FIGHT TIME

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Saturday, June 24th

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7:00 PM PST

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10:00 PM EST

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Madison Square Garden, New York City

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Fedor 'The Last Emperor' Emelianenko:

...was the former reigning Heavyweight champion of (the former) Pride FC organization. He was the most feared man in the world of well over a decade, win after win his undefeated (sans his disqualification) record stayed intact even when facing the most elite of opponents. The greatness of the Emperor came with his ability to nullify any type of fighter. He had the most ferocious right hand I had ever seen, and his grappling game along with submission ability was second to none (especially for a man his size).

From Nogueira to Cro Cop, Fedor dominated legends at their own game. When people doubted if Fedor was truly the greatest heavyweight, the former fight org. Affliction put on the most expensive event of all time (sponsored by our own President Donald Trump in fact) which pit Fedor against UFC champion at that time, Tim Sylvia. Sylvia was the man who beat Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovski and actually defended the belt unlike some other heavyweights...when Fedor dropped him with the lightning right and submitted him within 30 seconds, the world knew he was on a level all his own...

Matt 'Meathead' Mitrione:

..is the former New York Giant, Ultimate Fighter Star, and all around Meathead! I only say that as an ode to his demeanor, every fight he walks into the cage looking careless, as though he just woke up. Mitrione's move to Bellator may have been better for his career, but in terms of his fighting skill, the fans have only seen a degradation. He has been dropped a few times in his Bellator tenure, his fight against Carl Seumanutafa showed real glaring weaknesses in Mitrione's head movement and overall defense. He is a very hard hitter, and he was one of the first men to expose some pretty solid heavyweights in Shawn Jordan and Derrick Lewis.

Mitrione's athleticism carries him a long way as he hits very hard, and when he is in the zone, his accuracy is some of the best in the division. Other than his early career loss to Big Roy Nelson, there was no reason to doubt Matt as a top 5 future contender. It seems as though Bellator thinks this is a great crossroads match for Matt, if he does claim Fedor's head, that is a true legend under his belt.

Prediction:

Any fan of mixed martial arts pre 2009 still vows Fedor as one of the greatest fighters if not THE greatest fighter of all time. We all have our personal favorites, but ignoring the pioneer ship of this man is foolish, and to say he isn't top 3 heavyweights of all time is plainly disrespectful. Any man who fights long enough will lose, one must see the legacy left behind when that man was in his prime. Mitrione is a much younger fighter, but the motivation is always questionable with this heavyweight. He is surely the harder hitter of these two men, but Fedor is much more explosive in terms of closing distance, and his grappling is also on another level.

Fedor too was rocked incredibly bad in his last fight against Fabio Maldonaldo, he was hurt badly and it was a shock the fight was allowed to progress after the blows absorbed. The same can be said for Mitrione's first fight in Bellator, and the lack of cardio in his last fight against Oli Thompson was almost pathetic, you can see when a man just doesn't care about his job.

I would say this is a true 50/50 fight as each man's durability and motivation is in question. With that said, we must compare the fundamentals and intangibles of each man. Fedor in terms of technicality dominates Mitrione, but in terms of youth and pure power, Matt takes the cake. This will be a battle of wits and brawn, Fedor will have to be his old self to dismantle the opponent, and seeing his work with current top 10 global heavyweight V. MInakov: I have faith he will!

Prediction: The Last Emperor: Submission Round 1

Presenter: @brandonk

Editor & GFX: @cryptoiskey