Legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko didn’t want to address the actions of his fellow countryman Khabib Nurmagomedov immediately after his actions at UFC 229 last October but the former PRIDE champion finally offered his opinion on Wednesday.
Ahead of his fight against Ryan Bader in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, Emelianenko was once again asked about Nurmagomedov leaping over the cage following his win and going after one of Conor McGregor’s teammates.
Emelianenko responded this time while acknowledging the heated nature of the rivalry between Nurmagomedov and McGregor but also offering some sobering advice to the undefeated Russian champion.
“I had a heavy impression after what I saw,” Emelianenko said when speaking to reporters at the Bellator 214 open workouts (via Sport24.ru ) “It must have been an emotional response to what happened.
“A professional should remain a professional, and not vent their emotions outside the cage.”
For the first time since October 6 Fedor commented on a situation after Khabib and Conor's fight. The author of the question is a girl from the magazine «Ethics in show business and the world of sports» #Bellator214 pic.twitter.com/QnQmtNAsj2
— Yaroslav Stepanov (@wonders4341) January 24, 2019
Throughout his own career, Emelianenko avoided the kind of back and forth verbal wars that led to such a heated showdown between Nurmagomedov and McGregor last year.
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is still awaiting word on possible punishment that will be handed down for his actions following the fight at UFC 229.
Next Tuesday, Jan. 29, the Nevada State Athletic Commission will hold a hearing where the sanctioning body is expected to hand down penalties to the fighters involved in the brawl including Nurmagomedov, who incited the entire brawl when he jumped over the cage to go after McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis.
There’s no telling if the commission will hand down financial penalties or potentially a lengthy suspension.
It will all unfold next week in Las Vegas as Nurmagomedov and McGregor anxiously await the outcome so the UFC can work towards booking each of them in their next fights respectively.
