Tomorrow in the main event of Bellator 269, the legend Fedor Emelianenko (39-6) will be fighting in his home of Russia as he takes on Tim Johnson (15-7). The fight is Fedor’s first matchup in almost two years.
Fedor Emelianenko last made the walk back in December of 2019 at Bellator 237 when he took on Rampage Jackson. Emelianenko was able to pick up the first round knockout that night that moved him to 3-2 overall in Bellator.
It’s no secret that we truly never saw the best version of Emelianenko in the US. The best version of Fedor was the Pride Fedor, but that man is long gone. Now, at 44 years old, we could be looking at the last time that we ever see Fedor compete.
He doesn’t have any easy task in front of him tomorrow in Tim Johnson. Johnson has really turned things around since moving to Bellator. In 2020, he went on a sensational run that saw him go 3-0 with wins over Tyrell Fortune, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo.
Those wins earned him a shot at the interim Bellator heavyweight title against Valentin Moldavsky. Ultimately, he fell short in that matchup, but he’s still right there in the title picture for the heavyweight crown.
Bellator 269 Prediction
When thinking about this matchup, I think about the Fedor of old. No disrespect to Tim Johnson, but I think about the fact that nobody would even give him a shot against Prime Fedor if Prime Fedor was fighting at Bellator 269.
That said, the man he will be facing tomorrow has shown a suspect chin over his last few fights and I think that could come into play tomorrow night. Fedor Emelianenko has never been a big heavyweight and I think that can hurt him against Tim Johnson.
I’m expecting Johnson to make this fight ugly and try to grapple a bit with Emelianenko. Emelianenko still carries power and definitely carries a speed advantage. However, Johnson has been more active with a tougher schedule as of late. I think the legend gets put down in his home country tomorrow.
Prediction: Tim Johnson by TKO – Round 2