Fedor Emelianenko reacts after suffering TKO loss in retirement fight against Ryan Bader

Fedor Emelianenko took his final bow at Bellator 290, and he has spoken out following his rematch with Ryan Bader.

Emelianenko and Bader collided inside the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California this past Saturday night (February 4). “Darth” was putting the Bellator Heavyweight Championship on the line. Ultimately, Bader successfully retained the gold via first-round TKO. The Bellator 290 main event was the final fight in Emelianenko’s farewell tour.

After the fight, Emelianenko discussed the bittersweet feeling of his final pro MMA bout (via MMAJunkie.com).

“On one side, I’m sad, of course, that I didn’t deliver in the fight like I wanted to,” Emelianenko said. “But on the other, I’m so happy that all these people are here cheering for me, and all these veteran fighters that walked the path with me for almost the last 20 years are here to greet me. I’m very happy. I’m so happy to see all the fighters that are here to support me. Thank you so much.”

Emelianenko was joined inside the cage by fellow MMA legends such as Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman, Frank Shamrock, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and Matt Hughes to name a few.

“The Last Emperor” ends his pro MMA career with a record of 40-7, 1 NC. Throughout his legendary career, Emelianenko has beaten the likes of Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, and “Rampage” Jackson.

At one point, Emelianenko was considered to be unstoppable in the heavyweight division. He had a record of 31-1, 1 NC going into his June 26, 2010 bout with Fabricio Werdum. “Vai Cavalo” stunned the MMA world when he submitted Fedor Emelianenko in the first round. Emelianenko went 9-5 after suffering that massive upset defeat.