Matt Mitrione wants to have a memorable moment tonight (Feb. 18).
Mitrione steps inside the Bellator cage for the third time. He’ll battle mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Fedor Emelianenko inside the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The heavyweight contest serves as the main event of Bellator 172.
Before the big match-up, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter spoke to the media (via MMAFighting.com). He gave “The Last Emperor” his due for everything he has accomplished:
“Fedor is the GOAT. He’s the biggest name in my sport’s history, as far as I’m concerned. Anybody who’s a competitor wants that opportunity. If I was playing [football] back in the day, I would have wanted to play against Barry Sanders or Walter Payton, play against Leon Lett, one of the best O-lineman ever. I would have wanted that situation and opportunity. I’m fortunate enough that I came here at the right time and I had a name that was sexy enough for Fedor to be like, ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll do it. Let’s do it.’ I think we all know that Fedor wouldn’t have come out to fight a nobody.”
While Mitrione has praise for his opponent, he also wants a piece of that “legacy” Emelianenko has worked to achieve.
“I have a rather large ego as well. I don’t necessarily think I’m a legend, but I think I have the potential to become somebody that can be mentioned in a sentence someday along the line. It’s a legacy fight. Obviously, Fedor has a lot to lose in this fight. I have a lot to gain with this fight. And I’m gonna do my damnedest to steal his legacy and steal all his fans. I want everybody in the world to be like, ‘Fedor looked damn good, but ol’ Mitrione whooped that ass.’ That’s what I’m looking for.”
