On February 4 Bellator 290, an MMA legend will make his final stand. Fedor Emelianenko defends his Bellator heavyweight belt against Ryan Bader.
Bellator 290 is held at the Kia Forum in California. Fedor’s career will end with this fight.
Bader has three Pac-10 Championship gold medals. He debuted professionally in 2007 and won The Ultimate Fighter 8 in 2008. Bader had a 15-5 record with the UFC. He won the Bellator light heavyweight title against Phil Davis after joining the company in 2017. Bader became a double champion in 2019 after winning the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix and defeating Fedor.
Bader has gone 3-1 since losing the light heavyweight title to Vadim Nemkov in 2020. In his most recent fight, in May, he won a rematch against Cheick Kongo by unanimous decision to retain his heavyweight title.
Here’s everything you need to know about Bellator 290, including the time, channel, odds, card, and more.
How to watch Bellator 290 Bader vs. Emelianenko 2 Live Free:
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on the following channels and here for free:
Live Broadcast: Bellator 290 Bader vs. Emelianenko 2
When is Bellator 290: Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko?
- Date: Saturday, February 4 | Sunday, February 5
- Prelims: 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. GMT | 10 a.m. AEDT
- Main card: 9 p.m. ET | 2 a.m. GMT | 1 p.m. AEDT
- Main event: 12 a.m. ET | 5 a.m. GMT | 4 p.m. AEDT (approx.)
Bellator 290 is scheduled for February 4th. The preliminary round begins at 6 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. GMT | 10 a.m. AEDT, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET | 2 a.m. GMT | 1 p.m. AEDT. Depending on how long the undercard fights last, Bader and Fedor should arrive at the cage around 12 a.m. ET | 5 a.m. GMT | 4 p.m. AEDT.
Where is Bellator 290: Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko?
Bellator 290 is held at the Kia Forum in California. The arena has a capacity of 17,500 people.
Bellator 290 Preview:
On Saturday, February 4, Bellator will start off its 2023 calendar with a loaded Bellator 290 card from Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. In the main event, Fedor Emelianenko faces Ryan Bader for the heavyweight championship for what could be the final time in his career.
Former PRIDE champion Emelianenko is regarded as one of the finest heavyweights in MMA history. He will battle Bader, who has held the championship since January 2019, when he also held the light heavyweight title. Despite losing his 205-pound belt, Bader has made two successful title defences.
The pair previously battled in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, with Bader knocking out Emelianenko in just 35 seconds.
Fedor, a multiple-time Sambo gold medallist, turned professional in 2000. The Russian is a PRIDE heavyweight champion and a RINGS 2001 Absolute Class Tournament winner. Fedor had a 28-fight unbeaten streak from 2001 to 2009, defeating Semmy Schilt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Miro Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, and Andrei Arlovski.
Fedor joined Bellator in 2017 after never fighting in the UFC. He has a 4-2 record with the promotion and is currently on a two-fight winning run. Fedor’s most recent bout was a 2021 knockout victory against Timothy Johnson.
Johnny Eblen will defend his Bellator middleweight title against Anatoly Tokov in the co-main event. Eblen turned professional in 2017. After joining Bellator in 2019, he won the title in June against Gegard Mousasi. Tokov turned professional in 2009. Tokov, a former ACA middleweight champion, signed with Bellator in 2017. He is 7-0 with the promotion, with his most recent bout a TKO victory against Muhammad Abdullah in June.
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Another title fight is on the bill, with undefeated Johnny Eblen defending his middleweight belt against Anatoly Tokov. This is Eblen’s first defence since capturing the title with a strong victory against Gegard Mousasi in June 2022. Tokov has won seven straight fights since his Bellator debut, with five of those victories coming via knockout.
Betting odds for Bellator 290: Ryan Bader vs. Fedor Emelianenko:
Ryan Bader is the -350 favourite in Canada, while Fedor Emelianenko is the +245 underdog, according to Sports Interaction.
Bellator 290 complete fight card:
Main card
- Ryan Bader (c) vs. Fedor Emelianenko for the Bellator heavyweight title
- Johnny Eblen (c) vs. Anatoly Tokov for the Bellator middleweight title
- Sabah Homasi vs. Brennan Ward; welterweights
Prelims
- Neiman Gracie vs. Dante Schiro; welterweights
- Lorenz Larkin vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov; welterweights
- Henry Corrales vs. Akhmed Magomedov; featherweights
- Ali Isaev vs. Steve Mowry; heavyweights
- Chris Gonzalez vs. Max Rohskopf; lightweights
- Karl Albrektsson vs. Grant Neal; light heavyweights
- Alejandra Lara vs. Diana Avsaragova; flyweights
- Darrion Caldwell vs. Nikita Mikhailov; bantamweights
- Jornel Lugo vs. Jaylon Bates; bantamweights
- Isaiah Hokit vs. Peter Ishiguro; featherweights
- Ethan Hughes vs. Yusuf Karakaya; welterweights
