The stage is set for Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen.
Emelianenko punched his ticket to the semi-finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. This past Saturday night, “The Last Emperor” knocked out Frank Mir in 48 seconds. The heavyweight tilt served as Bellator 198’s main event. The action was held inside the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
It was Emelianenko’s first victory since Nov. 2009 when he was fighting under the Strikeforce banner. After the bout, Sonnen hopped inside the cage and cut a WWE-style promo on his upcoming opponent. The two then faced off.
During a post-fight media scrum, Coker talked about the expectations for Emelianenko vs. Sonnen (via Sherdog.com):
“We will probably start working on that this week. 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.”
Emelianenko has gone 6-1 in his last seven outings. He’s earned four finishes in that span. “The Last Emperor” has seen his professional mixed martial arts record improve to 37-5, 1 NC. He is just two wins away from becoming the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix champion.
As for Sonnen, he advanced in the tournament thanks to a unanimous decision win over Quinton Jackson. After a rough start in his Bellator debut, Sonnen has pulled off two straight wins. This will be the first time in this tournament where Sonnen is taking on a legitimate heavyweight.
What is your early prediction for Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen?
