Heavyweight MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko could potentially return to fighting against a familiar foe.
Fedor Emelianenko hung up the MMA gloves following a TKO defeat to Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight championship at Bellator 290. More than two years since his retirement fight, Emelianenko has repeatedly teased a fighting comeback, in boxing or in another non-MMA discipline.
If the 48-year-old Emelianenko opts to return to fighting, he’ll likely have no shortage of potential opportunities. One of which is in a new sport spearheaded by the undeniable face of bare-knuckle fighting, Mike Perry.
Making a potential comeback a little easier, Emelianenko was called out by a former rival he knocked out during his MMA prime.
Andrei Arlovski targets Fedor Emelianenko rematch in Mike Perry’s promotion
As Emelianenko went on his legendary unbeaten streak, he clashed with a former UFC titleholder in Affliction before the promotion went defunct. The one-punch knockout was one of the most vicious finishes of his career, comparable to his previous wins over legends like Mark Coleman, Tim Sylvia, and Kevin Randleman.
If Emelianenko wants to run it back, his past rival is ready to oblige.
During a recent appearance on the Overdogs Podcast, former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski pitched a potential showdown with Emelianenko in Mike Perry’s Dirty Boxing Championship.
“[Mike Perry] messaged me about making a fight with Fedor Emelianenko, let’s do it!” Arlovski said. “If we’re going to fight for some good sponsors, why not? He mentioned my name a few times, in an MMA fight probably not, but boxing?
“We can do elbows with boxing, let’s f—ing do it!”
Dirty Boxing Championship, which recently added Jon Jones to its ownership team, is off to a hot start in 2025. Former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero has helped bring a lot of attention to the promotion with two wild knockouts.
Mike Perry ‘re-hired’ at Bare Knuckle FC after Conor McGregor feud concludes
Emelianenko was recently linked to a potential signing with Bare Knuckle FC after Conor McGregor‘s recent comments. McGregor, a part-owner of BKFC, has also been in a months-long feud with Perry after the latter’s boxing defeat to Jake Paul.
Luckily for Perry, his original ‘firing’ by McGregor has since been reversed, and he’s expected to return to the BKFC ring later this year. He hasn’t competed since defeating Thiago Alves at BKFC: Knucklemania IV last April.
Arlovski picked up a second-round TKO win in his Dirty Boxing debut last week in Miami. The former UFC heavyweight champion is likely on the final stretch of his combat sports career.
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