not depend on the outcome, it was hard to believe in it. The crushing defeat could well put an end to the performances of the 45-year-old athlete, while success could not only allow him to fully carry out his farewell tour, but even get a fight for the Bellator heavyweight title. The victory over the second number of the rating was able to sharply raise his quotes and make it expedient to organize a rematch with Ryan Bader.
Nevertheless, if there were prerequisites for such a development of events, then not too many. Unlike Emelianenko, Johnson not only remained active over the past two years, but also experienced the best stage of his career. If in the UFC Timothy was considered an ordinary middle peasant, then in Bellator he entered the elite of the division up to 120.2 kg. Since February 2020, he has entered the cage four times and left it as a winner three times. Among his "victims" were Tyrell Fortune, Cheik Kongo, and also Fedor's offender, Matt Mitrion. The American lost only to the current holder of the time zone, Valentin Moldavsky.
As for Fyodor, it was extremely difficult to assess his current condition due to the long downtime. Yes, his teammates expressed confidence in the strength of the legendary fighter and noted that during the preparatory camp he looked very convincing, in a battle with such a serious opponent this might not be enough. For the 36-year-old Johnson, both the age difference and the colossal superiority in the mass spoke. At the weigh-in, he turned out to be 13.8 kg heavier, which could well guarantee him a solid advantage during the battle.
In addition, it was curious whether the excitement around the event and the high expectations of local fans would affect the result of Emelianenko's fight. The last time he fought in Moscow was in 2016 and almost suffered an early defeat by Fabio Maldonado. During the first round, the Brazilian beat the Last Emperor, but was unable to convince the referee to intervene. Subsequently, Fedor miraculously recovered, seized the initiative and more confidently spent the next five minutes. Everything went to the fact that the judges would determine a draw, but immediately two of them suddenly gave preference to the Russian, provoking a loud scandal. Subsequently, the Brazilian side even filed a protest against the outcome of the fight, but that was not considered.
At first, one might get the impression that this time Emelianenko might suffer the same fate.
The fighters probed the waters and looked for their distance, practically without throwing out blows, but starting from the 30th second they began to get involved in very dangerous exchanges.
At first they were initiated by Johnson, but over time it was Emelianenko who increasingly began to work as the first number.
It turned out imperfect.
Approaches from the right straight line, although they carried a danger for the enemy, also made the Last Emperor vulnerable to counterattacks.
Fedor went ahead several times, but he stagnated too much, allowing Timothy to either throw punches in response, or initiate a clinch, in which the more massive American felt much more confident.
In one of these episodes, he punched the Russian's body several times, but they were not strong enough to create serious problems for him.
After several dangerous exchanges of punches in the center of the cage, Timothy, in his corporate style, rushed at Fedor and drove him to the grid, but did not dare to pressurize. As it turned out later, this was his fatal mistake. Emelianenko regrouped, prepared for the next trade and showed a colossal difference in skill, speed and timing. Working ahead of the curve, he threw out a series of three powerful blows, each of which landed exactly in the jaw. The knockout turned out to be deep. Johnson collapsed to the canvas, and from his appearance it became clear that the finishing move was not required.
Emelianenko won the 40th anniversary victory in his career and not only proved that even at 45 he was able to compete with the top fighters of his division, but also made an application to extend his farewell tour.
Such a performance will surely make Scott Cocker believe in his strength and organize his third and last fight under the current contract.
After the fight, Fedor himself did not remind him of his desire to fight again, nor did he answer the question about the title of the greatest fighter in history.
“Thank you all very much!
Today I am especially glad that I was able to please you.
My guys are unbeaten, there are already two champions.
I hope there will be a third one, ”Emelianenko said after the end of the battle.