LOS ANGELES — Fedor Emelianenko will find himself in a familiar spot on Saturday night: Headlining a major event in a big city.
“The Last Emperor” has undergone an improbable career resurgence over the past year, having scored first-round finishes of Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen to reach the finals of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix tournament.
The tourney concludes on Saturday night with Emelianenko’s main event bout against light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, which will crown a Bellator heavyweight champion.
But the fact remains, the former longtime PRIDE heavyweight titleholder is 42 years old, and has already retired once before.