EMELIANENKO SEEKS REDEMPTION
Famed heavyweight returns to U.S. soil six years after enduring losing streak
More than 17 years after his legendary mixed martial arts career began, heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko is as stoic as ever ahead of his most important fight in years.
In a sport in which the outrageous and arrogant are seemingly rewarded with riches and fame, Emelianenko’s calm, peaceful demeanor has gone unchanged throughout his storied career.
The Russian is soft spoken and rarely displays emotion, but when this otherwise unsuspecting fighter steps onto a fighting canvas, he has proved to be one of MMA’s most successful and dominant competitors.
Emelianenko (36-4) is a man of faith who carries a workmanlike attitude into each bout. Scheduled to fight Matt Mitrione (11-5) in the co-headliner of Saturday’s Bellator pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden (10 p.m. ET), Emelianenko’s perspective hasn’t changed for his first U.S. bout since 2011.
“I’m not a fan of extremes,” he told USA TODAY Sports through an interpreter. “I don’t have many personal ambitions. Fighting for me? (It’s) a job that’s work. It’s the work that brings wealth to my family.”
Emelianenko’s dominance was at its peak in the mid-2000s, when the 40-year-old was champion of now-defunct Pride Fighting Championships. He went undefeated in 15 fights with the Japanese promotion and beat many of the best fighters of his era, often in spectacular fashion.
Once considered the sport’s pound-for-pound king, Emelianenko eventually brought his skills to the USA, and his aura of invincibility took a hit. After 33 fights with only a controversial loss on his record, Emelianenko dropped three consecutive contests with Strikeforce, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s chief rival (until merging), from 2010 to 2011.
He then returned to Russian and Japanese promotions, winning three consecutive fights before retiring in June 2012. Emelianenko returned to fight in late 2015.
Emelianenko’s comeback has been successful. He’s 2-0, and he’ll have the chance to redeem himself on U.S. soil Saturday.
“Hopefully Fedor is back to be- ing the awesome, badass Fedor that he’s always been,” said Mitrione, who’s facing the most prominent foe of his career.
Emelianenko says the chance to perform again in the country where MMA is most prominent is an honor he doesn’t take lightly.
“Certainly, I enjoy being here, because it was here that MMA was developed and it was acknowledged as a big sport,” he says. “It was here much earlier than in Asia. The UFC existed before PRIDE, so it’s a really great opportunity. The audience, the fans are real experts in fights.”
Emelianenko says that despite being older he hasn’t altered his approach. He says he always has nagging injuries, but he’s physically prepared for battle. He wants to win as fast as possible against ex-NFL player Mitrione, a longtime UFC heavyweight who has a noticeable size advantage.
Beating Mitrione would mark Emelianenko’s most significant win of the last half-decade. But he’s not looking to reclaim his former prestige and glory. He said he’s simply supporting his family.
Should he win, additional marquee fights are certainly on the horizon, including a potential bout for the currently vacant Bel- lator heavyweight belt. But as the story of his career goes, he’s not going to follow the trend of talking trash or calling out someone to advance his position.
Emelianenko wants to continue fighting for as long as possible, but as someone who says he puts his belief in God’s plan, he won’t predict his future.
“I have a strong wish to continue fighting,” he says. “But we’ll be making decisions based on my feelings and health after the fight.”
“I have a strong wish to continue fighting. But we’ll be making decisions based on my feelings and health.” 40-year-old fighter Fedor Emelianenko