Fedor Emelianenko loses to Bader in Russian star’s last bout
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Fedor Emelianenko lost his final mixed martial arts bout Saturday night when Ryan Bader stopped him halfway through the first round with a relentless ground-and-pound finish at Bellator 290. The 46-year-old Emelianenko says he is ending a storied 23-year MMA career with this bout, and he ceremonially laid down his gloves in the cage. The much-loved Russian MMA pioneer is one of the most compelling fighters in the still-young sport’s history, and the crowd at the Forum was firmly behind him. That adoration didn’t help when Bader defended his heavyweight title by becoming the first fighter ever to beat Fedor twice.