Bellator 172 video: Fedor discusses ‘personal popularity,’ signing with Bellator over UFC

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

For the first time in nearly seven years, Fedor Emelianeko will compete in a mixed martial arts bout on U.S. soil. Considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight of all time, the Russian will meet UFC veteran Matt Mitrione in the main event of Bellator 172 on Saturday night.

Ahead of his anticipated Bellator debut, Emelianenko spoke to a handful of media members about his upcoming fight, his decision to sign with Bellator over the UFC, his relationship with Scott Coker, and his own ‘personal popularity.’

Watch the entire video above.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.