WATCH: Cris Cyborg shares a special moment with Fedor Emelianenko during the live Bellator press conference
MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko hung up his gloves at Bellator 290 after a long and stellar career. During the live post-event press conference, the promotion's women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg had high praise and heartwarming wishes for 'The Last Emperor'.
Cyborg said that during her early career, she used to draw inspiration from watching Emelianenko make light work of his opponents. The former UFC star stated that studying the Russian's past fights helped her a lot in her own career:
"I'm a big fan of yours. I started my career watching your fights. [Watching] You beating everybody like [it's] nothing in the ring. When I watch your fights, it motivates me. And for sure everything I do in the ring [is] because [I] learned a lot from watching your fights. And I wish the best for you... for the next chapter of your career, in your life, I wish the best."
Watch the video below:
Fedor Emelianenko failed to capture the Bellator heavyweight championship in his retirement fight and fell prey to a first-round TKO loss to Ryan Bader.
Regardless of the defeat, few can argue that 'The Last Emperor' is one of the greatest figures in mixed martial arts. The Russian is a former Pride and Affliction heavyweight champion.
Emelianenko also boasts wins over some of the biggest names in the sport, including UFC champions Mark Coleman, Quinton Jackson, and Kevin Randleman, among others.
Watch Fedor Emelianenko vs. Kevin Randleman below:
Fedor Emelianenko on how he wants his fans to remember him
During the live press conference after his retirement fight at Bellator 290, MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko expressed that he primarily wants his fans to remember him as a true Orthodox Christian.
Furthermore, 'The Last Emperor' slid in a sly jab at modern-day MMA by saying that he wants the world to know him for his exploits in the cage rather than talking trash about his opponents:
"As I've already mentioned many times, I want to be remembered as an Orthodox Christian and I take everything as it happens... win or lose, it doesn't really matter... You saw today the whole arena was cheering me up. So I really hope that I gain my popularity and my fan base based on my actions inside the cage, [and] not because I was doing trash talk and talking bad about my opponents."
Catch Fedor Emelianenko's comments below: