Matt Mitrione Hopes For Rematch With Fedor Emelianenko in Russia

Matt Mitrione wouldn’t mind meeting Fedor Emelianenko again in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Mitrione is set to take on Ryan Bader in the semi-finals of the tournament. Mitrione earned his spot by nabbing a majority decision over Roy Nelson. Bader punched his ticket by knocking out Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in just 15 seconds. A date for Mitrione vs. Bader has not been set.

Before the tournament began, Mitrione clashed with Emelianenko at Bellator NYC. After a double knockdown, Mitrione ended up knocking out “The Last Emperor” in the opening round. Emelianenko was able to rebound by knocking out Frank Mir in 48 seconds to advance to the semi-finals. He will take on Chael Sonnen later this year.

During a recent Facebook Live chat, Mitrione said he’s willing to meet Emelianenko once again but this time in his home country:

“After I beat Bader, if Fedor is lucky enough to get by Chael, I want to fight Fedor in Moscow. I want to fight him. I want to put hands on him. On Christmas, like ‘Rocky.’ Let’s duplicate this (expletive).”

Since joining the Bellator roster, Mitrione has gone 4-0. He’s earned finishes in three of those four victories. Mitrione had tested the free agency market after dropping his last two UFC bouts.

When Mitrione knocked out Emelianenko, it put a halt to “The Last Emperor’s” five-fight winning streak. Emelianenko has gone 6-1 in his last seven outings. While the competition hasn’t been stellar, many still view Emelianenko as a threat in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Bellator president Scott Coker has hinted at a trip to the east coast for one or both semi-finals bouts.