Right now, Bellator has been having some preliminary discussions on what to do with Fedor Emelianenko (39-6,1 NC). Fedor is one of the greatest of all time and he’s getting very close to the end of his career.
At 44 years old, the next time we see Fedor in the Bellator cage, it might be the final time. Scott Coker has talked about doing the promotion’s first event in Russia with Fedor headlining for his final card.
Of course, that all depends on the fans situation. Coker has made it clear that Bellator doesn’t want Fedor’s final career fight to come in front of just the production crew and the promotion’s staff.
If all goes as planned and fans can return, Bellator will attempt an even in Russia with fans in the stands for Fedor. That’s one aspect of figuring out his final fight and of course the other is figuring out the opponent.
There are a couple of different options for Bellator to pick from. One option is of course Josh Barnett (35-8). Barnett was actually my first thought when thinking about who Bellator could pair him with. However, another interesting possibility is emerging.
Will Bellator book Fedor – Ortiz?
The Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz (21-12-1) is wanting to return to the Bellator cage. Ortiz is wanting to come back and be the man who faces Fedor in Fedor’s final career fight.
It’s worth noting that Ortiz hasn’t fought for Bellator since 2017. However, he did go 3-1 in his four fight run inside of Bellator and even challenged for the Bellator light heavyweight championship.
Ortiz was always known as a big light heavyweight and wouldn’t have much of an issue fighting Fedor at heavyweight. In terms of name recognition, Ortiz is probably the bigger sell than any other option in front of Bellator.
Ortiz is riding a three-fight win streak at the moment. Granted, the 45 year old’s last two victories have come against Alberto Del Rio and a very old Chuck Liddell. He did defeat Chael Sonnen in his final Bellator bout.
While Ortiz has offered to take the fight on Twitter, there is no word on if there are active talks at the moment. However, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them materialize. It definitely would be interesting if it happens.