Bellator 207/208 Headliners Comment On Controversy Surrounding UFC 229
This coming Friday and Saturday Night, a pair of semi-final bouts in the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix will take place as Ryan Bader faces Matt Mitrione at Bellator 207, while Chael Sonnen faces Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 208.
Controversy reared its ugly head this past weekend when UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov instigated a brawl between his team and Conor McGregor’s team following a fourth round submission win at UFC 229.
UFC veteran Matt Mitrione is a firm believer that when a fight is over, its over.
“Once the fight’s over, the fight’s over,” Mitrione said to USA Today. “I don’t really care enough about somebody I just beat.”
Chael Sonnen is also a veteran of the UFC and he believes that when the fight is over, both fighters issues with each other should be done with as well.
“When the bell rings, you shake hands and walk away,” said Sonnen. “You settle your dispute there, and sometimes you have a glorious moment, and sometimes you’ve got to hang your head like the skunk at the garden party. But either way, you shake hands and walk away.”
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader says that what happened at UFC 229 is bad for the sport of MMA.
“We’re not 100 percent mainstream,” he said. “People look at us like we’re hooligans, even though we’re not. I think it’s bad for the sport. Me personally, I’d like to see the sport keep evolving to the point where we’re looked at like other professional sports organizations.”
Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time, says that fighters need to learn how to control themselves.
“Fighters have a responsibility to act normally,” he stated. “It’s very important to be able to control yourself and never actually use your physical strength in everyday life.”
Bellator 207 takes place on Friday, October 12 from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut with Ryan Bader and Matt Mitrione headlining. Bellator 208 takes place on Saturday, October 13 from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York with Chael Sonnen and Fedor Emelianenko headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of both events, with a post-show podcast to follow on Saturday Night.
