Ryan Bader admittedly wasn’t initially excited about the prospects of a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko.
“At first I kind of felt that way, and then I started thinking about it,” Bader said at a press conference on Wednesday. “Being on CBS was a big factor. Anytime you’re in a Fedor fight it’s a huge fight. I’m proud to be a part of his legacy and for him to be a part of mine.
Bader initially faced Emelianenko in the finals of the heavyweight grand prix at Bellator 214, where he claimed the belt with a 35-second technical knockout victory. The Power MMA Team stalwart isn’t taking away much from that first meeting — in large part because of the abbreviated nature of the fight. He expects the rematch, which is set for the Bellator 290 headliner on Saturday, will be a completely different affair.
When Bader initially captured the heavyweight crown, he was a simultaneous two-division champion in Bellator. He has sinced relinquished the light heavyweight strap and will be attempting to make his third successful title defense at heavyweight. With that said, the majority of the attention heading into the card has gone to Emelianenko, who will retire after the bout — win or lose. While Bader is still working on carving out his own legacy, he believes his Russian foe has earned the acclaim.
“Make no mistake, I know people are going to be rooting for him. On the flip side, I have a job to do and my job is to spoil that party, retain that belt, win that fight and move on. There will be respect there no matter what.”
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