Triple Zero (000) is the primary national emergency number in Australia.^[1] The Emergency Call Service is operated by Telstra a condition of its telecommunications licence, and is intended only for use in life-threatening or time-critical emergencies. Other emergency numbers in Australia are 112 for GSM mobile and satellite phones, which is answered by a Triple Zero (000) operator and 106 for TDD textphones. Triple Zero (000) was also the emergency number in Denmark and Finland until the introduction of the 112 number in 1993.

For calls to the State Emergency Service the Australia wide number 132 500 can be used (except for in the Northern Territory). This number should only be used for non life threatening situations.

History[link]

Prior to 1969, Australia did not have a national number for emergency services; the police, fire and ambulance services possessed many phone numbers, one for each local unit. In 1961, the office of the Postmaster General (PMG) introduced the Triple Zero (000) number in major population centres and near the end of the 1980s extended its coverage to nationwide. The number Triple Zero (000) was chosen for several reasons: technically, it suited the dialling system for the most remote automatic exchanges, particularly outback Queensland. These communities used the digit 0 to select an automatic trunk line to a centre. In the most remote communities, two 0s had to be used to reach a main centre; thus dialling 0+0, plus another 0 would call (at least) an operator. Zero is closest to the finger stall on Australian rotary dial phones, so it was easy to dial in darkness.^[2]

911 was previously considered as a potential emergency number, though existing numbering arrangements make this unfeasible due to homes and businesses being assigned numbers beginning with 911^[3] .

Calling Triple Zero (000)[link]

Calling Triple Zero (000) connects the caller to a Telstra operator who will then connect the caller to the emergency service organisation calltaker. Telstra operators do not take any details or dispatch services; instead they ask the caller if they require the "Police, Fire, Ambulance?" and their location if calling from a mobile phone or nomadic service (i.e. Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP). The caller is then connected to the relevant emergency service answer point as requested by the caller.

As soon as the emergency service calltaker answers the call, the available caller location information is transferred to the emergency service. The emergency service calltaker will then query the caller for the relevant details and dispatch the required response.

The caller's address is always available to Telstra operators for fixed services in Australia even if the number is "private" (except for VoIP services). However, emergency service organisation calltakers will always ask for the address of the emergency to be stated whenever possible to ensure an accurate location is provided^[4] - this is especially important in the case of "third-party" callers who are not personally on the scene of the incident (e.g relatives or alarm monitoring corporations). When calling from a mobile telephone, callers should always attempt to provide accurate location details. This will assist emergency calltakers, and will expedite emergency service dispatch, as this information is not always readily available during the call.

Within Australia, Triple Zero (000) is a free call from any telephone. Dialling Triple Zero (000) (or 112) on most Australian GSM mobile phones will override any keypad lock, and if the caller's home network is out of range, the phone will attempt to use other carrier's networks to relay the call. Interpreter services may also be available once connected to Emergency Services.

Due to special configuration in their firmware, some 3G or GSM mobile phones sold in Australia will redirect other emergency numbers, such as 9-1-1 and 9-9-9, to Triple Zero (000). These calls are sent out by the handset as an emergency flag to the network and as such are treated in the same way as a call to Triple Zero (000).

Victoria[link]

In the state of Victoria, emergency service dispatch and call-taking for Police, Ambulance in most parts of the state, and both rural and metropolitan fire services, is handled by the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA). ESTA operates over three sites, located in the Melbourne CBD, East Burwood, and Mount Helen. Currently, some rural Ambulance communication is still facilitated at a local level by Ambulance Victoria, however the various regional ambulance call-taking centres are progressively being rolled into the Mount Helen ESTA facility. When a person calls 000 for emergency response within Victoria, the Telstra operator will connect him or her to the relevant ESTA facility, where a trained calltaker will collect information from the caller, and enter this into the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Using this information, a trained dispatcher will respond with the appropriate emergency services or resources. Services are often already being notified by the dispatcher while the call-taker is still obtaining further information or giving advice, such as guiding the caller through CPR. ESTA is also responsible for Victorian State Emergency Service call-taking and dispatch, although this service cannot be contacted by dialling 000, as SES calls are not considered to be life-threatening. Many ESTA practices and protocols are standardised across all emergency services agencies, and all agencies use the same computer network. The result is complete and instantaneous information sharing between emergency services.

Issues[link]

SES[link]

As the Australian Communications and Media Authority does not regard State Emergency Service (SES) calls as life-threatening, this service cannot be contacted via Triple Zero (000). If dialling Triple Zero (000), asking Telstra for the SES will result in connection to a recorded announcement explaining how to contact these services.

2003 overload in Melbourne[link]

On 3 December 2003, floods and storms in Melbourne caused a large influx of Triple Zero (000) calls, which prevented some calls from being answered immediately. This caused some users interviewed by authorities to believe that they may have accidentally dialed the wrong number. A subsequent investigation recommended that a recorded announcement be implemented to assure callers that their calls were being connected.^[5] Callers to Triple Zero (000) are now greeted with a recorded message, which states "You have dialed emergency triple-zero. Your call is being connected."

Triple Oh[link]

Emergency services and Australia's Communications Regulator prefer the phrase "triple zero" over "triple oh" because of potential confusion and misunderstanding over keying the number when using alpha-numeric keypads. This could cause people to dial "666" in an emergency, not Triple Zero (000), or even enter the alphabet characters OOO if using a computer-based dialler or telephone software such as VoIP (a feature intended to be used for numbers advertised as a phrase or word, such as 13 CABS or 1800 REVERSE).

Remote locations[link]

One major obstacle in earlier 2009^[6] is the inability of operators of triple-0 to use GPS within GSM or CDMA systems to accurately locate distressed or injured persons using mobile phones visibly away from roads. Presently, operators must ask the caller exactly where they are. The answer to this may need to correspond to an existing road name (which may be practically impossible for distressed person(s) some kilometres away from a road) prior to the Emergency Service Organisation operator being able to dispatch an emergency service vehicle. In 2010, the Australian Communications and Media Authority are researching options that may provide improved location information for mobile services when dialling Triple Zero (000).

David Iredale[link]

The NSW State Labor Government has admitted to failings regarding the death of David Iredale, a high school student who died of dehydration in the bush near Katoomba in late 2006.^[7][8] Iredale made several calls for help to 000 prior to his death.^[9] Emergency services, specifically the NSW Ambulance Service Triple-zero call centre, were accused of inappropriately handling Iredale's calls; he was not provided with any medical advice, and operators were accused of being "pre-occupied" with obtaining a street address to send help to, despite the fact that Iredale was located in the bush. An inquest set up to investigate failings in the 000 system as a result of his death identified serious issues in the practices used by 000 operators.^[10]

See also[link]

• 111 Emergency phone number in New Zealand.
• 112 Emergency phone number across the European Union and on GSM mobile networks across the world.
• 119 Emergency phone number in parts of East Asia.
• 911 Emergency phone number in US and Canada.
• 999 Emergency phone number in Ireland, Poland and United Kingdom (where it works parallel to 112). Also an emergency number in several non-EU countries.

• Emergency telephone
• Emergency telephone number
• In case of emergency (ICE) entry in the mobile phone book.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Australian Disaster Information Network: Triple Zero (000) - Australia's Emergency Call Service
• Australian Communications and Media Authority: Emergency Calls Service information
• Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (VIC)

This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. You can assist by editing it. (May 2012)

Alexandra Stan
Background information
Birth name	Alexandra Stan
Born	(1989-06-10) 10 June 1989 (age 23)
Origin	Constanța, Romania
Genres	House, pop, dance
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, entertainer, model, dancer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Maan Music, Media Pro Music, Ultra Records
Website	alexandrastan.ro

Alexandra Stan (sometimes stylized as Alexandra Staи) (born June 10, 1989) is a Romanian singer-songwriter. She released her debut single, "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)", in late 2009. The song impacted Romanian mainstream radios in early 2010, peaking at number-eighteen. Her sophomore release, "Mr. Saxobeat", became her worldwide breakthrough hit, selling almost 1,000,000 copies in less than a year and reaching the top five in over twenty countries such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the top thirty in Australia, Canada and United States. She released her debut album in August 2011, entitled Saxobeats. The album spawned another single called "Get Back (ASAP)".

Early life and early career[link]

Alexandra Stan was born in Constanța.^[1] She studied at the "Traian" High School in Constanța, and as of 2011 she is enrolled in her second year as a student at the Faculty of Management Andrei Saguna.^[1] In the past, she took part in various music-related contests with a notable appearance at the Mamaia Festival vocal performance-section.^[1] She took one year of canto lessons. During an interview, she stated that she believes in God and she has her religious principles, and she does believe in the Church.^[2]

[edit] Saxobeats era (2009–present)

In 2009, Stan released her debut promotional single, "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)"^[3] The song was out in late 2009 but impacted some major Romanian mainstream radio stations in early 2010, with an A-list addiment in May 2010. During summer 2010, she premiered a new track "Show Me The Way" and toured Romania. In September 2010, Stan premiered her second release "Mr. Saxobeat". In less than two months, the song became her greatest hit in Romania, peaking at number-one on the Romanian Top 100 and defending the position for eight consecutive weeks.^[4] The song was commercially successful worldwide. In early 2011, it entered the Spanish Singles Chart and debuted inside the top ten of the French Singles Chart as well as in the Canadian Hot 100. It has firstly hit the #1 position in Italy and Denmark, then in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In late May, "Saxobeat" became the first Romanian song to reach #1 in Germany since "Dragostea din Tei". It was a number-one in Austria, Germany and Switzerland for twenty weeks in total. It was also a top-five success in over twenty countries, including #2 in Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Netherlands, Norway and Scotland, as well as #3 in Spain, Sweden and the UK Singles Chart. In New Zealand it peaked at number-four, while on the Brasil Hot 100 at.number-six while in Australia, Canada and the US Billboard Hot 100 at #21, #24, 25 and 29 respectively. It was also a #1 in the UK Dance Chart and in the US Hot Dance Airplay for seven weeks (the longest run in the 2010s).

After the success of "Mr. Saxobeat", Stan released a follow-up "Get Back (ASAP)". So far, it peaked at number-one in Slovakia, at number-four in the Romanian Top 100, at number-eight in Finland and inside the top twenty in over five countries. The song "Lollipop" was re-released for international digital markets exclusively, but with no success. In summer 2011, Stan released another single, "Million", featuring famed German rapper Carlprit. As of September, 2011 the song has received little airplay in France and missed the top forty. Its music video's shots started on December 6, 2011.

On August 29, 2011, Alexandra Stan released her debut album, entitled "Saxobeats". It features eight tracks plus five remixes. The album was first released in France, then in Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Spain, Poland and Italy.^[5][6] It was released in the United States and Canada on October 25, through Ultra Records. It is yet to be released in the UK. Her fourth overall single "1,000,000" ft. German rap star Carlprit has just been sent to mainstream radio stations in Belgium, France and Romania.^[7] As of January 14, 2012, "1,000,000" has currently peaked at #13 on the Romanian Airplay Chart, its highest peak on the chart to date.^[8]

Stan received multiple certification awards for "Mr. Saxobeat", including platinum in Australia^[9] and Spain,^[10] Platinum in Denmark^[11] and Sweden^[12] and Multi-Platinum in Italy.^[13] At the 2011 Romanian Music Awards she received two nominations for "Mr. Saxobeat" ("Best Dance" and "Best Song", winning the latter) and two nods for herself "Best Female" and winning the "Borderbreaker Award". She was also nominated for Best European Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, after winning Best Romanian Act where she was nominated alongside rapper Guess Who and Puia, singer Smiley and band Fly Project. In November, Stan lost the Best European to Lena Meyer-Landrut from Germany.

Discography[link]

• Saxobeats (2011)

Singles[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alexandra Stan

• Official website

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]