'Bellator 198 Countdown,' No. 1: Fedor returns to 'the place where I became the man I am now'

Bellator MMA’s heavyweight grand prix continues this month, and the promotion is rolling out a special two-part series previewing the highly anticipated matchup between Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir.

Ex-PRIDE FC champion Emelianenko (36-5 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) meets former UFC champ Mir (18-11 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in Bellator 198’s main event at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on April 28. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on MMAjunkie.

In the first edition of “Bellator Countdown,” Emelianenko travels home to Stary Oskol in Belgorod Oblast, Russia – “the place where I became the man I am now” – to train with his team. Meanwhile, Mir polishes his boxing at Floyd Mayweather’s gym in Las Vegas and makes an appearance on Brendan Schaub’s “Below the Belt” showtime.

Check out the video above and take a look behind the scenes at how both of these athletes are preparing for their quarterfinal matchup.

And for more on Bellator 198, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.