Fedor Emelianenko has never been fazed by size disadvantages and he won’t start now.
Emelianenko will meet Frank Mir in a Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix bout. “The Last Emperor” will enter the fight in search of his first victory under the Bellator banner. Meanwhile, this will be Mir’s debut for the promotion.
In his last outing, Emelianenko had his five-fight winning streak snapped. Matt Mitrione knocked out “The Last Emperor” in the first round back at Bellator NYC. Mir’s last bout also ended in a knockout loss. He hasn’t emerged victorious since July 2015.
There’s no doubt that Mir has put on some size over the years. He’ll look to use that advantage on Emelianenko, who has a history of facing bigger opponents. It doesn’t appear that Emelianenko is worried about it.
During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Emelianenko explained why he doesn’t feel the size of his opponents matter:
“Actually, when I met Frank, I saw that he really became bigger, so he became heavier. But I don’t see any problem with that. I don’t think size is a big problem, for me the most significant thing is the knowledge that the fighter gets and the shape that the fighter gets after he prepares for a fight and in my career I did have many fights where the opponents were much bigger than me.”
Bellator 198 takes place this Saturday (April 28) inside the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The co-main event will see Emmanuel Sanchez take on Sam Sicilia. Rising middleweight Rafael Lovato Jr. will look to keep the momentum going when he meets John Salter. Neiman Gracie will meet Javier Torres, and SBG Ireland’s Dillon Danis makes his mixed martial arts debut against Kyle Walker.
MMA News’ own Tim Thompson will be on the scene covering Bellator 198. Be sure to stick with us for exclusive content.
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