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BY PATRICK AUGER
JAN 4, 2020
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.
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In the twilight of his career with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort had an idea: create a “Legends League” where older athletes who were past their prime or even retired could fight each other. According to Belfort, the league would be held within the promotion, giving “more opportunities so [older athletes] can make more revenue.” UFC Hall of Famer Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira supported the idea so long as there were no rule changes, stating that the concept “makes sense” for those close to hanging up the gloves and even for those who have already hung up the gloves but who still wish to compete for the financial incentives that are now available in the sport. The idea never gained any traction among UFC executives, however, fading into the background as nothing more than a blurb from an interview with an MMA legend.
While the UFC may have passed on Belfort’s vision, another promotion is essentially making it a reality. Bellator MMA hosted its last event of the year, Bellator Japan, on Dec. 28. The card featured a main event between two longtime veterans of the sport, Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton Jackson. Unsurprisingly, the bout lasted just under three minutes, with “The Last Emperor” landing a devastating right hand that sent Jackson to the canvas. While it first appeared that Emelianenko was hanging up the gloves after the match—again—he clarified that it would merely be his last bout in Japan and that he was planning on competing once more in the United States before ideally retiring in Russia in 2021.
The main event of Bellator’s end of the year event wasn’t the first time in the past few years that the promotion had two old warhorses go at it. In 2017, the organization renewed the rivalry between Wanderlei Silva and Chael Sonnen in a headlining bout at Bellator 180, a pay-per-view card which saw Douglas Lima defend the 170-pound belt in the show opener and Ryan Bader defend his light heavyweight championship on the prelims. Earlier that same year, Sonnen made his return to MMA after a four-year layoff in a match against Tito Ortiz, deemed a fight in the “'was relevant 5 years ago' division,” according to emails between UFC matchmakers. In 2018, Silva fought the aforementioned Jackson for their fourth bout spanning 15 years while Emelianenko faced off with former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the first round of the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix.
It may not be a formal league, but the amount of older name-value fighters who are still competing under the Bellator banner is certainly higher than most other organizations. All of the athletes mentioned so far in this article have stepped into the Bellator cage past the age of 40, and that doesn’t include other fighters on the promotion’s roster such as Roy Nelson, Matt Mitrione and former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. Although some of them have left the organization or seemingly retired for good this time around, many still plan on fighting into the next decade with no signs of stopping.
Read more at https://www.sherdog.com/news/articl...ends-League-Vitor-Belfort-Talked-About-168305