When he fights MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko on June 17th, former UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado is well-aware he is fighting a well-rounded athlete who is still one of the most dangerous fighters in the world.
“Fedor is good everywhere,” Maldonado told MMAFighting.com during a recent interview. “The fight starts standing and I can’t enter the ring thinking about not getting taken down and eat two punches and lose like against Miocic. I have to pay attention. I have to be patient in this fight. The biggest difficulty in this fight is Fedor’s speed and explosion. The idea is to catch him when he’s coming. But I won’t wait for Fedor to come, I will attack him as well.”
Maldonado continued, explaining how it was kind of surreal when it sunk in that he would be fighting one of the biggest and most respected names in the history of the sport.
“It was hard to believe at first,” he continued. “The fight was done and my life went on normally. A few days later, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought ‘man, I’m fighting Fedor. That’s crazy’. It’s like being a basketball and playing against Michael Jordan. You’re facing the best of all times. Life is a big Ferris wheel, you never know what’s going to happen. The only thing I promise the fans is that I will fight with all my heart against Fedor.”
Fabio Maldonado vs. Fedor Emelianenko headlines Fight Nights 50 in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 17, 2016.
