Fedor Emelianenko Isn’t Amused By Chael Sonnen’s Trash Talk
Chael Sonnen and Fedor Emelianenko will be competing on the same card come Bellator 180 in June, and the pair were a part of a press conference to promote the promotion’s upcoming second pay-per-view (PPV) of all time earlier this week.
Sonnen will headline the card against longtime rival Wanderlei Silva, while Emelianenko takes on former UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione in the co-main event. Although they aren’t throwing down with one another come fight night in New York, that didn’t stop ‘The Last Emperor’ from throwing a little shade towards Sonnen.
When asked about his feelings regarding ‘The Bad Guy’s’ style of promoting a fight, Emelianenko stated that he doesn’t condone that type of behavior in or outside of the cage (quotes via MMA Mania):
“I think you should always be in control of yourself,” he said. “I also feel that the more an individual talks outside of the ring, the less he does in the ring. I don’t agree nor condone that type of behavior among, not just people, but sportsmen within the sport as an athlete.”
Emelianenko has long been discussed to be the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts (MMA) to never have competed in the UFC. While that may be true the Russian doesn’t seem to be losing too much sleep over that fact, and feels he is a part of something special with Bellator at this point in their run:
“There were a lot of discussions between myself and the UFC,” he said. “Nothing happened with those discussions. I feel that Bellator is doing a really, really good job with everything that’s been proposed so far. We will see what happens.”
Bellator 180 will go down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City on June 24, 2017. You can watch the full Bellator 180 press conference; featuring Sonne, Emelianenko, Silva, and Mitrione, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2VVPw11U1I
