Fedor Emelianenko

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Emelianenko is thought by many to be the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world which comes as no surprise given his track record.

Even publications such as ESPN, Sherdog and MMA Weekly have noted him as such and have gone so far as to acclaim him the "baddest man on the planet."

Championships

He has been the Pride Heavyweight Championship holder and World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion, Fedor Emelianenko holds many other titles besides, five in fact, which is a feat no other MMA fighter has accomplished.

The list includes: the RINGS World Heavyweight and King of Kings Championships, the Pride World Heavyweight and Heavyweight Grand Prix Championships and the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship.

Born

Born on September 28, 1976 in Rubizhne, Lubansk in Ukrainian SSR, which is now Ukrain, Emelianenko and his family then moved to the Soviet Union when he was two.

He has an older sister and two younger brothers, one who is a professional MMA fighter named Aleksander and the youngest, Ivan, who practices Combat Sambo and plans to enter the MMA world in the near future. Emelianenko often trains with his younger brother.

Olympics

For two years, from 1995 to 1997, he served as a firefighter in the Russian Armed Forces and also graduated with honors from a trade school. He also carried the Olympic torch in Saint Petersburg in 2008.

Master

Fedor Emelianenko began his love for the Martial Arts in Sambo which is a modern martial art, Combat Sport and self-defense system developed in the Soviet Union.

The word "sambo" translates to mean "self-defense without a weapon". He also practiced Judo, a Japanese form of martial art which means "gentle sport". He excelled in both and earned the official certification of a "Master of Sports" in both.

In 1998, Emelianenko won a bronze medal in the Russian Judo Championship then started competition in Combat Sambo and mixed martial arts. Fedor grappling It was fighting for the Japanese RINGS organization that Emelianenko made his MMA debut.

RINGS was a wrestling organization that later turned into a mixed martial arts promotion. The rules of RINGS did not allow head strikes however which, oddly enough, turned out to be one of Emelianenko's main strengths.

First Loss

Early into his MMA career, on December 22, 2000, Fedor Emelianenko lost a fight. It was against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at the King of Kings 2000 Block B event. The bout was stopped because of an injury from an elbow strike to Fedor's head only 17 minutes into the fight.

The call was controversial and later replayed to prove the strike was actually illegal. Under RING rules as elbow strikes are not allowed unless elbow pads are being worn.

The fight could not be rematched or protested since it was part of a tournament, another RINGS' rule. Emelianenko was unable to proceed due to injuries and the tournament was won by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria.

The fight is Fedor's one and only loss and is ignored by many since it originated from an illegal action on Kohsaka's part.

Pride

Emelianenko went on to win the King of Kings tournament in 2002. Six months later, on June 23, he made his debut with Pride at Pride 21.

He defeated Semmy Schilt by unanimous decision and went on to take Heath Herring in the first round earning him the right to contend for the heavyweight title.

Pride Bushido 6 was Fedor's chance for revenge against Kohsaka.

The event took place in Yokohama, Japan on April 3, 2005 and matches were limited to only two rounds. Emelianenko rose to the occasion and won by TKO in the first round.

Pride 25 was yet another avenge. In the event entitled "Body Blow", on March 16, 2003 in Yokohama, Japan, Fedor Emelianenkowas set to fight against Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira who had won the King of Kings 2000.

Emelianenko went in as the underdog but, wasted no time in showing his stuff by not only surviving Nogueira's famous guard and submission attempts but going on to ground and pound Nogueira, dominating him for a full 20 minutes.

Fedor Emelianenko took the match by unanimous decision, earning him the Pride Heavyweight Championship title. He holds the title to this day.

Professional wrestler and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuyuki Fujita was Emelianenko's first opponent as he set out to defend his title in Pride 26, only three months later. Though Emelianenko was expected to win, hands down, the fight would prove much more suspenseful.

Fujita Fight

Fujita almost took him TKO by a right hook which took Fedor totally by surprise. Stunned and injured by the move, Emelianenko did manage to not only get back up, but to knock Fujita down with a body kick punch combo. He won by submission 4:17 into the first round with a rear naked choke, a chokehold applied from the opponent's back which is a popular move in Judo.

Later, Fedor Emelianenko would be quoted as saying, "Fujita is the only one who ever hit me right, and he hit hard!" Fedor vs Big Daddy

Total Elimination

Pride: Total Elimination 2003 was Fedor's next event. It was in , Japan on August 10, 2003 and was the quarterfinals of the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix tournament in which the four winners would go on to Pride Final Conflict 2003.

Emelianenko faced off with Gary "big Daddy Goodridge" at the event and easily won by referee stoppage after he creamed him with standing combinations and his signature ground and pound finished the job.

Fedor Emelianenko did not come out of the fight unscaled though. He broke his hand and actually had to have surgery on it.

Outraged Pride

In a near repeat performance, Fedor Emelianenko then beat Japanese professional wrestler, Yuji Nagata at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003. Knocking Nagata to the ground and winning only one minute and two seconds into the bout.

The fight sent the managers of Pride into a fury however because it was on the same night as their event, Shockwave 2003. Fedor had fought at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye instead of at Shockwave due to a higher purse which outraged Pride.

Nevertheless, Fedor Emelianenko fought again for Pride in Total Elimination: 2004 on April 25 in Japan. The event was actually the first round in the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix.

Up against former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Mark Coleman, the fight started our rocky but Fedor gave it his famous comeback, pulled guard and applied an armbar 2:11 into the first round. Fedor Emelianenko won by submission.

Emeliaenko wasted no time in returning to the ring. Two months later he fought Kevin "The Monster" Randleman, a Division 1 Wrestling Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion. It was round two for the Grand Prix Tournament. Randleman came on strong, taking Fedor down early on and then slamming him with a German suplex, or belly to back suplex as it is technically known.

But Fedor Emelianenko would not be had. He applied a kimura armlock on Randleman and a little over a minute into the first round and won via submission.

Winning Streak Continues

And it just kept getting better. Fedor's next opponent was Olympic Silver Medalist and six time All-Japan Champion, Naoya Ogawa. The fight was on August 15, 2004 and was the semifinals of the 2004 Grand Prix tournament.

In only fifty-four seconds into the first round, an armbar won Fedor Emelianenko the right to advance to the Nogueira fight, a much anticipated face off since the two had tangled before in Pride 25.

The bout would determine the 2004 Grand Prix winner. Though both fighters gave it their all, the fight was stopped when the two accidentally clashed heads on the ground, causing a severe cut on Fedor's head. The fact that Ogawa refused to touch gloves with Fedor Emelianenko remains a hot topic to this day.

But the two would meet again at Shockwave 2004. This time Emelianenko applied a new stategy. He would avoid the ground with Noguerira and instead, overpower him on his feet and beat him to the punch.

Successful in his plan, Fedor dominated the first nine minutes of the fight with punches and Judo throws. Five minutes into the fifth round, Fedor Emelianenko won via unanimous decision. Fedor 2

Filipovic

In a much awaited fight, Fedor then went up against Pride's number one heavyweight contender, a top former K-1 fighter, Mirko "Cro-Cop" Filipovic.

Filipovic had just joined MMA and was already quite popular making him "the one to beat" for Fedor. Filipovic had also defeated Fedor's younger brother, Aleksander so the fight was definitely a personal one.

The confrontation took place at Pride Final Conflict 2005.

As with so many of Fedor's past brawls, the fight took a rough start. Two jabs not only stunned Fedor but broke his nose and to add insult to injury, he received a round of body kicks that pained and discolored his midsection.

But when the going gets tough, Fedor gets going. Once he was able to land Filipovic to the ground, he applied body shots that eventually got the best of Filipovic and twenty minutes into the fight, Fedor was victorious by unanimous decision.

Zulzinho

One of Fedor's most impressive fights was on New Year's Eve that same year when he went up against Brazilian Zuluzinho who weighed in at 450 pounds.

It was a non-title. A right hook by Fedor sent Zuluzinho down. The job was finished by some serious ground-and-pounding and the fight was Fedor's after 26 seconds.

The Marks

A rematch with Mark Coleman took place at PRIDE 32: The Real Deal in October of 2006. Coming on strong, Fedor won the fight 1:15 into the first round with punches and an armbar.

Mark Hunt was Fedor's next contendor. It was Emelianenko's last defense of his Pride Heavyweight title. Hunt was the 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix champion.

The event was Shockwave 2006. Though Fedor fought with a broken toe, we managed to secure an armbar against Hunt early on then blocked two attempts Junt placed for an americano on his left arm.

Eight minutes and sixteen seconds into the first round, Fedor submitted Hunt with the Jiu-jitsu hold, a kimura, and won the bout.

Clash

On April 14, 2007 at an event called the "Clash of the Nations" in St. Petersburg, Russia, Fedor fought Matt Lindland in a BodogFight, a once popular but now defunct organization.

As usual, things went bad for Fedor early in the fight. Lindland reopened a cut above Emelianenko's eye, pushed him into the corner and attempted to take him down.

Fedor was faring so poorly, the referee had to warn him against holding the ropes. Lindland then lifted Fedor off his feet while attempting a bodylock takedown but Fedor took advantage of landing in Lindland's halfguard and took the fight to the ground.

He would use an armbar to win the fight via submission two minutes and fifty-eight seconds into the first round.The Japan based organization, Pride, was sold in March of 2007 and Fedor's contract was up.

UFC?

It was speculated that Emelianenko would fight for the UFC but negotiations ran into complications and Fedor went with the organization, M-1 Global, for a two-year 6 fight contract instead.

On New Year's Eve of 2007 in an event entitled Yarennoka!, Fedor fought Hong_Man Choi, a South Korean kickboxer. The event was in Japan and was actually organized by the former Pride staff.

In this event, it was decided that no knee strikes to the ground would be allowed. The fight was highly publicized and widely viewed. Emelianenko took Choi by submission due to an armbar one minute and fifty-four seconds into the first round.

On July 19, 2008 Emelianenko fought in an event called Aflliction: Banned which was co-sponsored by the clothing company, Affliction He went up against UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim Sylvia. Thrity-six seconds into the first round, Fedor Emelianenko packed a series of punches and ended with a rear naked choke hold to beat Sylvia via submission.

Fedor then won the title of World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Champion. Fedor ground and pound

Title Bout

In a title defending bout, Fedor then took on Andrei Arlovski, the UFC Heavyweight Champion, on January 24, 2009 in Anaheim, California.

The fight was called Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Arlovshi came out punching and kicking but was put into place by Emelianenko with an overhand right which knocked Arlovshi out.

Three minutes and fourteen seconds into the first round Fedor was declared the winner, TKO.

Fedor then participated in a five minute "special exhibition" in April where he entered the ring against the WAMMA lightweight champ, Shinya Aoki. Fedor put on a quick Achilles lock causing Aoki to tap out.

In a more friendly bout, Fedor met up with teammate, Gegard Mousasi at M-1 Global: Breakthrough in Kansas City. Emelianenko used an armbar to win the fight.

Fedor was then to defend his title against Josh Barnett in August of 2009 but Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion, tested positive for steroids. The event was canceled.

On November 7, 2009, Fedor fought the undefeated, Brett Rogers at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers. Rogers bloodied Emelianenko's nose early in the fight but Fedor won by TKO 1:48 into the second round.
For the first time in ten years, Fedor suffered a loss.

It was on June 26, 2010 against Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum. Just when it seemed Emelianenko was taking care of business as usual, knocking Werdum down very early in the first round, Werdum succeeded in a deep triangle then secured an armbar from his guard. Fedor had to tap.

It was Fedor's first non-controversial loss and a huge upset as well.

After the fight, Fedor was quoted as saying, The one who doesn't fall never stands up. It happened that people made me an idol. But everybody loses. I'm just a human being. And if it's God's will next fight, I'll win."

"Yes, maybe it's the last time," he said to a stunned audience. "Maybe it's high time. Thanks for everything. I spent a great beautiful long sport life. Maybe it's God's will."

And...maybe it is!

Or...maybe not! In January of 2011 Fedor agreed to enter the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva would be his opponent. On February 12, the two faced off and after a very close first round, Silva turned it around. Silve ground-and pounded Fedor until the ringside doctors called a stopage to the fight.

Dan Henderson was next on Fedor's list. On July 30 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson, the two fought. The bout began with both throwing punches. Fedor knocked Henderson down with strikes but he was able to overcome and get back up. Then Henderson took his turn and though he knocked Fedor out, contined to pound. The referee jumped in and made Henderson stop. It would be Fedor's third loss in a row.

It was speculated that Emelianenko was "released" from Strikeforce. Dana White reportedly confirmed that while Fedor denied it. Whichever way it went, Fedor fought Jeff Monson at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson. The event took place on November 20, 2011 at the Olympic Arena in Moscow, Russia, Fedor's home country. Emelianenko celebrated by winning via unanimous decision.

And then there was Japan. Fedor went up against Olympic judoka gold medalist, Satoshi Ishii at He competed at Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoko 2011 and won by KO in the first round.

Where is he now?

Fedor Emelianenko has two daughters, one born in 1999 to his ex-wife, Oksana and one born in 2007 to his current wife, Marina.

Along with being a father, Fedor enjoys the arts such as reading, music, and drawing. He continues to train several times a day to maintain and improve his sambo and judo skills. He also regularly attends church.

What does Fedor wear?