Bellator announced it will hold an event in Japan at the Saitama Super Arena and it will be headlined by Fedor Emelianenko taking on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The official name of the event is “Bellator Japan: Fedor vs. Rampage, powered by RIZIN”. The event takes place on December 29 on the Paramount Network in the United States.
With RIZIN’s name associated with the event, it appears that the show will be a cross promotion although its too early to speculate if there will be matches between the promotions. The event poster does state Bellator vs. Rizin so that might answer my question. Both, Emelianenko and Jackson made their names while in Pride and this event evokes memories of a time gone by. While you might guarantee the pomp and circumstance prior to the event, will this main event produce inside the ring?
The 43-year-old Emelianenko’s last fight was a loss this past January at Bellator 214 to Ryan Bader in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Final. Prior to that, Fedor had victories over Chael Sonnen and Frank Mir to advance in the grand prix. Jackson’s last appearance was over a year ago with a win over Wanderlei Silva. Prior to that, he was on a two-fight losing streak.
A press conference was held in Japan to announce the event.
Payout Perspective:
This event will bring back memories of Pride and many will reminisce about the times that Fedor and Rampage ruled that promotion. But this is 2019 and we will see if these two will be ready for this event. Will be interesting to see what type of card is put together as this seems to be in place of the usual Japan card around New Year’s Eve.
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