Emelianenko loses to Bader in his MMA finale
Fedor Emelianenko lost his final mixed martial arts bout Saturday night when Ryan Bader stopped him halfway through the first round with a relentless ground-and-pound finish at Bellator 290 at the Forum.
Emelianenko, 46, said he is ending a storied 23-year MMA career with this bout, and he ceremonially laid down his gloves in the cage in the familiar martial arts gesture by a retiring fighter.
The much-loved Russian MMA pioneer is one of the most compelling fighters in the still-young sport’s history, and the crowd was firmly behind a perennial fan favorite known as the Last Emperor.
Bader knocked down Emelianenko with a punch that connected with the back of his head one minute into the opening round. Bader quickly pounced on Emelianenko and never let him up, gradually hammering his guard with dozens of blows until the referee stopped the punishment 2:30 into the round.
“On the one side, I’m sad I didn’t deliver on the fight as I wanted to,” Emelianenko said through a translator. “But on the other side, I’m so happy that all these fans and all these veteran fighters are here cheering for me.”
In New York, Amanda Serrano (44-2-1, 30 KOs) wore down a bloody Erika Cruz (15-2) and won a unanimous decision to become the undisputed featherweight champion and set up a rematch with lightweight champion
Fried settles for $13.5-million deal
Pitcher Max Fried lost to the Atlanta Braves in salary arbitration on Saturday, and will make $13.5 million in the upcoming season instead of his $15-million request.
Mark Burstein, Fredric Horowitz and Jeanne Vonhof issued their decision a day after hearing arguments. Despite the defeat, the former Harvard-Westlake star matched the $13.5 million Gerrit Cole won in 2019 as the highest decided by an arbitration panel.
Fried won a $6.85-million salary last year in arbitration instead of the team’s $6.6-million proposal.
He followed former Atlanta teammate Dansby Swanson in going to a hearing in consecutive years. Swanson, a shortstop, lost in 2021 and won last year, then signed a $177-million, sevenyear contract with the Chicago Cubs.
Josh Jacobs, who led the NFL in yards rushing this season, said he expects to begin speaking with Las Vegas Raiders management this week about a possible new contract . ... Maryland’s Chris Ryland kicked four field goals and Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener passed for 139 yards and a touchdown to lead the National team to a 27-10 victory over the American team in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala . ... Brian Schottenheimer was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys after serving the past season as a consultant for the team.
The United States swept its way into the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals, getting the winning point in a 4-0 victory over Uzbekistan from the doubles team of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek . ... In Hua Hin, Thailand, Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine reached her first final in four years after the top-seeded Bianca Andreescu retired with a shoulder injury during their semifinal match at the Thailand Open. She will face Zhu Lin of China in the final Sunday.
Swiss skier Ramon Zenhaeusern beat unheralded AJ Ginnis in Chamonix, France, to win the last men’s World Cup slalom before the world championships . ... Germany took first and second in the women’s bobsled world championship, while Kaillie Humphries of the U.S. claimed bronze in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
The Washington Capitals signed winger Sonny Milano to a three-year extension worth $5.7 million.
Retired longtime Associated Press sports writer Denne H. Freeman, whose 32 years with the AP included covering all five Super Bowl titles won by the Dallas Cowboys and many golf majors, has died after a series of health issues. He was 86.