Fedor Emelianenko reveals he has no regrets about never fighting in the UFC: “I fought many UFC champions and I was beating them all”

Days away from ending his career, Fedor Emelianenko has no regrets.

‘The Last Emperor’ is set to make the final walk this Saturday night at Bellator 290. In the main event, the Russian will look to avenge his defeat to Ryan Bader. ‘Darth’ knocked out Emelianenko in round one in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2019.

Win, lose or draw, the former PRIDE champion’s legacy is secure as one of the greatest fighters ever. However, as Emelianenko winds down his lengthy career, discussions about the UFC naturally begin. Despite several meetings with the promotion, he never fought in the octagon.

In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour alongside Ariel Helwani, Fedor Emelianenko reflected on his discussions with the UFC. There, the heavyweight legend stated that he has no regrets in regard to never fighting in the promotion. It’s hard to blame him, as he defeated all the former UFC champions he fought in his career.

Also during the interview, the former PRIDE champion reflected on his one meeting with Dana White. Emelianenko made it clear that he didn’t enjoy the meeting, and he’s not sure why it even happened.

“I’m looking at this from a bit of a different perspective,” Fedor Emelianenko said on The MMA Hour. “If it was supposed to happen, it [would’ve happened]. If it didn’t happen, then it didn’t happen. I fought many UFC champions [in my career] and I was beating them all, so it doesn’t really bother me that I didn’t fight there.” (h/t MMA Fighting)

He continued, “We met once. I didn’t know what the point of that meeting was. I had a current contract with Strikeforce while Dana White was offering me a new contract with the UFC. If I signed that contract, I would’ve been stuck, I would’ve had to go to court, and I wouldn’t have been able to fight for UFC or Strikeforce.”

“I was on vacation on an island and Dana White came. There was nothing good there.”

What do you make of these comments? Are you excited about Fedor Emelianenko’s final fight at Bellator 290? Sound off in the comment section below PENN Nation!