Bellator 290 Results: Bader vs. Fedor 2

Bellator 290 took place on February 4, 2023, at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. Ryan Bader retained his heavyweight title by stopping Fedor Emelianenko in their rematch, which was billed as Emelianenko’s retirement fight. Johnny Eblen also defended his middleweight championship, and Brennan Ward won the other main-card bout.

Main Event: Bader vs. Emelianenko 2

Bader defeated Emelianenko by technical knockout at 2:30 of the first round. The champion had also stopped Emelianenko in their first meeting at Bellator 214 in 2019. The rematch again ended inside the opening round, leaving the heavyweight belt with Bader.

The farewell setting made this more than an ordinary title defense. Emelianenko entered as a celebrated veteran seeking one last championship success, while Bader’s responsibility was to win the contest in front of him. The result favored the defending champion decisively.

Middleweight Title: Eblen vs. Tokov

Eblen defeated Anatoly Tokov by unanimous decision. The judges returned scores of 50–45, 49–46 and 49–46. Unlike the heavyweight main event, the middleweight title fight required five complete rounds to settle the result.

Other Notable Results

Ward stopped Sabah Homasi by technical knockout at 1:34 of round two. Lorenz Larkin knocked out Mukhamed Berkhamov in the first round, supplying another notable finish away from the championship bouts.

Neiman Gracie defeated Dante Schiro by unanimous decision in a bout held after the main event. Steve Mowry and Ali Isaev fought to a unanimous draw, with all three judges scoring their heavyweight contest 28–28.

Event Perspective

Bellator 290 combined two successful title defenses with an emotional farewell. Its results are best understood within that specific night: Bader and Eblen retained their belts, while the supporting card delivered finishes, decisions and a draw.

Bader’s two meetings with Emelianenko both ended in first-round stoppages, but this rematch had the added context of Emelianenko’s announced retirement. Eblen’s five-round defense supplied a contrasting championship result: the middleweight title bout went to the scorecards. Together, the two title fights framed a card that combined a farewell, a successful defense and several finishes.

Sources

MMA Fighting: Bellator 290 results; Event results record.

Article Tags

Bellator, Bellator 290, Mixed Martial Arts