Few could have predicted back in 2005 when Mirko Filipovic and Fedor Emelianenko collided in the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA history that both men would still be going strong 13 years later, nonetheless still fighting under the same umbrella.
While each man has faced his fair share of false retirements in the years since their clash, the 43-year-old “Cro Cop” and 41-year-old Emelianenko have remarkably combined to win 14 of their last 15 fights. Both are also currently alive in Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, with Emelianenko readying for a semifinal matchup against Chael Sonnen and “Cro Cop” set to rematch Roy Nelson at Bellator 200 for the right to become the first alternate into the bracket — all of which means there is a conceivable scenario in which a long-discussed Emelianenko vs.