4 reasons why you need to watch Fedor vs Sonnen
There’s no UFC show this weekend, and so the eyes of the MMA world will turn instead to the UFC’s top rival, Bellator MMA. Scott Coker’s promotion have put on plenty of entertaining events in 2018 but of their double-header this weekend, it’s Saturday’s Bellator 208 that looks more intriguing.
The main reason for that is, of course, the main event. The fans at Uniondale’s famous Nassau Coliseum will get to see a pair of legends go head-to-head in the second semi-final of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, as former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko takes on ‘The American Gangster’, former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.
But is this really a fight worth watching? The answer, of course, is yes. And here are 4 reasons why.
#1 It’s a chance to watch one of the greatest of all time in action
Okay, so Fedor Emelianenko’s prime realistically came to an end almost a decade ago, somewhere between his StrikeForce losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva. And sure, there’s an argument to be made that he should’ve stuck with his 2012 retirement.
But he didn’t, and so here we are. And eight years after his unbeaten streak was broken, there’s still a fair argument to be made that the Russian is the best Heavyweight in the history of MMA. Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier could all be considered, but there’s still something alluring about ‘The Last Emperor’ and his mythical PRIDE run.
And that’s why any fan who truly loves MMA should watch Bellator 208 and Fedor’s fight with Sonnen on Saturday. It could be argued that this comeback is spoiling Fedor’s legacy – did anyone want to see him lose to Matt Mitrione? – but Bellator 208 is still a rare chance to see an all-time great in action before he hangs it up for good this time.
Look at it like this; Tennis has Roger Federer, golf has Tiger Woods and football has Cristiano Ronaldo. None of those three are anywhere close to their best any more but it’s still a privilege to see them performing as they slow down – and the same can be said for Fedor Emelianenko in MMA.