It was almost like Fedor Emelianenko turned back the clock.
The Russian’s legendary hand speed was front and center in the
Bellator 269 headliner, as he knocked out former interim
heavyweight title challenger Timothy Johnson 1:40 into the opening
round at VTB Arena in Moscow. It was Emelianenko’s fourth victory
in his last five outings in Bellator, but there was something
different about his most recent performance.
“That was really special,” Coker told assembled media after the
event. “I’ve been in the fight game a long time and for him to
really deliver in his hometown in front of all of his fans, it was
really fun to watch. It was a real special night and like I said,
being a promoter for so long there’s a few times that just capture
that moment in time and really this was that night.
“I was like, wow, at 45 he can still bring it. He threw
combinations at Tim that I haven’t seen for a little while,
honestly. I think the pressure of him being at home really helped
him. When I saw him yesterday he seemed so focused and I think a
lot of it was riding on the line for him. He’s here and he’s proud
to be here, all his people here, it was just an amazing night. Wow.
Unbelievable.”
Johnson was coming off a five-round decision loss to Valentin
Moldavsky in an interim title bout at Bellator 261 this past June.
Prior to that defeat, the 36-year-old Extreme Couture
representative authored a three-bout winning streak with victories
over Tyrell Fortune, Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo.
“I can’t remember the last time Tim was knocked out or if he’s ever
been knocked out like that,” Coker said. “Fedor, he threw some
combinations at Tim that I was like, man, his hand speed is still
there. His twitch speed is still there. He proved it. He proved to
me he’s still the greatest of all time.
“I was sitting around [Bellator Europe executive] David Green, and
[American Kickboxing Academy coach] Javier Mendez, and Khabib
[Nurmagomedov], and we were just talking about how, ‘Jesus.
Unbelievable at 45 he can still bring it like that.’ It’s
unbelievable, it’s like time just stopped for him.”
Emelianenko just turned 45 last month, but after Bellator 269 he
seemed to indicate that another fight is likely before he retires.
That is in line with the Russian’s previous sentiments, when he
expressed a desire for a three-fight farewell tour with bouts in
Japan, Russia and the United States. Thus far, nothing is set in
stone.
“I’ll tell you, I haven’t talked to Fedor about it,” Coker said. “I
just want to enjoy this moment and I think he just wants to enjoy
this moment. So talk to us in maybe two or three weeks and we’ll
have an answer for you.”