Fedor Emelianenko officially declared his retirement from the world of MMA following his rematch loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 290 in February.
Although ‘The Last Emperor’ won’t be competing in MMA again, he still wants to be involved in combat sports. Emelianenko recently announced his desire to enter the boxing ring and maybe meet the great Mike Tyson. He talked about this in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
Revealing his ambitions, the 46-year-old Russian expressed his keenness to engage in a showdown with Tyson in October. He wants to compete on the undercard of Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury.
Emelianenko said: “We watched the fight on TV of Roy Jones Jr. vs. Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson would be an interesting fight He has a big name, he’s a legend. … It would be interesting because you can see a lot of his videos on YouTube and all over the place, he’s still in good shape.”
“He still works pads, he still has that same power, he still has that speed and power. That would be awesome if it’s possible [to box on the undercard of Fury vs. Ngannou], I would definitely do it.”
In stark contrast to the complete departure of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Fedor Emelianenko envisions a lasting presence within the MMA world.
Both Emelianenko and Nurmagomedov have continued to be active in the sport, passing on their expertise by teaching, training, and directing the up-and-coming combatants. Many people were startled by Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire in 2020, as he wanted to spend more time with his family and go back to his native Dagestan.
Fedor Emelianenko said at a press conference at Bellator 290 earlier this year: “Of course, I’ll be involved still because I have my team. These guys are like family to me. I will try to do my best and help them in any way I can. All my life I was in sport. The sport is part of my life. The sport is in my blood.”