Fedor Emelianenko Doesn’t Regret Not Fighting In UFC
"I fought many UFC champions [in my career] and I was beating them all, so it doesn’t really bother me that I didn’t fight there.”
Russian superstar Fedor Emelianenko has no regrets about not fighting in the UFC as he is set to put an end to his professional career. The 46-year-old will walk to the cage for the final time as a professional athlete this Saturday night at Bellator 290.
The Russian will look to avenge his loss against Ryan Bader, who knocked out Emelianenko in the first round in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2019.
Regardless of the result on Saturday, the Russian has established himself as one of the greatest fighters in this sport. However, there is always the argument about him not fighting in the UFC octagon.
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Emelianenko said that he doesn’t have any regrets about not competing in the UFC. You cannot blame him either as he has taken down all the competitors standing in his way.
“I’m looking at this from a bit of a different perspective,” Fedor Emelianenko said on The MMA Hour. “If it was supposed to happen, it [would’ve happened]. If it didn’t happen, then it didn’t happen. I fought many UFC champions [in my career] and I was beating them all, so it doesn’t really bother me that I didn’t fight there.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
He continued, “We met once. I didn’t know what the point of that meeting was. I had a current contract with Strikeforce while Dana White was offering me a new contract with the UFC. If I signed that contract, I would’ve been stuck, I would’ve had to go to court, and I wouldn’t have been able to fight for UFC or Strikeforce.”
“I was on vacation on an island and Dana White came. There was nothing good there.”