Arguably the biggest fight in the history of Bellator MMA has been set, which is Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen.
As seen in the main event of last Saturday’s Bellator 198 event at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on the Paramount Network, the MMA Legend finished former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir with strikes in the first round of their Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal bout.
Now, Fedor will move forward in the tournament and is slated to the fight former middleweight and light heavyweight contender later this year.
It should be noted that the promotion’s President, Scott Coker, has yet to reveal when this fight will exactly take place but has given a tease about where it will take place.
“We will probably start working on that this week,” Coker said following Bellator 198. “It’s probably going to end up somewhere on the East Coast. If it was Mir vs. Chael, it’d probably end up on the West Coast.
That’s what we’re thinking. We’ve already talked to a couple venues, we’re trying to work some things out … I think this [Bellator 198] was a historic moment for the company. I think as a fight fan, this is a historic moment for me and MMA, and I think that fight with Chael could be even bigger than what we saw tonight.”
If you recall, Sonnen had advanced to the semifinals after picking up a decision win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in January.
Noted MMA oddsmaker Joey Oddessa has released the opening odds for this upcoming heavyweight showdown as Emelianenko is a -200 favorite while Sonnen is the +150 underdog.
For those looking to bet on his heavyweight bout than a winning $100 bet on Emelianenko would result in a net profit of $50. On the flip side, a winning $100 bet on Sonnen would pull in $150.
“It may take a round for him to get warmed up and silence the ‘USA! USA!’ chants, but eventually Fedor is going to stretch him,” Oddessa said to MMA Junkie. “The number is probably a little low, but they’ll still bet Chael.”
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