By MMAjunkie Staff July 19, 2018 9:45 am Follow @MMAjunkie
The Bellator heavyweight grand-prix semifinal-round fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen appears to have a date.
Emelianenko (37-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Sonnen (31-15-1 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) are slated to headline an Oct. 13 event in New York.
Newsday.com first reported the matchup, though Bellator officials haven’t made a formal announcement, and a message from MMAjunkie wasn’t immediately returned.
The event is expected to take place at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home to in Uniondale, N.Y. (on Long Island), and it’s expected to air on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie. A day prior, the other half of the grand-prix semifinals – Matt Mitrione (13-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) vs. Ryan Bader (25-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) – takes place in Connecticut.
Earlier this month, Bellator President Scott Coker told MMAjunkie he planned to host the fight in October and wanted it as close as possible to the Mitrione-Bader fight. In that regard, mission accomplished.
Emelianenko, the former longtime PRIDE heavyweight champion and one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, stamped his ticket to the semis after scoring a 48-second TKO win over ex-UFC titleholder Frank Mir in April. A fight prior, the 41-year-old Ukrainian-born Russian made his Bellator debut and suffered a quick knockout loss to Mitrione. However, it’s his only defeat in his past seven fights, which included bouts with Japan’s Rizin FF and his longtime M-1 home.
He meets former UFC and WEC title challenger Sonnen, who also doubles as a Bellator commentator. The 41-year-old “American Gangster” suffered a submission loss to Tito Ortiz in his Bellator debut but has since rebounded with decision victories over Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson, the latter of which was part of the grand prix’s opening round.
The Emelianenko-Sonnen and Mitrione-Bader winners then meet, likely in early 2019, for Bellator’s vacant heavyweight title and gran
prix championship.
https://mmajunkie.com/2018/07/bella...nnen-tournament-grand-prix-semifinal-new-york
The Bellator heavyweight grand-prix semifinal-round fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen appears to have a date.
Emelianenko (37-5 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Sonnen (31-15-1 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) are slated to headline an Oct. 13 event in New York.
Newsday.com first reported the matchup, though Bellator officials haven’t made a formal announcement, and a message from MMAjunkie wasn’t immediately returned.
The event is expected to take place at NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home to in Uniondale, N.Y. (on Long Island), and it’s expected to air on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie. A day prior, the other half of the grand-prix semifinals – Matt Mitrione (13-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) vs. Ryan Bader (25-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) – takes place in Connecticut.
Earlier this month, Bellator President Scott Coker told MMAjunkie he planned to host the fight in October and wanted it as close as possible to the Mitrione-Bader fight. In that regard, mission accomplished.
Emelianenko, the former longtime PRIDE heavyweight champion and one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, stamped his ticket to the semis after scoring a 48-second TKO win over ex-UFC titleholder Frank Mir in April. A fight prior, the 41-year-old Ukrainian-born Russian made his Bellator debut and suffered a quick knockout loss to Mitrione. However, it’s his only defeat in his past seven fights, which included bouts with Japan’s Rizin FF and his longtime M-1 home.
He meets former UFC and WEC title challenger Sonnen, who also doubles as a Bellator commentator. The 41-year-old “American Gangster” suffered a submission loss to Tito Ortiz in his Bellator debut but has since rebounded with decision victories over Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson, the latter of which was part of the grand prix’s opening round.
The Emelianenko-Sonnen and Mitrione-Bader winners then meet, likely in early 2019, for Bellator’s vacant heavyweight title and gran
prix championship.
https://mmajunkie.com/2018/07/bella...nnen-tournament-grand-prix-semifinal-new-york
