Unlike Dana White, Scott Coker dubs Fedor Emelianenko as the heavyweight GOAT.
At 46 years old, ‘The Last Emperor’ had his last dance at Bellator 290 where he faced heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in a rematch. Unfortunately, Fedor fell short once again, being TKO’ed by Bader in the opening round. Despite the loss, Fedor would ride off into the sunset, retiring right next to a star-studded lineup of other MMA legends.
Coker Speaks On Fedor’s Legacy
Following Fedor’s final fight, Bellator boss Coker would pay his respects to the Russian.
“When I think about Fedor, his accomplishments, and I was telling this to Josh [Barnett] and Randy [Couture] and Dan [Henderson] and all the guys that were in the cage. I said, ‘you guys have already done it all, Fedor has already done it all,” Coker said post-fight at Bellator 290.
“He didn’t need to fight. He doesn’t need to do anything. So, anytime he fights another fight, I think for the last three or four years, it’s really been a special occasion, it’s an event. You could feel it right when he fights. It’s an event. But, he doesn’t need to prove himself. He’s already done. To me, he’s the greatest heavyweight of all time. What I’d like to see him and Randy fight before? Sure. Him and Josh, of course. But if you look at the string of fights that he had in Pride during his heyday run, it was just incredible.
“…He’s already done it all. And to me, he has nothing to prove. He’s a legend. I was telling him when he left, I said, ‘it’s such an honor for me to promote you’. Because not just because of how he fights and his popularity, but really just how he carries himself. He’s a true martial artist and I’ll always be a Fedor fan.”
‘He’s The GOAT’
Coker has no doubt in his mind that Fedor is the heavyweight GOAT.
“Absolutely,” Coker said when asked if Fedor was the greatest heavyweight of all time. “You can’t compare anybody else’s body of work to what he’s done over the last 18 years or so. There’s moments in time and there’s spurts of runs, but nobody’s has had a run like that. So in my opinion, he fought the best fighters in the world that were fighting in Japan at that time. They weren’t fighting here. The best fighters in the world, if you guys remember back in the Pride days, were all fighting in Japan, and he went through them all.
“He did not duck anybody. We asked him to fight, he’s always said yes. He’s always accepting each challenge. So he’s a real true champion and to me, he’s the GOAT.”
