Watch: A delighted Khabib Nurmagomedov erupts in joy after Fedor Emelianenko knocks out Tim Johnson at Bellator 269
Khabib Nurmagomedov was glad to see compatriot Fedor Emelianenko earn a knockout victory over Tim Johnson at Bellator 269.
'The Last Emperor', fighting in his home country for the first time under the Bellator banner, finished Johnson in less than two minutes of the first round.
Nurmagomedov, who was sitting cageside at the VTB Arena, couldn't help but jump out of his seat to show his support for the heavyweight legend.
Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov's reaction to Fedor Emelianenko's knockout below:
Reaction of Khabib Nurmagomedov of Fedor Emelianenko's KO in Bellator...
Video: Igor Lazonin https://t.co/u1y1bx79lV
Emelianenko has now registered two consecutive wins since his disastrous title loss to Ryan Bader in 2019. The first came against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.
Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov cornered his cousin Usman at Bellator 269. The 23-year-old Dagestani competes in the same weight class that 'The Eagle' dominated in the UFC.
On Saturday night, Usman extended his undefeated streak to 14 by submitting Patrik Pietila in the first round.
Watch Usman Nurmagomedov submit Pietila in the video below:
After the fight, Usman made his title intentions clear. Currently ranked No.7 in the lightweight division, he pleaded with Bellator to pit him against a top-10 fighter in his next outing.
Usman has a finishing rate of over 85 percent. He has submitted or knocked out 12 of his 14 opponents, all within the first two rounds of the fight.
Fedor Emelianenko talks about his retirement
It doesn't appear that Fedor Emelianenko is willing to hang up his gloves just yet. Speaking to MMA Fighting after Bellator 269, the 45-year-old said he doesn't plan on calling an end to his career. However, he will meet with Scott Coker before making a decision.
“I will answer this question tomorrow. I would like to say that at the moment I’m not planning on finishing the career. I’m going to talk to Scott [Coker], I’m going to talk to my family. We’ll leave a little bit quietly, we’ll pray and then God will tell us what we should do."
Catch Fedor Emelianenko's post-fight interview below:
At age 45, calls for Emelianenko's retirement remain present. However, with a stunning knockout win at Bellator 269, the Russian has proved he may have a couple of fights left in him.