Two of the world’s top heavyweights are set to clash this Saturday night at Bellator 172 in San Jose. Matt “Meathead” Mitrione (11-5, 10 KO) -- a former NFL defensive tackle -- challenges MMA legend Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (36-4, 11 KO) in the main event.
“Fedor has been considered the GOAT for a long while,” Mitrione said in a recent interview with CSNBayArea.com. “He’s that way because he beat the best names in the sport while they were in their primes, and he beat them every way possible.”
In 2003, Mitrione was a member of the New York Giants team that squandered a 24-point lead to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card at Candlestick park. He later joined the 49ers for a brief stint in 2004.
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SIGN UP HERE Mitrione, who put the request to face Fedor if he came out of retirement into his contract, signed on for the fight without knowing who he would face or when and where he would face them. When Fedor was revealed as his opponent, Mitrione was over the moon.
"I'm a heavyweight. If a heavyweight fight goes the distance, something went wrong. Somebody didn't hold up their end of the bargain," Mitrione said.
Bellator 172 also features a pair of mixed martial arts staples here in Northern California. San Jose’s Josh “The Punk” Thomson looks to improve his lightweight contender status against Patricky Freire and Fresno’s Josh Koscheck makes his promotional debut versus Mauricio Alonso.