Bellator announced Wednesday that they will be working with RIZIN to hold a card at the Saitama Super Arena on December 29th headlined by Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton Jackson. The news of the event and main event were reported earlier this week by Josh Gross of The Athletic.
After a pair of wins in 2018, the 43-year old Emelianenko is coming off a knockout loss by Ryan Bader this past January in the finals of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix. Jackson last fought in September 2018 defeating Wanderlei Silva by TKO in San Jose, California.
The card will see Jackson return to fight in Japan for the first time since his February 2012 loss to Ryan Bader at UFC 144. Since PRIDE went out of business in 2007, Emelianenko has fought three times in the country where he gained notoriety. His last fight in the country took place on New Year’s Eve 2015 for RIZIN when he defeated Jaideep Singh by TKO.
Bellator president Scott Coker noted in the press conference that there would be inter-promotional fights between Bellator and Rizin on the card. He added that it’s undecided if the show will feature fights inside a cage or a ring.
