Kazuyuki Fujita (藤田 和之, Fujita Kazuyuki^?) (born October 16, 1970) is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler. He has fought in mixed martial arts promotions including PRIDE, K-1 and currently fighting in Sengoku.

He is known as the last one to keep the tradition of Antonio Inoki's fighting spirit. Fujita's theme song is "Honno No Fighter" (炎のファイター, Honō No Faitā^?, Burning Fighter) Orchestra Version, originally the song for Inoki. During his prime, Fujita was also famous for having one of the strongest chins and strongest necks in mixed martial arts. In MMA, he holds wins over Ken Shamrock, Gilbert Yvel, Mark Kerr, James Thompson and Bob Sapp.

Career[link]

Wrestling[link]

Fujita practiced freestyle wrestling in high school. He participated in the FILA World Championships as a junior in 1988, placing sixth, and in the Espoir division in 1989, placing eleventh. In 1993, Fujita placed fifth at the Asian Championships at the senior level, and in 1993 and 1994, he represented Japan as a senior in the World Cup, a dual meet tournament. He was also a national champion in Japan in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was such a great amateur wrestler, "Iron Head" missed making the Japanese Olympic team by 1 point in the Olympic qualifiers.

Professional Wrestling (1996-2005)[link]

Fujita joined New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1993, but he still competed in amateur wrestling. Because of this his professional debut was delayed three years until 1996. His debut match was against Yuji Nagata. Fujita steadily worked his way up the card, and in 1999 he started working against professional wrestlers who came from a Vale Tudo mixed martial arts background.

In April 2001 he returned to NJPW, and quickly won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship defeating Scott Norton at Strong Style 2001 on April 9.^[1] He reigned as the champion until he was forced to vacate the title due to injury in January 2002.

Fujita returned to New Japan in the summer of 2002. At NJPW Cross Road on August 29, Fujita entered a tournament for the vacated NWF Heavyweight Championship but lost to eventual winner: Yoshihiro Takayama.^[2] On October 14, Fujita challenged Yuji Nagata for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship but came up short.^[2]

Fujita immediately won the vacated title by defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi. He lost the championship to Kensuke Sasaki on October 9, 2004.

In 2005 he joined the Team JAPAN faction, and on July 18, 2005 he won the championship for the third time against Hiroyoshi Tenzan. In August 2005, Fujita entered the 2005 G1 Climax where he won all his matches in the round robin portion, then defeated Toshiaki Kawada but lost to Masahiro Chono in the finals. He lost the IWGP Championship to Brock Lesnar on October 8, 2005 at Toukon Souzou New Chapter in a three way match including Masahiro Chono. Lesnar pinned Chono to win the title. In late 2005 he withdrew from a rematch with Lesnar, scheduled for January 4, 2006. Fujita was represented by Inoki Office, an agency originally started by Antonio Inoki, and had not been under a contract with NJPW.

Mixed martial arts (2000-2009)[link]

In January 2000 he put his professional wrestling career on hiatus and began training for mixed martial arts competition. His trainer was his professional wrestling mentor and mixed martial arts legend, Antonio Inoki. He entered the PRIDE organization, and quickly gained success. On January 30 at Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round, Fujita entered Pride's 2000 Openweight Grand Prix where he defeated Hans Nijman by submission. On April 1, Fujita fought at Extreme Shootout - The Underground where he KOed Dan Chase and then submitted Will Childs. On May 1, Fujita competed at Pride Grand Prix 2000 Finals. In the quarter finals, Fujita scored his first big victory of his career by defeating Mark Kerr, who at the time was considered to be one of the best heavyweights in mixed martial arts. During the fight, Fujita took incredible damage to his head yet was unfazed. Kerr delivered so much punishment that he gassed out and Fujita took advantage of Kerr's fatigue by scoring points with strikes and winning a decision. Fujita's win over Kerr was considered to be a gigantic upset and was the first loss in Kerr's career snapping a 13 fight unbeaten streak. Fujita's next fight was against former UFC Heavyweight Champion: Mark Coleman in the semi finals of the Grand Prix but Fujita would lose by TKO due to corner stoppage as he was unable to continue due to injuries.

Fujita next fought MMA superstar Ken Shamrock at Pride 10. Fujita, like in the Kerr fight, took another incredible beating yet was not knocked out. Shamrock then began to experience heart attack symptoms and had his corner throw in the towel, resulting in another massive win for Fujita and his career. PRIDE FC color commentator Eddie Bravo proclaimed during Fujita's fight with Shamrock, "that guy can take a baseball bat to the side of the head!".

He followed up his titanic wins over Kerr and Shamrock with a win over dangerous striker Gilbert Yvel at Pride 12. Fujita became known for a relentless style and his exceptionally strong neck often protected him from being knocked-out by strikes to the head. As Fujita himself noted, "I am not so great a puncher, not so great a kicker. I don't really have anything all that great, but in today's vale tudo, the strongest is the one that can take a beating."^[3]

In May 2001 at Pride 14, Fujita defeated fellow pro wrestler: Yoshihiro Takayama by submission in his first PRIDE main event. On August 19 at the K-1 Andy Hug 2001 GP Final, Fujita fought K-1 legend and future MMA legend: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic in Cro Cop's MMA debut. Fujita would lose the fight after suffering a cut resulting in a TKO loss.

Fujita returned to fight a year later where he defeated pro wrestler and former sumo wrestler: Tadao Yasuda on August 8 at UFO - Legend. On December 31 at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002, Fujita fought Mirko Cro Cop in a rematch but Fujita would lose again this time by unanimous decision.

On May 2, 2003, Fujita defeated another pro wrestler in Manabu Nakanishi by TKO. On June 8 at PRIDE 26, he fought PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko. Fujita rocked Emelianenko with a counter right hand, but despite his best attempts to remain on the offensive Emelianenko recovered and defeated Fujita with a rear naked choke submission. On December 31, Fujita defeated American boxer: Imamu Mayfield by submission at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003.

On May 22, 2004 he defeated Bob Sapp in an MMA fight at K-1 MMA ROMANEX. Sapp was the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion, and the championship was vacated after his loss to Fujita. On December 31 at K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite!!, Fujita defeated Egyptian Greco roman wrestler and Olympic gold medalist: Karam Gaber by knockout.

On May 5, 2006 at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute, he returned to MMA by competing in PRIDE's 2006 Openweight Grand Prix making him the only fighter in PRIDE's history to have competed in both openweight grand prixs. In the first round, Fujita defeated James Thompson by knockout. Thompson dominated Fujita for most of the fight, until Fujita rallied with a flurry of punches that knocked out Thompson. In July 2006 at PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute, Fujita fought PRIDE Middleweight champion: Wanderlei Silva in the quarterfinals and lost by TKO. At PRIDE Shockwave 2006 on December 31, Fujita defeated Eldar Kurtanidze by submission due to strikes.

Fujita's next fight was against UFC fighter: Jeff Monson in the main event of Pride 34. The fight was historic as it would be the final fight in PRIDE's history. Fujita would lose by submission.

After PRIDE was sold to Zuffa, Fujita joined the new promotion: World Victory Road. He debuted on March 5, 2008 at Sengoku 1 where he defeated Peter Graham by submission. Fujita next fight was against Travis Wiuff at Sengoku 3 where he lost by TKO.

On August 2, 2009, Fujita was defeated by Blagoi Ivanov at World Victory Road's ninth event, Sengoku 9.

On December 31, 2009 at Dynamite!! 2009, Fujita took on Alistair Overeem and was knocked out via knee to the head in the first round. This was the first time Fujita has been knocked unconscious.

Championships and accomplishments[link]

Mixed Martial Arts

• Fight Matrix
  • 2000 Rookie of the Year ^[4]

• PRIDE Fighting Championships
  • 2000 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix Semi-Finalist
  • Fought the last fight in PRIDE History

Pro Wrestling

• New Japan Pro Wrestling
  • IWGP Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
  • Singles Best Bout (2005) vs. Masahiro Chono on August 14^[5]

• Tokyo Sports Grand Prix
  • Rookie of the Year (1997) ^[6]
  • Match of The Year (2001) vs. Yuji Nagata on June 6, 2001 ^[7]

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	15-9	Alistair Overeem	KO (knee)	Dynamite!! 2009	02009-12-31December 31, 2009	1	1:15
Loss	15-8	Blagoi Ivanov	Decision (split)	World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9	02009-08-02August 2, 2009	3	5:00
Loss	15-7	Travis Wiuff	TKO (punches)	World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 3	02008-06-08June 8, 2008	1	1:24
Win	15-6	Peter Graham	Submission (north/south choke)	World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 1	02008-03-05March 5, 2008	1	1:23
Loss	14-6	Jeff Monson	Submission (rear naked choke)	PRIDE 34	02007-04-08April 8, 2007	1	6:37
Win	14-5	Eldar Kurtanidze	Submission (punches)	PRIDE Shockwave 2006	02006-12-31December 31, 2006	1	2:09
Loss	13-5	Wanderlei Silva	TKO (punches)	PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute	02006-07-01July 1, 2006	1	9:21		PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal
Win	13-4	James Thompson	KO (punch)	PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute	02006-05-05May 5, 2006	1	8:25		PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix 1st Round
Win	12-4	Karam Gaber	KO (punch)	K-1 - Premium 2004 Dynamite!!	02004-12-31December 31, 2004	1	1:07
Win	11-4	Bob Sapp	Submission (punches)	K-1 MMA ROMANEX	02004-05-22May 22, 2004	1	2:15
Win	10-4	Imamu Mayfield	Technical Submission (arm triangle choke)	Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003	02003-12-31December 31, 2003	2	2:15
Loss	9-4	Fedor Emelianenko	Submission (rear naked choke)	PRIDE 26	02003-06-08June 8, 2003	1	4:17
Win	9-3	Manabu Nakanishi	TKO (punches)	NJPW - Ultimate Crush	02003-05-02May 2, 2003	3	1:09
Loss	8-3	Mirko Filipović	Decision (unanimous)	Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002	02002-12-31December 31, 2002	3	5:00
Win	8-2	Tadao Yasuda	Submission (arm triangle choke)	UFO - Legend	02002-08-08August 8, 2002	1	2:46
Loss	7-2	Mirko Filipović	TKO (cut)	K-1 Andy Memorial 2001 Japan GP Final	02001-08-19August 19, 2001	1	0:39
Win	7-1	Yoshihiro Takayama	Submission (arm triangle choke)	PRIDE 14	02001-05-27May 27, 2001	2	3:10
Win	6-1	Gilbert Yvel	Decision (unanimous)	PRIDE 12	02000-12-09December 9, 2000	2	10:00
Win	5-1	Ken Shamrock	TKO (corner stoppage- exhaustion)	PRIDE 10	02000-08-27August 27, 2000	1	6:46
Loss	4-1	Mark Coleman	TKO (corner stoppage)	PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals	02000-05-01May 1, 2000	1	0:00		PRIDE 2000 Openweight Grand Prix Semifinals
Win	4-0	Mark Kerr	Decision (unanimous)	PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals	02000-05-01May 1, 2000	1	15:00		PRIDE 2000 Openweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals
Win	3-0	Will Childs	Submission (rear naked choke)	Extreme Shootout - The Underground	02000-04-01April 1, 2000	N/A
Win	2-0	Dan Chase	KO (punch)	Extreme Shootout - The Underground	02000-04-01April 1, 2000	N/A
Win	1-0	Hans Nijman	Submission (neck crank)	PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round	02000-01-30January 30, 2000	1	2:48		PRIDE 2000 Openweight Grand Prix 1st Round

External links[link]

• K-1sport.de - Complete Fighters Profile of Kazuyuki Fujita
• Professional MMA record for Kazuyuki Fujita from Sherdog
• FILA database of international competitors (Fujita's ID is 25772)

References[link]

Fedor Emelianenko Фёдор Емельяненко
Born	Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko (1976-09-28) September 28, 1976 (age 35) Rubizhne, Luhansk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Other names	The Last Emperor[1]
Residence	Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia
Nationality	Russian[2]
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	106 kg (234 lb; 16 st 10 lb)
Division	Heavyweight (265 lb)
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Style	Sambo[3]
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia
Team	Red Devil Sport Club/Alexander Nevsky OEMK[4]
Trainer	Judo, Sambo: Vladimir Voronov Boxing: Alexander Michkov Muay Thai: Peter Tiejsse
Rank	Black belt and International Master of Sports in Judo 1st Razryad Grand Master in Sambo
Years active	2000–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	38
Wins	33
By knockout	9
By submission	16
By decision	8
Losses	4
By knockout	3
By submission	1
No contests	1
Other information
University	Belgorod State University
Spouse	Oksana (1999–2006) Marina (2009–present)[5]
Children	3
Notable relatives	Alexander Emelianenko (brother) Ivan Emelianenko (brother)
Notable students	Kirill Sidelnikov
Website	http://efedor.ru/index_eng.shtml
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Medal record
Competitor for  Russia
Men's Combat Sambo
World Championships
Bronze	2008 St. Petersburg	+100 kg
Gold	2007 Prague	+100 kg
Gold	2005 Prague	+100 kg
Gold	2002 Panama City	+100 kg
European Sambo Championships
Gold	1997 Tbilisi	+100 kg
Russian Sambo Championships
Gold	2012 Moscow	+100 kg
Gold	2009 Kstovo	+100 kg
Gold	2008 St. Petersburg	+100 kg
Gold	2007 Ulan-Ude	+100 kg
Gold	2006 Ulan-Ude	+100 kg
Gold	2005 Kstovo	+100 kg
Gold	2002 Moscow	+100 kg
Bronze	2000 Orenburg	+100 kg
Bronze	1998 Kaliningrad	+100 kg
Men's Judo
World Cups
Bronze	1999 Sofia Liberation A-Team	-100 kg
Bronze	1999 Moscow International Tournament	-100 kg
Russian Judo Championships
Bronze	1999 Kstovo	Open
Bronze	1998 Kstovo	-100 kg

Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko (Russian: Фёдор Влади́мирович Емелья́ненко, tr. Fyodor Vladimirovich Yemelyanenko, IPA: [ˈfʲɵdər vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪlʲˈjanʲɪnkə])^[6] (born September 28, 1976) is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist. He has won numerous tournaments and accolades in multiple sports, most notably the Pride 2004 Grand Prix and the World Combat Sambo championship on four occasions, as well as medaling in the Russian national Judo championship.^[7]

Emelianenko has received widespread acclaim from several major publications, including Sports Illustrated,^[8] USA Today,^[9] and Sherdog.com.^[10] Many analysts, as well as former and current fighters, consider Emelianenko to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.^{[11][12][13][14][15]} He remained undefeated for nearly a decade, during which time he was widely considered the best heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts.^[16]

Biography[link]

Emelianenko was born in 1976 in the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine (then in the USSR).^[17] In 1978, when he was two, his family moved within the Soviet Union to Stary Oskol, Belgorod of the Russian SFSR.^[1] His mother, Olga Fedorovna, was a teacher and his father, Vladimir Alexandrovich Emelianenko, was a welder.^[1] Emelianenko is the second child in the family and has an older sister and two younger brothers, including professional mixed martial artist Alexander Emelianenko. Fedor trains with his youngest brother Ivan, who has competed in Combat Sambo, and plans to begin a career in MMA in 2010.^[18]

Emelianenko finished high school in 1991 and graduated with honors from a professional trade school in 1994. From 1995 until 1997, he served in the Russian Army as a military firefighter.^[18] In 1999, he married his wife Oksana, and their daughter Masha was born in the same year.^[17] They divorced in 2006.^[5] On December 29, 2007, his second daughter, Vasilisa, was born to his long time girlfriend Marina.^[19][20] Emelianenko and Marina married in October 2009.^[21] In his spare time, he likes to read, listen to music, and draw.^[22] He is a practicing Orthodox Christian and a parishioner at the church of St. Nicholas in Stary Oskol. His confessor is archpriest Andrei Zinoviev.^[23] His entrance theme song, oy, to ne vecher, was performed at his request by archdeacon Andrey Zheleznyakov, solist at the Episcopal Choir of the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese.^[24]

Emelianenko had the honour of being one of 80 Russian sporting champions, cultural icons and national heroes to carry the Olympic torch in St. Petersburg in 2008.^[25]

Club affiliation[link]

Emelianenko began his mixed martial arts as a member of Russian Top Team (RTT),^[26][27] 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 Emelianenko 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" ranks to Fedor and his brother Alexander. Emelianenko alleged he was deceived by Pogodin in financial disputes between Pogodin and Emelianenko.^[28] After his bout with Gary Goodridge, the Emelianenko brothers left Russian Top Team and began to train in St. Petersburg with the Red Devil Sport Club, which is managed by Vadim Finkelstein.^[27] To date, Finkelstein is still his manager. Emelianenko is a member of the VOS gym in Holland, where he trains with Johan Vos and Lucien Carbin.^{[citation needed]} Emelianenko has trained with the likes of Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong, and Denis Lebedev.^[29][30][31]

Mixed martial arts career[link]

RINGS[link]

Emelianenko made his MMA debut for the Japanese RINGS organization. RINGS had a different set of rules that did not allow head strikes on the ground (which later on would be recognized as one of Emelianenko's biggest strengths).

Here Emelianenko suffered his first loss in the sport, a very controversial one that came at the hands of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at the King of Kings 2000 Block B event on December 22, 2000, via doctor stoppage due to a cut 17 seconds into the fight.^[32] Footage shows that the cut was caused by a missed looping punch where Kohsaka's elbow struck Emelianenko's head. Elbow strikes were illegal under RINGS rules unless the striker was wearing elbow pads, which Kohsaka was not. Emelianenko says that this elbow reopened a cut sustained in his previous fight against Ricardo Arona.^[33] Since the fight was in a tournament format, a winner and loser were required as draws or no-contests could not be awarded. Since Emelianenko could not advance due to his injury, Kohsaka moved on (the match would have been a no contest or disqualification victory for Emelianenko otherwise). Many MMA fans disregard that loss due to its illegal nature, and considered Emelianenko to be technically undefeated in MMA until he lost to Fabricio Werdum. The tournament was eventually won by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who would later be Emelianenko's fiercest rival in MMA. Emelianenko would later avenge the first loss of his career when he rematched Kohsaka at Pride Bushido 6.

After defeating veteran Renato Sobral in an elimination bout, Emelianenko went on fight for the World Heavyweight Class Championship against Bobby Hoffman the same night. However, Hoffman refused to fight Emelianenko, claiming he sustained a injury to his shoulder during his previous match, and forfeited the final. A win was awarded to Emelianenko by default, and he was given the RINGS Heavyweight Class Championship.^[34][35]

On February 15, 2002, Emelianenko defeated Chris Haseman and won the RINGS Absolute Class Tournament, the last tournament ever held by RINGS.

PRIDE Fighting Championships[link]

Entering the Pride Fighting Championships on the heels of winning the RINGS King of Kings 2002 tournament, Emelianenko debuted at Pride 21 on June 23, 2002 against the 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 256 lb (116 kg) 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 contender for the heavyweight title.^[36] Emelianenko, considered an underdog at the time, dominated Herring with ground and pound, winning by doctor stoppage after the first round. This victory against a perennial contender brought him into title contention.^[37]

Emelianenko was then signed to fight heavily favored Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira for Pride's Heavyweight Championship title at Pride 25 on March 16, 2003. Nogueira was coming off wins against Mark Coleman, Heath Herring and a shocking comeback victory against Bob Sapp, as well as his victory in the RINGS 2000 King of Kings Tournament, in which Emelianenko had participated. Nogueira was considered by many fans to be virtually unbeatable, due to his endurance and submission skills.^[27] Emelianenko rocked him early with punches, and Nogueira pulled guard. Emelianenko then survived Nogueira's guard, considered the most dangerous in MMA, and easily defended all of Nogueira's submission attempts, dominating him for 20 minutes with a brutal ground and pound. The judges rendered a unanimous decision, and Emelianenko became the second Pride Heavyweight Champion, a title he would never lose.^[38]

Three months later Emelianenko embarked on his title reign. His first match was against the former IWGP Heavyweight champion, amateur and professional wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita. A heavy favorite, Emelianenko was expected to make quick work of Fujita, but was caught by a right hook that stunned him. Badly hurt, he worked his way to a clinch, but was taken down. With Fujita unable to amount a significant offense Emelianenko was able to recover. Emelianenko worked his way up and knocked Fujita down with body kick and a punching combo. He then submitted Fujita at 4:17 in the first round with a rear naked choke.^[4][40] Emelianenko reminisced about it in February 2009, "Fujita is the only one who ever hit me right, and he hit hard!".^[41]

Next came a one-sided bout against heavy underdog Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge at Total Elimination 2003.^[42] Emelianenko took down Goodridge after wobbling him with standing combinations, then finished him with a ground and pound technique in the first round by referee stoppage after delivering unanswered punches and kicks to the head. Emelianenko broke his hand in this fight, resulting in surgery.^[38] He has since reinjured this hand, leading to the postponement of several bouts.^[43] In 2011, Goodridge recalled his fight with Emelianenko; "Fedor hits so hard, I don't remember anything (from the fight). No one has his speed and power combo. He fought for 10 years at the top. He doesn't owe anything else to the sport."^[44]

His next fight against New Japan professional wrestler Yuji Nagata at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 ended the same way, with Emelianenko first knocking Nagata to the ground twice with punches. Emelianenko fought at this event as opposed to Shockwave 2003 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. That move upset the managers of PRIDE, who set up an interim title match between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Crocop Filipović, which ended with Nogueira pulling yet another comeback victory, scoring a second round armbar.^[45]

PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight World Grand Prix[link]

Four months later, he returned to PRIDE, at Total Elimination 2004, where he met Pride 2000 Grand Prix winner and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman for the first time in the ring. After getting taken down, he pulled guard and submitted Coleman with an armbar at 2:11 of the first round to advance in the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix. That fight showed more of Emelianenko's versatility, as he not only had a good top game with his trademark ground and pound, but a dangerous bottom game from his guard, being able to submit legitimate opponents from his back.

A notable match with Coleman's protégé Kevin "The Monster" Randleman followed just two months later at the tournament's second round. Randleman, a two-time Division I NCAA Wrestling Champion for Ohio State University and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, was coming off an upset win over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, which he ended by knockout. Randleman quickly scored a takedown. As Emelianenko gave his back, Randleman delivered a German suplex, slamming him to the canvas headfirst, a move that would become one of the most replayed highlights in PRIDE's and MMA's history for years to come.^[46] Emelianenko, seemingly unfazed, rolled over Randleman a few seconds later, getting top position and forcing him to submit with a kimura armlock 1:33 into the first round.^[47]

On August 15, 2004, Emelianenko faced six-time All-Japan Judo Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist Naoya Ogawa in the semifinals of the 2004 Grand Prix. After making quick work of Ogawa, winning by armbar, he advanced to face Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira for the second time in his career. Nogueira had won a decision against Emelianenko's former teammate Sergei Kharitonov earlier that night. This match was not only to decide the winner of the 2004 Grand Prix, but to unify the heavyweight championship as Nogueira was awarded the interim title due to Emelianenko's inability to defend his championship in a timely manner in the previous year.^[48] The rematch with Nogueira was very competitive, but the fight was stopped prematurely due to a cut to Emelianenko's head from an accidental clash of heads while on the ground.^[49] A third meeting was thus scheduled for Shockwave 2004, which Emelianenko won. On the line was PRIDE's Heavyweight Championship, and PRIDE's 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix title, as the final match of the tournament earlier that year was declared a no contest due to an accidental headbutt.^[27] Emelianenko this time chose not to engage Nogueira on the ground, in spite of having dominated him on the ground in their first match. He overpowered the Brazilian on the feet in the first round, beating him to the punch for the first nine minutes.^[49] Nogueira faced great difficulty, getting dropped with punches and tossed to the mat multiple times by Judo throws. He was not able to implement his game plan of putting Emelianenko on his back, save for the final 30 seconds of the first round. He was not able to pull guard for any considerable amount of time.^[50] During the second and third rounds, Emelianenko's takedown defense and counter-punching earned him a unanimous decision victory to retain the heavyweight championship.^[49]

Title defense against Mirko Filipović[link]

The following year, Emelianenko signed to fight PRIDE's top heavyweight contender, and former K-1 star Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović. This was a highly anticipated match. After Mirko had made a successful switch from K-1 to MMA, he quickly rose in the rankings with victories over Igor Vovchachyn, Kazuyuki Fujita, and a KO win over Emelianenko's younger brother, Alexander Emelianenko. He then made a public challenge to Emelianenko and the bout was supposed to take place in late 2003. After a contract dispute, Emelianenko temporarily left PRIDE to fight for Inoki's Boom Ba Ye promotion, on New Year's eve 2003. This prompted PRIDE to set up an Interim Heavyweight Title Match between Crocop and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. After completely dominating the first round, Crocop was caught in an armbar early in the second round, thus making Nogueira the Interim champion, and number-one challenger for Emelianenko's belt. Mirko got further de-railed from title contention, when in the first round of PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix 2004, he was upset by Kevin Randleman, getting knocked out early by ground strikes following a vicious left hook.

Later that year, Mirko began his recovery by defeating Ron Waterman, winning his rematch with Kevin Randleman by submission, and scoring a dominant TKO victory over Mark Coleman in the first round. Those wins put Mirko Filipović again in the spot of number-one heavyweight contender, following Fedor's successful title defense against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on PRIDE's New Year's Eve show in 2004.

The match between Emelianenko and Mirko Filipović finally took place at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005.^[51][52] In the first round, Emelianenko was stunned and had his nose broken by two stiff jabs from Filipović. He got hit by body kicks that discolored his midsection. Emelianenko was then able to get the fight to the ground and land several body shots, which took a lot of gas out of Filipović. As the fight progressed, Emelianenko became more and more dominant, winning most of the stand up exchanges and scoring several takedowns. After 20 minutes, Emelianenko was awarded a unanimous decision victory.^[53][54][55]

Later PRIDE Years[link]

Following his successful title defense against Mirko Filipović at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005, Emelianenko came back on New Year's eve, where he outclassed the 450-pound Brazilian Zuluzinho in a non-title bout. Emelianenko dropped Zulu with a right hook and finished with several ground strikes which forced him to tap out after only 26 seconds.

Although originally endangered due to Emelianenko's recurring hand injury, a plate inserted in his hand green-lighted a rematch with American Mark Coleman in Pride's American debut show, Pride 32.^[56][57] In a fight where Coleman was unable to mount any significant offense, Emelianenko blasted Coleman in the first round with punches, before securing an armbar at 1:15 in the second round.^[58]

Emelianenko vs Coleman in Pride 32.

Emelianenko's last defense of his Pride Heavyweight title was against 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt at Shockwave 2006. Josh Barnett was originally slated to fight Emelianenko for the Heavyweight title, but turned down the fight, claiming not to be in peak physical condition. With Filipović's departure to the UFC organization in late 2006, Mark Hunt became the number-one contender for the belt. 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 side control.^[59] At five minutes into the first round, Hunt made two attempts at an americana on Emelianenko's left arm but failed to complete them.^[60] Emelianenko got back to his feet, and after struggling to take the fight to the ground, he submitted Hunt with a kimura at 8:16 in the first round.^[61]

BodogFight[link]

With a special clause in his Pride contract that allowed him to fight under the banner of any mixed martial arts organization as long as the event was held on Russian soil,^{[citation needed]} Emelianenko accepted a match in BodogFight against Matt Lindland. The fight was held on April 14, 2007 at the "Clash of the Nations" event in St. Petersburg, Russia. Lindland moved up two weight classes (from middleweight to heavyweight) for the match and came in weighing 212.5 lb (96.5 kg) to Emelianenko's 230 lb (104.5 kg).^[62]

Early in the fight, Lindland opened a cut above Emelianenko's left eye and clinched with him, pushing him into the corner and working for a takedown. At this point, the referee warned Emelianenko against grabbing the ropes and Emelianenko corrected himself. After a few seconds of working in the clinch, Lindland attempted a bodylock takedown. When Lindland lifted Emelianenko from his feet, Emelianenko reversed the takedown, landing in Lindland's half guard. The fight then remained on the ground where Emelianenko won by submission via armbar at 2:58 of the first round.^[63]

M-1 Global[link]

After the purchase of Pride Fighting Championships by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta III and the expiration of Emelianenko's contract with Pride, there was speculation about the possibility of him fighting in the UFC, especially since a public falling out between Bodog's Calvin Ayre and Emelianenko's manager, Vadim Finkelstein.^[64] In a June 2007 interview with the Baltimore Sun, Chuck Liddell suggested that Emelianenko was on his way to the UFC.^[65] Dana White has expressed interest in signing Emelianenko, but considers his management team to be the primary barrier left to the signing of a contract,^[66] whereas Finkelstein has cited difficult negotiations as the reason.^[67] A main point of contention between the two is Finkelstein's request for the UFC to work with his Russian M-1 promotion, extending contractual offers to other members of the Red Devil Sport Club, and permitting Emelianenko to compete in combat sambo tournaments.^[64] At UFC 76 however, UFC president Dana White stated that he expected Emelianenko to sign with the UFC in late 2007 or early 2008, after Emelianenko was to compete in a Sambo competition that White would not allow him to participate in if he were under a UFC contract. He revealed his intent to set up a unification bout with UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture as his first UFC fight.^[68] Nevertheless, these negotiations broke down,^[69] as Emelianenko committed to a non-exclusive, two-year and six-fight deal with M-1 Global in October 2007.^[70]

Emelianenko fought Jeff Monson at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson on November 20, 2011 at the Olympic Arena in Moscow, Russia^[71] and won the fight via unanimous decision.

According to the M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan, Fedor will return on June 21, 2012 in St. Petersburg, Russia to face three-time UFC heavyweight title contender Pedro Rizzo.^[72][73]

Yarennoka[link]

Monte Cox, the president and CEO of M-1 Global, confirmed Emelianenko would face South Korean kickboxer Hong-Man Choi in a New Year's Eve event, Yarennoka!, taking place in Japan and organized by former Pride staff with support from M-1 Global, FEG, and DEEP. A special rule was used for this fight to not allow any knee strikes on the ground. The fight was broadcast live in the United States on the HDNet cable network.^[74] Emelianenko defeated Choi in the opening round by submission via an armbar.^[75]

DREAM[link]

On February 13, 2008, Emelianenko attended a press conference held by Dream, a newly formed Japanese mixed martial arts promotion. His manager, Vadim Finkelstein, confirmed that the organization had a tightly knit alliance with M-1 Global and that Emelianenko would be fighting on the new organization's fight cards.^[76] M-1 Global CEO Vadim Finkelstein recently revealed of their plans to organize a fight for Fedor in co-operation with Dream, possibly on New Year's Eve in Japan.^[77]

Emelianenko made his return to Japan, competed at Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoko 2011, where he faced Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii and won by KO in the first round.^[78]

Affliction[link]

On July 19, 2008, at Affliction: Banned, Emelianenko faced former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. Sylvia was coming off a submission loss via guillotine choke at the hands of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81 in a title fight for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. Sylvia was ranked as the #4 heavyweight fighter in MMA by Sherdog.com prior to his fight with Emelianenko.^[79]

Emelianenko defeated Sylvia in 36 seconds. He dropped Sylvia with a lightning quick punch combination, took his back and then finished the fight via submission due to a rear naked choke. Sylvia said in the post-fight press conference, "I know that I'm one of the best in the world, I was amazed at how good Fedor is. He hurt me right away and submitted me. The guy's a stud. I don't even think he's human. That guy hits hard. I've never been hit that hard before."^[80]

UFC President Dana White, who had been relentless in his criticism of Emelianenko, admitted to being impressed with Emelianenko's performance against the ex-UFC champion Sylvia. When asked if the submission win changed his opinion on Fedor, White said; "It does. Tim Sylvia was a real opponent."^[81]

After the fight, UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture entered the ring and Emelianenko expressed his desire to fight Couture next. However, Couture's contract with the UFC prevented the fight from occurring outside of the organization.

On January 24, 2009, at Affliction: Day of Reckoning, Emelianenko fought former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski, who, like Sylvia, was widely considered to be a top-5 heavyweight at the time of the fight. Arlovski was on a five fight win streak and was ranked as high as the #2 heavyweight fighter in MMA by Sherdog.com.^[82] Arlovski had some early success in the fight, landing punches and leg kicks.^[83] However, as Emelianenko was backed into the ropes, Arlovski attempted a flying knee and Emelianenko was able to counter with an overhand right which resulted in a brutal knockout of Arlovski at 3:14 of the first round.^[83] The knockout victory was awarded knockout of the year for 2009 by Sherdog.

Emelianenko met Shinya Aoki during a five-minute "special exhibition" at an April 29 M-1 Challenge (presented by Affliction) event in Tokyo. Emelianenko made Aoki tap out from a Achilles lock just before the bell sounded to end the exhibition.^[84] In another special exhibition match, Emelianenko met Gegard Mousasi, a friend and teammate, during M-1 Global: Breakthrough, held in Kansas City on August 28. The two friends fought a competitive and friendly spirited exhibition with several Judo throws from both Emelianenko and Mousasi. Emelianenko finished the fight via armbar.^[85]

Emelianenko was scheduled to fight former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett on August 1, 2009, at Affliction: Trilogy, but on July 22 Barnett was denied his license to compete by the California State Athletic Commission after testing positive for anabolic steroids.^[86][87] On July 23, 2009, Vitor Belfort – who was already on the card – was reported as a likely replacement,^[88] but the next day Affliction canceled the event citing limited time to find a suitable replacement and inadequate time to promote the fight.^[89]

Negotiations with the UFC[link]

After the collapse of Affliction, UFC President Dana White ferociously tried to sign Emelianenko to an exclusive contract with the UFC several times.^[90] White said of Emelianenko; "He has become my obsession. I want it (him in the UFC) worse than the fans want it."^[91] Widely considered to be the best heavyweight MMA fighter at the time, Emelianenko would receive an immediate title shot against then current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, a fight which White deemed would be "huge".^[92] After reportedly offering Emelianenko a large contract worth just under 2 million US dollars per fight, with incentive to make much more based on pay per view buys for fights he headlines,^[93] negotiations fell apart after Emelianenko's management team demanded a co-promotion between the UFC and M-1 Global, terms which White deemed unacceptable.^[92][93] However, other media outlets placed much of the blame on the UFC: "Trying to get out in front of the public relations skirmish that would follow the UFC’s failure to sign Emeliananeko, a UFC insider leaked bogus contract terms to Carmichael Dave, a California-based radio host. The tactic was effective. Fans and the online media turned against the Russian and his team. The tactic also may have backfired. Emelianenko was reportedly softening and considering signing with the UFC. The leak, which M-1 Global criticized as inaccurate and inappropriate, shut down negotiations for good."^[94]

Strikeforce[link]

Following the failed negotiations with the UFC, Emelianenko signed a three-fight contract with Strikeforce.^[95] Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed that Emelianenko's debut would take place on November 7, broadcast nationally on CBS.^[96][97]

Emelianenko's first fight in Strikeforce was against the then-undefeated Brett Rogers in the main event of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers on November 7, 2009. Rogers was coming off a knockout win over Andrei Arlovski and was ranked as the #6 heavyweight fighter in MMA by Sherdog.com at the time of the fight.^[98] In the fight, Emelianenko landed early in the first round, but he failed to secure a submission after two attempts. In the second round he knocked Rogers down with an overhand right, then punched him three more times on the mat to secure the victory via TKO at 1:48. This bout would mark the first time Emelianenko competed in a cage. With the win, Emelianenko defeated his third straight top-10 heavyweight opponent.

Emelianenko suffered his first loss in 10 years on June 26, 2010 against Fabricio Werdum. After knocking Werdum down only seconds into the first round, Emelianenko closed in, but Werdum secured a deep triangle and an armbar from his guard, and Fedor was forced to tap. The loss was considered a large upset;^[99] in the process, Werdum became the first MMA fighter to attain a non-controversial victory over Emelianenko.

Emelianenko stated through a translator on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani that he considered retirement before the Werdum fight due to accumulating injuries and ageing.^[100]

In January 2011, it was announced that Fedor had agreed to enter the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, and would face Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva on February 12 in the first quarterfinal match.^[101] After a close first round, Silva took control in round 2. After passing to mount, he unleashed a barrage of ground-and-pound that ultimately caused Emelianenko's right eye to swell shut. Ringside doctors called a stop to the fight, stating that Emelianenko could not see and they would not allow him to continue.^[102]

Emelianenko faced Dan Henderson on July 30, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson. After both fighters landed significant punches in the first round, Fedor knocked Henderson down with a combination of strikes. Fedor followed Henderson to the mat and began to ground-and-pound him but Henderson was able to sweep and reverse position before delivering a punch underneath Fedor's armpit which landed on his chin, knocking Fedor face first into the mat. Henderson continued to punch Fedor until referee Herb Dean jumped in to stop the fight. Dean explained the stoppage saying, "The fight is over when he's unconscious. Because he comes back swiftly after I've already stepped in and stopped the fight, I can't restart the fight. Dan's still throwing punches, but once I've touched Dan, I've stopped the fight. If I was to do it again – if I see a fighter face down receiving shots, I'm going to step in and stop the fight. I can't predict how long he's going to be unconscious for."^[103]

Following his third loss in a row, Emelianenko was reportedly released from Strikeforce. UFC president Dana White stated he was being released, “Yeah, he’s being cut.” ^[104] However, Emelianenko disputed White's claims, saying, "That's Dana White's style to make comments. I didn't have a contract with Strikeforce. My current contract is with Showtime. So I think people shouldn't pay attention to these "loud" comments."^[105] According to M-1 Global Director of Operations Evgeni Kogan, Fedor was only under contract to Showtime and from there he fought under the Strikeforce banner, but was never under direct employ of Zuffa, and therefore was not "cut" by the organization. "Strikeforce is not the only MMA promotion on Showtime so there are a number of options for Fedor which will be looked at," Kogan told MMA Weekly.^[106]

Retirement[link]

Fedor is expected to retire following a fight against Pedro Rizzo on June 21, 2012, in St. Petersburg, Russia.^[107]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

[edit] Mixed martial arts

• PRIDE Fighting Championships
  • PRIDE World Heavyweight Championship (One time; Last)^[108]
  • PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight World Grand Prix Champion^[108]

• Fighting Network RINGS
  • RINGS Openweight Championship {One time; Last)^[109]
  • RINGS 2001 Absolute Class Tournament Winner^[110]
  • RINGS 2001 Openweight Title Tournament Winner^[111]

• World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts
  • WAMMA Heavyweight Championship (One time; First; Last)^[112]

• Sports Illustrated
  • 2000s Fighter of the Decade^[113]
  • 2000s Fight of the Decade vs. Mirko Filipović on August 28, 2005^[113]
  • 2009 Knockout of the Year vs. Andrei Arlovski on January 24^[114]

• MMAFighting
  • 2000s Fighter of the Decade^[115]
  • 2005 Fight of the Year vs. Mirko Filipović on August 28, 2005^[116]
  • 2005 Heavyweight of the Year^[116]
  • 2004 Heavyweight of the Year^[116]
  • 2003 Heavyweight of the Year^[116]

• FIGHT! Magazine
  • 2000s Fighter of the Decade^[117]

• Bleacher Report
  • 2000s Fighter of the Decade^[118]
  • 2000s Heavyweight of the Decade^[119]

• About.com
  • 2000s Fighter of the Decade ^[120]

• Yahoo! Sports
  • 2000s Fight of the Decade vs. Mirko Filipović on August 28, 2005^[121]

• Sherdog
  • 2009 Knockout of the Year vs. Andrei Arlovski on January 24^[122]

• Inside MMA
  • 2009 KO Punch of the Year Bazzie Award vs. Andrei Arlovski on January 24^[123]

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 2005 Most Outstanding Fighter

• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2004 NHB Fighter of the Year^[124][125]

• Fight Matrix
  • 2005 Most Noteworthy Match of the Year vs. Mirko Filipović on August 28^[126]
  • 2004 Most Noteworthy Match of the Year vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira on December 31^[126]
  • 2003 Most Noteworthy Match of the Year vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira on March 16^[126]
  • 2003 Fighter of the Year^[126]

[edit] Sambo

• Fédération Internationale Amateur de Sambo
  • 2008 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Bronze Medalist^[127]
  • 2008 Russian Federation President's Cup Combat Sambo Gold Medalist^[128]
  • 2007 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist^[129]
  • 2005 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist^[130]
  • 2002 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist^[131]
  • 1997 European Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist^[6]

• All-Russia Sambo Federation
  • Russian Combat Sambo National Championship (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012)^{[1][132][133][134][135][136]}
  • Russian Combat Sambo National Championship 3rd Place (1998, 2000)^[17]
  • 1998 Russian Armed Forces Combat Sambo Championships Absolute Silver Medalist^[17]
  • 1998 Russian Armed Forces Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist^[17]

[edit] Judo

• International Judo Federation
  • 1999 Sofia Liberation A-Team Senior Bronze Medalist^[137]
  • 1999 Moscow International Tournament Senior Bronze Medalist^[137]

• Russian Judo Federation
  • Russian National Championship Senior Absolute 3rd Place (1999)^[137]
  • Russian National Championship Senior 3rd Place (1998)^[137]

Miscellaneous[link]

• Peace and Sport
  • 2011 Champions for Peace Inductee^[138]

• All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion
  • 2009 Russian Male Athlete of the Year^[139]

• International Olympic Committee
  • 2008 Summer Olympics Torchbearer^[140]

• National Sports Award "Glory"
  • 2008 "Glory" Award for Fair Play^[141]

• Russian Union of Martial Arts
  • 2006 "Golden Belt" Award for Most Outstanding Victory of the Year^[142]

• Imperial Society of Russia
  • First Class Golden Order of the Romanov Family of St. Nicholas II (2010)^[143]

• Russian Federation National State Decorations Committee
  • First Class Order of Peter the Great (2007)^[144]
  • Second Class Order For Merit to the Fatherland (2007)^[145]

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of male mixed martial artists
• List of Pride champions

References[link]