Fedor Emelianenko Talks Challenges That Ryan Bader Presents

Fedor Emelianenko is aware of the dangers he’s facing when he shares the Bellator cage with Ryan Bader.

Emelianenko will meet Bader in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. “The Last Emperor” earned his spot in the finals with finishes over Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen. As for Bader, his knockout victory over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and his decision win over Matt Mitrione got him to this point. Emelianenko vs. Bader goes down on Jan. 26.

Bellator held a media call to hype up their big event inside The Forum in Inglewood, California. During the call, Emelianenko talked about what he has to be aware of when facing Bader:

“Ryan Bader is an exceptional fighter, probably one of the most toughest and skilled guys of this tournament. He has a strong wrestling background, but it’s not easy to hit Ryan. He’s got very good defense and [I have to make sure I don’t get hit]. The rest we’ll see in the fight.”

Bellator 214 was also supposed to feature a middleweight title bout between champion Gegard Mousasi and Rafael Lovato Jr. Mousasi was forced to pull out due to an injury. Lovato Jr. was later pulled from the card as well.