Scott Coker Says Fedor Doesn’t Need to Fight Again: ‘He’s Already the Heavyweight GOAT’

Fedor Emelianenko concluded his current Bellator contract on Saturday night, but he was unable to provide a storybook ending to his run through the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix.

Instead, Ryan Bader claimed the the vacant heavyweight throne in the Bellator 214 headliner with a 35-second stoppage of “The Last Emperor,” who had vanquished Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen to reach the final. A left hook from Bader — the first punch landed of the fight — sent Fedor to the canvas, and the UFC veteran finished his foe with a right hand as the Russian attempted to sit up.

“It’s never easy to see your friends get hit and get knocked out and get hurt,” said Bellator President Scott Coker at Saturday’s post-fight press conference (video via MMAjunkie.com.

The 42-year-old former Pride Fighting Championships star has lost just twice in his last nine outings, but the sobering nature of Saturday’s defeat had many questioning if the legend should call it a career. If it does end up being a swan song, that would be fine with Coker.

“That’s really up to him,” Coker said. “That’s really up to Fedor. I think that we had a relationship that lasted for many years, and he fought for me back in Strikeforce. And Fedor, he doesn’t have to fight again. He’s already done it all. He’s already the greatest heavyweight of all time. He’s had such a great run. But, really, it’s going to be up to him whether he decides to really put it to rest.”

As it stands, Emelianenko owns a 38-6 career mark that includes triumphs over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Mark Coleman (twice), Kevin Randleman, Mirko Filipovic, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia, among others. In Coker’s mind, the Russian’s legacy is already secure, regardless of what comes next.

“To me, he’s the GOAT,” Coker said. “And that’s it. It goes back to he’s a guy that’s fought everybody that he was presented with.”