Fedor left early. The 55-year-old former UFC champion returns to MMA
Sergey Sorokin July 25, 2023, 1:00 p.m. Moscow time
Pat Miletich made his major league boxing debut last century.
The world of mixed martial arts never ceases to amaze. It seemed that Fedor Emelianenko, who finished his career at the age of 46, showed real miracles. And many criticized the Russian for deciding to leave too late. But now the Last Emperor has a worthy competitor. Pat Miletich unexpectedly decided to return to professional sports. The 55-year-old American intends to re-enter the Octagon.
Miletich is a legendary fighter who forever inscribed his name in the history of mixed martial arts. It’s scary to think about, but Pat had his first pro fight in 1995! And he ended up in the UFC in 1998. And just a few months later he won the welterweight championship belt. Then the American defended the belt four times, losing it only in 2001.
Pat tried to be champion again. But the title was taken by his friend and training partner Matt Hughes. Miletich did well and moved up to middleweight. True, there was no success. The American not only did not even come close to the title fight, but also received an injury that left the fighter out of professional sports for a long time.
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Miletich tried to return to MMA, but could not, he was tormented by injuries. He spent only two fights and ended his professional career. And in 2014, Pat was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. But martial arts never released the American. He is the trainer and owner of the Miletich Fighting Systems fight club and comments on tournaments. And most importantly, until 2020, Miletich performed according to the rules of kickboxing. Apparently, all this was not enough for Pat.
In the fall, the Caged Aggression promotion will hold a tournament, on the undercard of which the 55-year-old American will perform. Mike Jackson will be his opponent. Interestingly, Miletic’s 38-year-old compatriot also returns after a long period of inactivity. He had his last professional fight in July 2019 at the Bellator 224 tournament. It is curious that the fight ended with Jackson’s victory over Kiefer Crosby. The opponent landed a prohibited strike and was disqualified. Thus, the organization prepares the return of two veterans at the same time.
We remember the last fight of Emelianenko:
The last Emperor is defeated. Fedor lost to Bader without a chance
I wonder how long Miletich will last in professional sports after his return. And it would also be very interesting to see his confrontation with an experienced Russian – Alexander Shlemenko. First, Storm, 39, has no intention of ending his career. Second, Alexander also owns his own promotion. Or maybe even hold a battle between two leagues: Miletich Fighting Systems and Shlemenko Fighting Championship?
