A lot was made about who Fedor Emelianenko would fight for the first leg of his retirement tour – and when Tim Johnson ’s name surfaced as the chosen one to face “The Last Emperor” at Bellator 269 , many people were surprised. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, he left the matchmaking to the heavyweight legend Emelianenko (39-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) and said Johnson (15-7 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) was the name the Russian chose to face on home soil. Why? Emelianenko explained for the first time on Tuesday. “Tim Johnson had quite a winning streak going on,” Emelianenko told MMA Junkie at a virtual news conference. “That obviously shows he’s quite a good fighter.
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