With the nickname “Baby Fedor,” you can imagine the significance of Kirill Sidelnikov earning a win while sharing a card with the legend himself, Fedor Emelianenko.
Sidelnikov (13-6 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) was impressive Saturday at Bellator 269 as he pummeled Rab Truesdale for a TKO win in the first round of their heavyweight bout at VTB Arena in Moscow.
The victory marked Sidelnikov’s first fight in two years and his first finish in almost six years. The fact that it happened on the same night Emelianenko headlined (and won impressively), and in front of his home country fans, made it that much sweeter.
“When you’re fighting on the same card with Fedor, it’s a different kind of responsibility,” Sidelnikov told reporters afterward through a translator. “You can’t just lose, because you’re fighting with your friend on Team Fedor, you need to defend the honor of Team Fedor, you need to defend the honor of your friend, so yeah, that was important.”
It didn’t hurt that Sidelnikov felt some fortune on his side, either.
“Although I know how to punch really well, and I know how to do that, today I feel like it was my lucky day,” Sidelnikov said. “I feel like some sort of luck was involved in this fight.”
Sidelnikov, now on a two-fight winning streak, isn’t sure what comes next for him, but the hope is that he isn’t on another long layoff.
“I do not have a name in mind, but I’m certainly ready for the future fights,” Sidelnikov said. “I’m certainly ready for anything else Bellator can throw at me. Hopefully the situation with (obtaining a visa) is going to be resolved soon. We’ll just see.”
