Former Pride FC heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko is old-school.
Emelianenko returns to action next month (June 24) when he faces Matt Mitrione at Bellator: NYC from Madison Square Garden. The bout will be the co-main event for the pay-per-view portion of the night, which also features Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva.
The approach that the Russian has taken to his MMA career differs greatly from that of Sonnen.
“I speak when it matters: in the cage,” Emelianenko said. “At some point, you have to answer for your words, whether it’s in this life or the next.
“So I will do my best to prepare and I will fight.”
Emelianenko and Mitrione were scheduled to meet earlier this year, but kidney stones knocked Mitrione from the fight. Since then, Emelianenko has spent time training and preparing both his body and his spirit.
“My faith comes first,” he said. “Everything else is secondary. I don’t separate fighting and the faith. They are one and the same.”
