Chael Sonnen’s gift of gab is now targeting Fedor Emelianenko.
In the main event of Bellator 198, Emelianenko got back in the win column against Frank Mir. “The Last Emperor” earned a 48-second TKO victory to advance to the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-finals. It was his first victory in the United States since Nov. 2009.
Emelianenko will now meet Sonnen in the semi-finals of the tournament. Sonnen didn’t waste any time as he hopped inside the cage following Emelianenko’s victory and cut a WWE-style promo. Emelianenko brushed off the comments during his post-fight scrum, but Sonnen believes his latest verbal jab will get under his upcoming opponent’s skin.
During a recent episode of his “You’re Welcome” podcast, Sonnen didn’t hold back (via MMANYTT):
“I don’t deny the guy has got skills, I don’t deny that he’s big and powerful and all these things. I’m not pissing on his skills at all. I’m just telling you that when I think about him it’s very hard to go out and study him because his fights were fake in Japan. His opponent was told when to go down.”
Sonnen advanced to the semi-finals with his victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at Bellator 192. Sonnen used his wrestling to nab the unanimous decision victory. He is now 2-1 under the Bellator banner.
As for Emelianenko, he overcame a disastrous Bellator debut where he was knocked out by Matt Mitrione in the first round after a double knockdown. He’s 1-1 as a member of the Bellator roster. He’s gone 6-1 in his last seven outings.
There is no date or venue set for Emelianenko vs. Sonnen. Bellator president Scott Coker mentioned during his Bellator 198 post-fight scrum that the bout is likely headed for the east coast. Many are expecting Bellator to return to New York City.
Are you excited to see the buildup for Chael Sonnen vs. Fedor Emelianenko?
