Issue 189

March 2020

As a new decade dawns, is it time for Fedor and Rampage to call time on their careers?

In the final days of the last decade, these two legends of the sport – boasting between them 84 years and 95 fights – met for the first time. It was the main event in the Bellator 237 card in Saitama, Japan and it ended swiftly with a TKO victory for Emelianenko. That much was clear. Less obvious was what the future holds for both men. Emelianenko seemed to announce his retirement in the wake of this victory, but then contradicted this by saying that he’s looking for two more fights (one in the US, one back in Russia) before calling it a day. Quinton Jackson was woefully out of shape for the bout and offered scant resistance, but he’s not indicated that he’s ready for the final curtain just yet, though his chances of another big payday must be seriously diminished by this poor showing. Should either or both men throw in the towel on their careers? Maybe, but no-one will do it for them.