Fedor Emelianenko

Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko (born 28 September 1976) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist (MMA), sambist, and judoka and politician.

Emelianenko was born in 1976 in the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.

In 1978, when he was two, his family moved within the Soviet Union to Stary Oskol, Belgorod of the Russian SFSR.

His mother, Olga Fedorovna, was a teacher, and his father, Vladimir Alexandrovich, was a welder.

At age 11, Emelianenko began to practice sambo and judo under the tutelage of Vasily Ivanovich Gavrilov.

A year later, he was admitted to sport classes taught by Vladimir Voronov, a coach who worked with him.

According to Voronov, Emelianenko did not stand out from his peers initially but would achieve future success thanks to his own perseverance and hard work for many years.

Emelianenko finished high school in 1991 and graduated with honors from a professional trade school as an electrician in 1994.

From 1995–97, he served in the Russian Army as a military firefighter and then as a member of the tank division near Nizhny Novgorod.

His parents divorced during this time.

In 1997, Emelianenko received the certification of "Master of Sport" in judo and sambo.

He also became part of the Russian national team.

Emelianenko's partial record in judo was 12 wins and 7 losses in 1999-2000.

Emelianenko began his MMA career on May 21, 2000, compiling four straight victories before a controversial loss in December 2000.

In 2000, due to a lack of money, Emelianenko left the Russian national team and began to compete professionally in mixed martial arts.

Emelianenko began his mixed martial arts as a member of Russian Top Team (RTT), a stable linked to Fighting Network RINGS where he trained under senior members like Volk Han and Andrei Kopylov.

After his bout with Gary Goodridge, the Emelianenko brothers left Russian Top Team and began to train in St. Petersburg with Red Devil Sport Club, managed by Vadim Finkelchtein.

Emelianenko suffered his first loss in a controversial bout against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at the King of Kings 2000 Block B event on 22 December 2000, via doctor stoppage due to a cut 17 seconds into the fight.

Footage shows that the cut was caused by a missed looping punch where Kohsaka's elbow struck Emelianenko's head.

Emelianenko said that this elbow reopened a cut sustained in his previous fight against Ricardo Arona.

The controversy surrounding the loss was due to the fact elbow strikes were illegal for the event.

After defeating Renato Sobral in an elimination bout, Emelianenko fought for the World Heavyweight Class Championship against Bobby Hoffman the same night.

However, Hoffman refused to fight Emelianenko, asserting he had sustained an injury to his shoulder during his previous match, and forfeited.

Emelianenko was awarded the win by default and he was given the RINGS Heavyweight Class Championship.

Entering the Pride Fighting Championships on the heels of winning the RINGS King of Kings 2002 tournament, Emelianenko debuted at Pride 21 on 23 June 2002 against the 6 ft, 256 lb Dutch fighter Semmy Schilt, whom he defeated by unanimous decision.

His next opponent was heavyweight Heath Herring, in a contest to establish the number-one heavyweight contender.

Emelianenko, considered an underdog, dominated Herring with ground-and-pound, winning by doctor-stoppage after the first round.

Emelianenko was the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion from 2003 to the organisation's closure in 2007, a four-time combat sambo world champion, a seven-time combat sambo national champion, and two-time Russian national judo bronze medalist, among other championships and accolades.

He also competed in RINGS, Strikeforce, M-1 Global, Rizin, and Bellator MMA, and is regarded as the most prominent fighter never to compete in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).

Emelianenko is widely considered to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, consistently ranked as the top heavyweight fighter from 2003 until 2010, and the best fighter of the 2000s.

Emelianenko's career helped popularize the sport of MMA in his home country of Russia after gaining attention in Japan, South Korea, the United States, and worldwide.

Emelianenko was unbeaten in his next 28 fights up until June 2010, including wins over four former UFC champions, one PRIDE champion, one former and two future K-1 champions, and two Olympic medalists.

Emelianenko began his political career in 2010, being elected as a deputy of the Belgorod Regional Duma.

He subsequently became president of the Russian MMA Union (later honorary president and chairman of the supervisory board), and a staff member of Russia's Council of Physical Fitness & Sports.

He originally retired in June 2012 before making his return in December 2015.

Emelianenko retired for the second and final time on February 4, 2023, with a record of 41 wins, 7 losses, and 1 no contest.

Finkelchtein would remain his manager up until his first retirement in mid 2012.

Emelianenko is also a member of the VOS gym in the Netherlands, where he trains with Johan Vos and Lucien Carbin.

Emelianenko has trained with the likes of Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong, and Denis Lebedev.

Voronov died in August 2020 due to complications caused by coronavirus.