Bellator 269: The Line Up

One of the most decorated heavyweights to ever lace up a pair of MMA gloves returns as Fedor Emelianenko is set to headline Bellator 269 in Moscow, Russia against former UFC veteran Tim Johnson.

Main Card:

Fedor Emelianenko (39-6-0 1NC) vs Tim Johnson (15-7-0)

Coming off of his win nearly two years ago against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Fedor is looking to put together a win streak in the twilight of his career. Emelianenko has dropped two of his last five, but it’s worth noting that the 45 year old at one time held a 28 fight unbeaten streak (most notably through the ranks of Pride FC). On the other side of the cage, Tim Johnson will look to improve his Bellator record to 4-3 with a win over Fedor. Johnson is four months removed from his unanimous decision loss to Valentin Moldavsky in a bout that determined the Bellator Interim Heavyweight Champion. He is well known for his wrestling credentials, earning the honor of NCAA Division II All- American twice during his collegiate run for Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Vitaly Minakov (22-1-0) vs Said Sowma (7-2-0)

Former Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov will return for his first fight in over two years when he takes on #8 ranked Said Sowma. Vitaly suffered the first loss of his career when he was bested by Cheick Kongo in Feb. 2019, but soon after defeated Tim Johnson via KO. Ironically, the Russian will play curtain jerker to Johnson, mainly due to a lack of activity. Said Sowma will look to spoil the party in Moscow as one of 8 foreign fighters on this card to face off against a Russian fighter. Said is a product of American Top Team’s heavyweight class and is set to make his third appearance under the Bellator banner.

Usman Nurmagomedov (13-0-0) vs Patrik Pietilä (11-8-0)

One of the hottest prospects in MMA today, Usman Nurmagomedov will face off against Finnish veteran Patrik Pietilä. Usman had the privilege of coming up in the ranks alongside his fabled cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, along with an extremely talented crop of fighters that came out of Dagestan, Russia. According to many of his teammates and coaches at the American Kickboxing Academy, Usman has the potential to become a world-class fighter. Attempting to shatter that undefeated record is none other than Patrik Pietilä. Patrik has not fought since he made his promotional debut back in September of 2019, when he lost to Ryan Roddy via unanimous decision.

Anatoly Tokov (29-2-0) vs Sharaf Davlatmurodov (18-3-1)

To open up the main card, FedorTeam fighter Anatoly Tokov will face off against Sharaf Davlatmurodov. Davlatmurodov will be making his promotional debut for Bellator while also enjoying the momentum of a 6 fight win streak, making him a very live dog. Anatoly Tokov is also on a hot streak, posting a perfect 5-0 record since debuting with Bellator back in February of 2017. A key factor in this matchup is that Anatoly has not fought since his second round KO victory over Hracho Darpinyan in October of 2019. Although he is favored, that amount of time off is significant, especially against a red hot fighter like Davlatmurodov.

Preliminary Card:

Gadzhi Rabadanov (16-4-1) vs Alexander Belikh (9-4-0)

Bellator 269’s featured prelim will spotlight 1 of 2 fights on this card that pit two Russian fighters against one another. Gadzhi Rabadanov will look to improve his current win streak to 3 straight when he takes on Bellator newcomer Alexander Belikh. Rabadanov is a product of the newly founded Eagle Fighting Championship, and is coming off of a first round KO victory over Daniel Carey back in July. Belikh has not fought since he lost via unanimous decision in December of 2020, and has not fought more than once in a calendar year since 2016.

Aiden Lee (9-5-0) vs Alexander Osetrov (8-2-1)

Englishman Aiden Lee will face off against the Russian Alexander Osertov. Lee was submitted via anaconda choke back in June. In spite of his last result, Aiden is looking to get his first victory in over a year. Osterov is riding a three fight win streak heading into his Bellator debut including a two fight KO streak.

Grachik Bozinyan (11-4-0) vs Alexey Shurkevich (12-4-0)

Grachik Bozinyan is set to face his fellow countryman Alexey Shurkevich in their native Russia. Bozinyan has gone 1-1 with Bellator since his debut in 2019, and is coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Demarques Jackson back in April. Shurkevich is currently in the midst of a five fight win streak, including four wins in 2021. He is one of many fighters on this card making their promotional debut.

Brian Moore (14-7-0) vs Nikita Mikhailov (6-1-0)

Ireland’s own Brian Moore will head into enemy territory and face off against FedorTeam fighter Nikita Mikhailov. Moore has gone 5-3 since his Bellator debut back in 2016, which includes his current three fight win streak. The Wexford native is the lone fighter on this card to represent SBG Ireland. 22-year-old Mikhailov is attempting to earn his fourth straight victory in his first appearance since April of 2019. This will also be Nikita’s promotional debut.

Irina Alekseeva (3-1-0) vs Stephanie Ielo Page (5-2-0)

Irina Alekseeva will have home field advantage when she takes on Stephanie Ielo Page. Stephanie is proudly representing France on this card, and looking to bounce back from her split decision loss back in July. After winning 3 of 4 fights in 2019 to start off her career, Alekseeva is aiming to earn her first victory in over two years. Both athletes are making their promotional debut.

Darina Mazdyuk (4-1-0) vs Katarzyna Sadura (4-4-0)

Darina Mazdyuk will fight in her native Moscow, Russia when she takes on Katarzyna Sadura. Mazdyuk is riding a 3 fight win streak, including 2 victories by (T)KO. Sadura will represent Poland in what is her first fight since she lost via arm-triangle choke back in December of 2019. This event will mark both of their Bellator debuts.

Vladimir Tokov (6-1-0) vs Aymard Guih (15-11-1)

The opening bout of this card will feature Vladimir Tokov going up against Aymard Guih. Tokov is a member of FedorTeam and is coming off of the first loss of his career over a year ago. Veteran Aymard Guih will make his promotional debut whilst enjoying a 3 fight win streak. If Guih wins on Saturday, he will have produced the longest winning streak of his career.