According to Nolan King of MMAJunkie, Fedor Emelianenko (39-6) has an opponent for Bellator Moscow. Former Bellator heavyweight title challenger Tim Johnson (15-7) will be competing against the hometown favorite.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Johnson Set For October 23
Bellator Moscow will take place on October 23rd at the VTB Arena. Johnson is recently coming off a loss for the Interim Heavyweight Championship against Emelianenko’s pupil Valentin Moldavsky at Bellator 261. Before the defeat, Johnson rattled off three straight victories in 2020.
Fedor Emelianenko was victorious in his last outing as he defeated former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at Bellator 237. He is 3-2 since signing with the promotion, stringing together wins against Jackson, Chael Sonnen, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir.
The announcement of Tim Johnson as the opponent surely will be scrutinized as more notable fighters were clamoring for the opportunity. Fabricio Werdum, Junior Dos Santos, and Josh Barnett all publicly expressed their interest for the fight, however the promotion has decided to go in a different direction.
Bellator Moscow
Another Russian heavyweight is expected to compete on the card, as former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov, is set to end his two-year hiatus as he is scheduled to face Tyrell Fortune. Minakov’s last fight was against Tim Johnson in August of 2019, where He was victorious by a 1st round TKO.
Fortune is a heavyweight prospect to keep an eye on. He’s currently 11-1 and is coming off a defeat of Matt Mitrione just last month. Fortune is on a three-fight win streak, with his only professional loss coming against Tim Johnson back at Bellator 239.
Bellator has really gauged the Russian talent pool and it should be expected to be displayed on October 23rd. Usman Nurmagomedov, Alexander Shabliy, and Khasan Magomedsharipov are all highly regarded and fighters that could also be expected to compete at Bellator Moscow.
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