Filed under: Bellator , Featured Videos , News , Radio Highlight , Videos Matt Mitrione claims he was just as surprised as anyone when Fedor Emelianenko walked out from backstage at Bellator 165 to be announced as his opponent for the Bellator 172 main event. Mitrione (11-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) was in San Jose, Calif., for Bellator 165 and knew he was going to get an opponent announced during the card. But the longtime UFC vet, who has won both his Bellator fights by knockout since moving over earlier this year, thought the opponent would be Quinton Jackson. “It was such a surprise,” Mitrione told MMAjunkie Radio on Monday. “Honestly, I thought it was going to be ‘Rampage.’ And he started to walk out in that sweater of all things, I thought, ‘Oh, good God, this is great.’ “Totally legit – I was under the impression that Fedor was having issues in M-1, and there wasn’t going to be a co-branding with Bellator. So I was under the impression that Fedor wasn’t the scoop, and I also heard that Fedor was fighting Shane Carwin.” Related: Fedor Emelianenko headlines Bellator 172 vs
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