Well, that’s a bummer.
Following a brush with the law that reportedly saw Aleksander Emelianenko punch an elderly man in Russia, the fighter has been pulled from his Nov. 8 rematch with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
Fighters Only reported that Emelianenko will be replaced by Alexey Oleinik, a Russian fighter with a 47-9 record, according to the report.
“This is one of the top Russian heavyweights in MMA,” said Ruslan Suleymanov, the promoter for the MMA event, told Fighters Only. “Oleynik won many times over the last few months. With Alexei we can expect a very good fight.”
Although he praised Oleinik, Suleymanov admitted that many will be disappointed with Emelianenko’s absence.
“Of course, replacing Aleksander with Alexei will upset some people, while others will be pleased,” he said. “People are different. Aleksander is an infamous athlete and person so he has fans and detractors in equal measure.”
Legends 2 will take place in Russia.
