Minakov makes a bold prediction for Emelianenko vs Johnson fight

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov shared his prediction for the fight of legendary compatriot Fedor Emelianenko against American Timothy Johnson. Their meeting will take place on October 23 at Bellator tournament in Moscow.

"Fedor has a speed advantage. He has very hard, heavy and fast punches. If Timothy can withstand the onslaught in the first round, he'll have a very high chance of dragging his opponent into the kind of close-cage wrestling that he's practically masterful at. Plus, Timothy is bigger, taller and heavier than Fedor.

"Fedor is quite an explosive and tough puncher. Timothy will miss in the opening minutes. I think Fedor will win exactly in the first round," Minakov said in an interview with the About MMA YouTube channel.