Fedor Emelianenko may be walking away after his fight with Tim Johnson, or he might fight out his Bellator contract.
There is not much to be said about Fedor that has not already been said. The Russian MMA legend has been competing since the turn of the century, and despite more than two decades and nearly 50 pro fights, he is still set to return to the cage against Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269 this weekend, having won three of his last four fights.
Obviously, with this much fight time and the fact that he is 45 years old, there are lingering questions about how much longer he wants to compete before retiring. Speaking on The MMA Hour, he made it clear that retirement was not off the table after this fight, explaining that he wants to see how he feels while knowing that he still has another fight on his Bellator contract.
“There’s is such a chance. Certainly, that would depend on my health, on my physical condition after the fight. Certainly, we’ll discuss, we’ll discuss that with the family as well,” Fedor said, through a translator.
“No I haven’t made any decision. Everything will depend on my performance, everything will depend on this fight, and certainly on the plans of Bellator, because according to the contract I still have another fight.”
This would not be the first time that Fedor Emelianenko decided to retire from MMA, initially calling it a career in 2012 before making a comeback three years later. With that in mind, it seems likely that when he ends his career this time around, it will almost certainly be for good.
In the meantime, you can catch his fight with Timothy Johnson, set to go down in Moscow, Russia, this Saturday, October 23rd, at Bellator 269. The fate of the Russian legend’s fighting future likely depends on the outcome of this fight.
Check out the full interview with Fedor below:
