Emelianenko explains why he chose Johnson over Dos Santos or Werdum

Legendary MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko explained why he chose Timothy Johnson out of all suggested opponents to fight at Bellator 269 .

"That same Dos Santos had a string of losses and was fired from the UFC. I also know there was a desire for Fabricio Werdum and other fighters. But I looked at them and noticed that they had a number of losses. Bellator offered [options], but there were no specifics - that there was time, but the final choice will be made later. And when Valentin [Moldavsky] fought off Timothy, Bellator offered to fight Timothy," Emelianenko said.

The Bellator 269 tournament will be held on October 23 in Moscow.