Former Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko shared his expectations for the fight of Alexander Emelianenko and Artem Tarasov.
"The fight of Emelianenko and Tarasov is not by the rules and not within the MMA promotion. Everyone has their own motivation and meaning to participate in such fights. Now there is a whole pop-MMA industry that is holding these fights. It's a pretty normal fight for the pop MMA.
"Artem Tarasov has little chance, I think many would agree. It may be a fixed fight, but then what's the point? Who benefits from it? If we assume people bet on the clear underdog, i.e. Tarasov, and he wins... But I have doubts he'll win.
"I wouldn't attribute the Emelianenko-Tarasov fight to the MMA industry. Pop MMA has different rules, after all. MMA is a professional sport, recognized by Russia and the Ministry of Sports, there is an MMA union that conducts official competitions. Pop MMA is a pure show that has little to do with the sport," Shlemenko said.
Emelianenko-Tarasov fight will take place on September 18 at the show of "Our Cause" organization in Moscow. The fight will be held by the rules of fist fight, but with MMA gloves.