Mixed martial arts legend Fedor Emelianenko has once again expressed his desire to fight former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match.
Emelianenko, 45, was recently in action against Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269 where he wasted no time and notched up a knockout victory in under two minutes of the fight. This was his second win on the trot in the Bellator cage.
Jones, 52, last made the walk to the ring in an exhibition bout with former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in November 2020. The event proved to be a huge hit as it recorded 1.6 million buys, attracting a gigantic audience towards it.
Since then, Jones has been looking for similar sort of exhibition opportunities for himself but hasn’t been able to find one. But if the terms for the fight against Emelianenko do get set, the Pensacola native could be in for another massive purse day.
On the other hand, Emelianenko is still rooting for a fight against the former champion and will have no problems with staging the bout as an exhibition.
“I have great respect for him as an athlete, a person, like a legend,” Emelianenko said.
“He is one of the most outstanding boxers in the world of all time. Of course, it would be a great honor for me to perform in such a fight. I am interested in such fights.”
But the Russian understands they will need a promotion who is willing to stage this show for the fans. And moreover, as he will be transitioning to not his native sport, there needs to be a discussion regarding the rules and the terms.
“We probably will not fully commit to strikes. But even without committing to punches, Roy can show everything he is capable of. Hopefully, I won’t pale in comparison,” he added.
“We now have the wind blowing in different directions. I think that this fight will be interesting for many. But there are many pitfalls, including many people who will take it negatively.”