Bellat𓆏or 17𒐪2, which is taking place in a few short months, will be headlined by a heavyweight division fight between UFC veteran Matt Mitrione and legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko.
Despite rumors of the fight going around 🐭for weeks now, Mitrione says he𓂃 was legitimately surprised that it was Emelianenko coming out on stage to fight him.
“It was such a surprise,” Mitrione told . “Honestly, I thought it was going to be ‘Rampage.’ And he started to walk out in that sweater of all things, I thought, ‘Oh, good God, this is great.’ Totally legit – I was under the impression that Fedor was having issues in M-1, and there wasn’t going to be a co-branding with Bellator. So I was under the impression that Fedor wasn’t the scoop, and I also heard that Fedor was fighting Shane Carwin. He wasn’t even on my radar. There was a small hope. But then I thought, ‘Maybe it’ll be Shane Carwin. Maybe it’ll be (Sergei) Kharitonov, but Kharitonov just lost, so what other big name could there be unless they have a new signing I don’t know about?’ It’s got to be ‘Rampage.’ So that was kind of my thought. Apparently I was wrong – thankfully. I mean, I’m happy about it.”
Mitrione didn’t trash talk at all to Fedor during their face to face encounter at Bellator 165, that’s because 𝐆he respects the legendary fighter.
“Who am I to bum gums with Fedor? At the right time, when we’re really hyping the fight or whatever else, yeah, sure,” Mitrione said. “But at that time, I was just happy to see that Fedor was coming back. I was happy that I was going to have the opportunity to punch him in his face. I was happy. Why would I want to ruin that with talking (expletive)? I’m not that guy. I bum gums with the best of them in the world, and I can hold my own, verbally, with anybody. But it just wasn’t that time or the place. I’m not going to have a contrived, (Conor) McGregor-esque pre-determined comments. I’m going to be myself, and I’m going to have it come out and be who I am.”
B🧸ellator 172 takes place on Saturday, February 18 from the SAP Center in san Jose, California with Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione headlining.
