Jump to content

Fedor Emelianenko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ProfMA (talk | contribs) at 20:49, 9 May 2007 (Undid revision 129602931 by 158.52.254.237 (talk)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:MMAstatsbox Fedor Emelianenko (IPA: ['fʲodər jemilʲja'nʲenkə], Russian: Фёдор Емельяненко), born September 28,1976), is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter and the current PRIDE World Heavyweight Champion. He has been the reigning heavyweight champion in PRIDE since March 16 2003.

Fedor has been considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last four years by many major MMA publications,[1][2][3][4] with notable wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Filipović, Mark Hunt, Mark Coleman and, most recently, over Matt Lindland.

He is a three time World Sambo Champion, the 2002 World Combat Sambo heavyweight champion, the 2002 World Combat Sambo open-weight champion, 2005 and 2007 World Combat Sambo heavyweight champion. He was also the 2002 Russian Combat Sambo Champion. He was the 1998 bronze medalist in the Russian Judo championships open-weight division and the 1999 bronze medalist at the Moscow International Judo Tournament heavyweight division. He is also the RINGS: King of Kings 2001 heavyweight tournament champion and the RINGS: King of Kings 2002 open-weight tournament champion. He was also the PRIDE 2004 World Grand Prix Champion.

Biography

Fedor Emelianenko was born in 1976 in the Rubezhnoe town in Luhansk region[5], presently a part of Ukraine (part of the Soviet Union at the time). Fedor's family moved to Stary Oskol, Russia in 1978. His mother, Olga Feodorovna, is a teacher. His father, Vladimir Alexandrovich, is a gas-electric welder. Fedor is the second child in the family and has an older sister, Marina, and two younger brothers, Aleksander (born 1981) and Ivan (born 1988). Aleksander is also an MMA fighter in PRIDE, and Ivan is currently in training, though Ivan doesn't train at the level at which Fedor trains.[6]

Fedor finished high school in 1991 and graduated with honors from a professional trade school in 1994. From 1995 until 1997, Emelianenko served in the Russian Army as a military firefighter[7].

In 1999 he married his wife, Oksana, who had their first daughter, Masha, in the same year. In his spare time, Fedor has stated he likes the sun and going to the beach. He has stated he likes art and some of his paintings can be viewed on his official website.

Martial arts background & training regimen

Emelianenko's enthusiasm for fighting began with Sambo and Judo. He initially trained under Vasiliy Ivanovich Gavrilov, and later under his current coach, Vladimir Mihailovich Voronov. Voronov remembers that ten-year-old Fedor was relatively weak physically and did not have an innate grappling talent; instead, Fedor's biggest strength was his perseverance and strong will.[8]

Emeliananko's official biography erroneously states that he trained in Sambo during his army years. However, Fedor has specified in his 2005 Amsterdam interview[9] that this is incorrect, and his training in the army was limited to running and strength training in a makeshift gym he put together himself.

In 1997, Emelianenko received the official certification of a "Master of Sports" in Sambo and Judo and became part of the Russian national team.[10] Fedor earned a bronze medal in the 1998 Russian Judo Championship. In 2000, he started studying striking with arms and legs under coach Alexander Vasilievich Michkov. Fedor started competing in combat sambo and mixed martial arts in 2000, because he "didn't have any money".[11]

Fedor used to weight train extensively, but in 1999 he almost completely substituted his weight exercises with sport-specific training in grappling, boxing and kick-boxing. His strength training consists of daily pull-ups, push ups on parallel bars, and crunches.[12] Emelianenko also runs 12-15 kilometers (7.5 - 9.3 miles) every day.[13] Fedor is a proponent of high altitude training, and he travels to Kislovodsk, Russia with his team once or twice a year to train in high altitude.

Fedor's team consists of coach Voronov (grappling), coach Michkov (boxing), coach Ruslan Nagnibeda (Muay Thai), Oleg Neustroev (doctor, masseuse and psychologist all in one), and his training partners, including Roman Zentsov, another PRIDE fighter, and, until June 2006, Fedor's brother, Aleksander Emelianenko[14].

In 2005 Emelianenko started paying special attention to improving his kicking technique. He trained Muay Thai with kickboxer Ernesto Hoost in Netherlands,[15] and added a Muay Thai coach, Ruslan Nagnibeda, “Seikin-do” league 78 kg title holder from 1998 to 2002 (33-3-1) and a former Tula State University Muay Thai instructor, to his team.

RINGS

Emelianenko's only loss in MMA came at the hands of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at the King of Kings 2000 Block B event on December 22 2000, via a TKO (doctor stoppage due to a cut) 17 seconds into the fight [5]. The cut was caused by an elbow strike reopening a cut sustained in his previous fight against Ricardo Arona, a blow illegal under RINGS rules unless the striker is wearing elbow pads.[16] Since the fight was in a tournament format, a winner and loser was required (no draws and no no-contests) and as he could not go on in the tournament due to the cut Kohsaka moved on (the match would have been a NC or DQ for Kohsaka otherwise). He avenged the loss at the PRIDE Bushido 6 event on April 3 2005, defeating Kohsaka by TKO due to doctor stoppage after the first round. If Emelianenko had progressed, he would have met Randy Couture in the next round [17].

PRIDE Fighting Championships

Emelianenko debuted at PRIDE 21 on June 23 2002 against the 6'11, 256 lbs (211 cm, 116 kg) Dutch 2005 and 2006 K-1 World Champion Semmy Schilt, whom he defeated by unanimous decision. His next opponent was heavyweight Heath Herring, in a contest for a shot at the heavyweight belt. Emelianenko, considered an underdog at the time, defeated Herring by doctor stoppage after the first round due to strikes to the head. This impressive victory against perrenial contender Herring catapulted Fedor into elite status.

Emelianenko was then signed to fight heavily favored Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for PRIDE's heavyweight championship title at PRIDE 25 on 16 March 2003. After dominating the champion for three rounds, the judges rendered a unanimous decision, and Emelianenko became the second PRIDE Heavyweight Champion.

Three months later Emelianenko embarked on his, as yet undefeated, four year title defense. His first match was against the former IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, amateur and professional wrestler Kazuyuki “Ironhead” Fujita. A heavy favorite, Emelianenko was expected to make quick work of Fujita, but was caught by with a wild right hook that stunned him. Emelianenko was able to work his way to a clinch to recover his composure. He then knocked Fujita down and went on to submit him at 4:17 in the first round with a rear naked choke.

Next came a one-sided bout against Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003. Emelianenko dominated the veteran MMA fighter with a ground and pound technique, winning in the first round by referee stoppage after delivering a flurry of uncountered strikes to Goodridge on the ground. Emelianenko broke his hand in this fight[2], resulting in him having to undergo surgery. He has since reinjured this hand, leading to the postponement of several bouts.

His next fight against New Japan pro wrestler Yuji Nagata at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 ended the same way, but with Emelianenko first knocking Nagata to the ground twice with well-timed punches. Emelianenko fought at this event as opposed to the PRIDE Shockwave 2003 event on the same day due to being offered a higher fight purse because of the great deal of competition between the Japanese television networks screening these events and K-1 Premium Dynamite!! on the same night.[3]

Four months later at PRIDE Total Elimination 2004 he met PRIDE tournament winner and former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman for the first time in the ring and submitted him with an armbar at 2:11 of the first round to proceed in the 2004 Pride heavyweight tournament. Emelianenko has indicated his respect for Coleman, who popularised the ground and pound technique that has become Emelianenko's trademark.

A notable match with Coleman’s protégé Kevin “The Monster” Randleman followed just two months later at the tournament second round, PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004. Randleman, a two time Division I NCAA Wrestling Champion for Ohio State University and a former UFC heavyweight champion, used his aggressive style to quickly work into a clinch with Emelianenko and then deliver a dazzling suplex, slamming the Russian to the canvas headfirst. Emelianenko quickly recovered and forced Randleman to submit with a kimura armlock only 1:33 into the first round.

On 15 August 2004, Emelianenko faced 6-time All-Japan Judo Champion Naoya Ogawa and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 for the semi final and final of the tournament. Quickly submitting the outmatched Ogawa with an armbar, he faced Nogueira who had won a decision against Emelianenko's former teammate, Sergei Kharitonov earlier that night. In this rematch with Nogueira, the fight was stopped due to a cut to Emelianenko's head from an accidental headbutt he delivered to Nogueira. A third rematch was thus scheduled for PRIDE Shockwave 2004, which was won by Emelianenko by unanimous decision.

In other notable bouts, Emelianenko won a unanimous decision over former K-1 star Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, a bout he calls his toughest to date[citation needed]. The fight had been delayed previously due to Emelianenko's hand injuries and Cro Cop's loss to Kevin Randleman derailing their expected tournament meeting at PRIDE Final Conflict 2004. Surprising many observers, Emelianenko managed to dominate Cro Cop in stand up fighting, landing many hard body shots, and controlled the bout on the ground. He has later stated that his hand injury took away his grip strength and so prevented him from trying submissions.

A rematch with American Mark Coleman in Pride's debut show in America resulted in a thoroughly dominated fight by the Russian champion. Coleman was unable to mount any offense as Fedor's strikes and ground control were simply too much for the MMA veteran out of Ohio.

Emelianenko's most recent title defense was against former K-1 champion Mark Hunt at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. Sporting a broken toe during the contest, Emelianenko nevertheless secured an armbar in the second minute of the first round, but Hunt was able to escape and counter by stepping over Emelianenko, ending in the sidemount position. At five minutes into the first round Hunt made two attempts at an Americana on Emelianenko’s left arm but failed to cinch them in. In the end, Emelianenko submitted Hunt with a Kimura at 8:16 in the first round.

Bodog Fight

Fedor's first opponent in BodogFight was Matt Lindland on April 14 in St. Petersburg Russia. Fedor had a special clause in his PRIDE contract that allowed him to fight under any organization in Russia. Lindland moved up two weight classes (from middleweight to heavyweight) for this fight. Matt came into the fight weighing 218 pounds to Fedor's 233. Fedor won by armbar at 2:58 of the first round.

Club affiliation

Fedor Emelianenko began his mixed martial arts as a member of Russian Top Team, training with the 'first generation' of Russian RINGS competitors, such as Volk Han and Andrey Kopylov. After winning his PRIDE Heavyweight title, a rift grew between Fedor and the manager of RTT, Vladimir Evgenevich Pogodin. According to Emelianenko, Pogodin, who held the position of vice-president in the World Sambo Federation, attempted to control Emelianenko's career through threats and abuse of his position to deny 'master of sport' titles to Fedor and his brother Aleksander, in addition to financial disputes between Pogodin and Emelianenko, with Fedor alleging he was deceived by Pogodin.[18] After his bout with Gary Goodridge, the Emelianenko brothers left Russian Top Team and began to train with the St. Petersburg based Red Devil Sport Club, which is managed by Vadim Finklestein. To date, Finklestein is still Fedor Emelianenko's manager.

Mixed martial arts record

Total 27 Wins 1 Loss
29 matches (T)Knockout 6 1
Submission 14 0
Decision 7 0
Draw 0
No Contest 1
Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time
Win Matt Lindland Submission (Armbar) Bodog - Clash Of The Nations 2007-4-14 1 2:58
Win Mark Hunt Submission (Kimura) PRIDE Shockwave 2006 2006-12-31 1 8:16
Win Mark Coleman Submission (Armbar) PRIDE 32: The Real Deal 2006-10-21 2 1:15
Win Zuluzinho Submission (Punches) PRIDE Shockwave 2005 2005-12-31 1 0:26
Win Mirko Filipović Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Final Conflict 2005 2005-08-28 3 10:00
Win Tsuyoshi Kohsaka TKO (Doctor Stoppage) PRIDE Bushido 6 2005-04-03 1 10:00
Win Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Shockwave 2004 2004-12-31 3 5:00
No Contest Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira No Contest - Accidental Headbutt PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 2004-08-15 1 3:52
Win Naoya Ogawa Submission (Armbar) PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 2004-10-15 1 0:54
Win Kevin Randleman Submission (Kimura) PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004 2004-06-20 1 1:33
Win Mark Coleman Submission (Armbar) PRIDE Total Elimination 2004 2004-04-25 1 2:11
Win Yuji Nagata TKO (Punches) Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 2003-12-31 1 1:02
Win Gary Goodridge TKO (Strikes) PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 2003-08-10 1 1:09
Win Kazuyuki Fujita Submission (Choke) PRIDE 26: Bad to the Bone 2003-06-08 1 4:17
Win Egidijus Valavicius Submission (Kimura) RINGS Lithuania -Bushido Rings 7: Adrenalinas 2003-04-05 2 1:11
Win Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE 25: Body Blow 2003-03-16 3 5:00
Win Heath Herring TKO (Cut) PRIDE 23: Championship Chaos 2 2002-11-24 1 10:00
Win Semmy Schilt Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE 21: Demolition 2002-06-23 3 5:00
Win Chris Haseman TKO (Lost Points) RINGS-World Title Series Grand Final 2002-02-15 1 2:50
Win Lee Hasdell Submission (Guillotine Choke) RINGS-World Title Series 5 2001-12-21 1 4:10
Win Ryushi Yanagisawa Decision (Unanimous) RINGS-World Title Series 4 2001-10-20 3 5:00
Win Martin Lazarev Submission (Guillotine choke) RINGS Russia - Russia vs Bulgaria II 2001-09-01 1 2:24
Win Renato Sobral Decision (Unanimous) RINGS-10th Anniversary 2001-08-11 2 5:00
Win Kerry Schall Submission (Armbar) RINGS-World Title Series 1 2001-04-20 1 1:47
Win Mihail Apostolov Submission (Rear Naked Choke) RINGS Russia - Russia vs Bulgaria I 2001-04-06 1 1:03
Loss Tsuyoshi Kohsaka TKO (Cut) RINGS-King of Kings 2000 Block B 2000-12-22 1 0:17
Win Ricardo Arona Decision (Unanimous) RINGS-King of Kings 2000 Block B 2000-12-22 3 5:00
Win Hiroya Takada KO (Punches) RINGS-Battle Genesis Vol. 6 2000-09-05 1 0:12
Win Levon Lagvilava Submission (Choke) RINGS-Russia vs Georgia 2000-08-16 1 7:24

Championship and accomplishments

Mixed Martial Arts

  • PRIDE World Heavyweight Champion (16 March 2003 - present)
  • PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion (2004)
  • RINGS King of Kings Heavyweight Tournament Champion (2001)
  • RINGS World Absolute Class Tournament Champion (2001)

Judo

  • Dutch Grand Prix Rotterdam 100 kg weight - 7th place (April 1, 2000) [19]
  • A-Tournament Sofia 100 kg weight 3rd place (February 7, 1999)
  • Moscow International Tournament 100 kg weight 3rd place (January 24, 1999)
  • Russian Championships Kstovo (absolute division) 3rd place (December 5, 1998)[5]

Sambo

Honorary titles and apellations

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b MMA Weekly rankings
  2. ^ a b Full Contact Fighter rankings
  3. ^ Inside Fighting rankings
  4. ^ MMA News rankings
  5. ^ a b c Official website - biography
  6. ^ "Ivan is 18, and though he has a lot of talent, he does not have enough drive and ambition. However, he is not shooting for huge success either. At the very least, he is not ready for any sacrifices in order to reach certain results, unlike me, for example. And that`s normal. For each his own. Sport, especially martial arts, is not something people should be forced to do. "[1]
  7. ^ "It's possible to win even lying on your back" — Interview by the National Newspaper "Rossiya", 02.15-21.2007
  8. ^ Article from a Japanese magazine "Number"
  9. ^ Amsterdam Interview, 08.06.2005 ["Q: In your biography it says that in the army you trained wrestling by yourself, were you in the special sport forces? A: I didn't train wrestling, I gathered together many things, created something like a little gym for myself and worked on my physical training and of course was running cross. All the time I was working to become stronger. And I wasn't in a special sport forces."]
  10. ^ Radio interview with Fedor Emelianenko on Radio Sport, Moscow, January 11, 2007
  11. ^ Interview with a Swedish magazine "Fighter"
  12. ^ Official website - Interview, 07.28.2003, in Russian
  13. ^ Official website - Interview, 03.17.2004
  14. ^ Fedor's Official Website (In Russian): Russian Mixed Martial Arts fans won’t have to go abroad... . December 4 2006. ["Fedor: We have not trained together for over 6 months".]
  15. ^ graciemag.com - Brazilians united to stop Fedor. November 29 2005. ["Fedor is now in Holland all the time training muay thai with Ernesto Hoost." by Pedro Rizzo.]
  16. ^ http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=106
  17. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder/fightfinder.asp?search=yes&EventID=301
  18. ^ Official website - Interview, 03.15.2004
  19. ^ http://www.judoinside.com/uk/?factfile/view/8554
  20. ^ a b http://fedor.bel.ru/index_eng.shtml?id=145
  21. ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=3699&my_page=2 Sherdog J.G.’s Dirty Dozen — A Pound-for-Pound MMA Ranking

Template:Championshiptitle-2

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fedor_Emelianenko&oldid=129628455"