Name	Mihail Apostolov - Popeto
Birth place	Gorna Dikanya, Bulgaria
Birth date	1871
Death place	Gavalyantsi, today Greece
Death date	March 21, 1902
Organization	IMARO }}

Mihail Raynov Apostolov, known also as Mihal Postolov or Popeto, was an officer in the Bulgarian army and a worker of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO).

Biography

Early years

Mihail Apostolov was born in the village of Gorna Dikanya, Radomir region, in 1871. He was raised in a very poor family. After his mother died, his father sent him to Sofia to study. He served his military service in the cavalry, in the First Cavalry Regiment, and was promoted to the rank of a sergeant. He left the army and became a policeman in the Cavalry police in Sofia. In 1895, when the Macedonian Committee in Sofia organized a revolutionary action in Macedonia, he left his police service and joined the revolutionary band of lieutenant Petar Nachev. After the action, he returned to Sofia. He met Gotse Delchev, who at that time organized the first revolutionary bands of the IMARO, which had the goal of entering Macedonia. Gotse Delchev decided to attract Bulgarian army officers to the IMARO in order to raise the authority and prestige of the revolutionary organization before the population and to improve the military skills of the freedom fighters. Mihail Apostolov – Popeto, Marko Lerinski and Hristo Chernopeev were among the first Bulgarian army officers in the IMARO.

Years in the IMARO

Mihail Apostolov became the first leader of a revolutionary band for agitation and organization. During his 7 years of activities, a number of IMARO freedom fighters joined his revolutionary band as his trainees, such as: Mihail Gerdzhikov, Nikola Dechev, Petar Yurukov, Delcho Kotsev, Petar Samardzhiev, Nikola Zhekov, Atanas Babata, Andon Kyoseto (who was an assistant-leader of the band), Krastyo Balgariyata, Gone Beginin, Trayko Gyotov, Ivan Varnaliyata, Ivan Alyabaka and others. Mihail Apostolov also had Hristo Chernopeev in his band for 3–4 months, but Chernopeev later headed his own revolutionary band .

He entered Macedonia for the first time as an IMARO voyvoda in 1897. His revolutionary band had 7 freedom fighters. All of them were born in the liberated parts of Bulgaria and had military training: Vasil Ivanov Chochov – senior sergeant from the First Infantry Regiment, Aleksandar Marinov from Plovdiv – a student from the Unter-Officer School, Filip Grigorov - a student from the same school, Nikolay Petrov – unter-officer and others. This revolutionary band was mainly active in the region of Maleshevo, but was also active in the regions of Kochani, Radovish and Strumitsa.

On July 20, 1897, together with the Gotse Delchev's revolutionary band, he killed four Circassians in the village of Buykovtsi. On September 14, 1897, Mihail Popeto kidnapped the rich Nazam bey from Strumitsa. In 1898, Popeto’s band had 13 freedom fighters and operated in the regions of Serres and Kukush. In 1899, Mihail Popeto moved to the regions of Voden and Enidzhe-Vardar. Mihail Chakov, a teacher, who was a freedom fighter in Mihail Popeto's band, headed different bands in Macedonia from 1901 to 1908 . In February 1900, Mihail Popeto and his band, then composed of 15-20 freedom fighters, passed through the villages of Orizartsi, Gevgeli region, and later in the summer the band transferred to the region of Kukush. He had battles against Turkish military forces near the village of Dambovo, in Kozhuf Mountain, as well as in other places . The same year, he continued to operate in the region of Tikvesh.

On its way from the region of Kukush to the region of Petrich, on March 21, 1902, the band of Mihail Apostolov was overtaken by a strong Turkish pursuit band. A battle occurred between the villages of Chuguntsi and Gavalyantsi, Kukush region, in which Mihail Popeto died. He was buried in the garden of the church in Gavalyantsi.

About him

References

Additional references

Енциклопедия България, том 1, Издателство на БАН, София, 1978.

Спомени на Христо Чернопеев, Движението отсамъ Вардара и борбата съ върховиститѣ, Л. Милетичъ

За Михаил Апостолов - Попето

"Илюстрация Илинден", година VII, брой 6

"Македония в пламъци", ИК Синева София, 2003 г.

Category:1871 births Category:1902 deaths Category:People from Pernik Province Category:Members of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization

bg:Михаил Апостолов mk:Михаил Апостолов

name	Fedor Emelianenko
native name	Фёдор Емельяненко
native lang	Russian
birth name	Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko
birth date	September 28, 1976
birth place	Rubizhne, Luhansk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
other names	The Last Emperor
nationality	Russian
height ft	6
height in	0
weight lb	223
weight class	Heavyweight (265 lb)
reach in	74
style	Sambo, Judo, Boxing,
stance	Orthodox
fighting out of	Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia
team	Red Devil Sport Club
trainer	Vladimir Voronov ''(Sambo and Judo)'' Alexander Michkov ''(Boxing)''
rank	International Master of Sports and Black Belt in Judo 1st Razryad Grand Master in Sambo
years active	2000–present (MMA)
mma win	31
mma kowin	8
mma subwin	16
mma decwin	7
mma loss	4
mma koloss	3
mma subloss	1
mma nc	1
spouse	Oksana (1999–2006) Marina (2009–present)
children	2
relatives	Alexander Emelianenko (brother) Ivan Emelianenko (brother)
url	http://efedor.ru/index_eng.shtml
sherdog	1500
updated	}}

}}

Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko) (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.

He holds the distinction of having held five separate major championships, including the RINGS Open-Weight and Absolute Class Tournament winner, the Pride Fighting Championships World Heavyweight and Heavyweight Grand Prix Championships, and the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship. He holds notable wins over many former champions such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Mirko Filipovic, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman (twice), Semmy Schilt and Renato Sobral.

Emelianenko has received widespread acclaim from several major publications, including ''Sports Illustrated'', ''USA Today'', and ''Sherdog.com''. Many analysts, as well as former and current fighters, consider Emelianenko to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. He remained undefeated for nearly a decade, during which time he was widely considered the best heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts, but is now on a three-fight losing streak.

Biography

Emelianenko was born in 1976 in the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk in what was then the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). In 1978, when he was two, his family moved within the Soviet Union to Stary Oskol, Belgorod of the Russian SFSR. His mother, Olga Fedorovna, was a teacher and his father, Vladimir Alexandrovich Emelianenko, was a welder. 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.

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. In 1999, he married his wife Oksana, and their daughter Masha was born in the same year. They divorced in 2006. On December 29, 2007, his second daughter, Vasilisa, was born to his long time girlfriend Marina. Emelianenko and Marina married in October 2009. In his spare time, he likes to read, listen to music, and draw. He is a practicing Orthodox Christian and a parishioner at the church of St. Nicholas in Stary Oskol. His confessor is archpriest Andrei Zinoviev. 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.

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.

Club affiliation

Emelianenko began his mixed martial arts as a member of Russian Top Team (RTT), 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. 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. 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. Emelianenko has trained with the likes of Ernesto Hoost, Tyrone Spong, and Denis Lebedev.

Mixed martial arts career

RINGS

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. 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. 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.

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

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 , 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. Emelianenko reminisced about it in February 2009, "Fujita is the only one who ever hit me right, and he hit hard!".

Next came a one-sided bout against heavy underdog Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge at Total Elimination 2003. 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. He has since reinjured this hand, leading to the postponement of several bouts. 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."

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.

Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix 2004

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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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. During the second and third rounds, Emelianenko's takedown defense and counter-punching earned him a unanimous decision victory to retain the heavyweight championship.

Title defense against Mirko Filipović

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. 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.

Later PRIDE Years

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. 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. 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. At five minutes into the first round, Hunt made two attempts at an americana on Emelianenko's left arm but failed to complete them. 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.

BodogFight

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, 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).

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.

M-1 Global

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. In a June 2007 interview with the ''Baltimore Sun'', Chuck Liddell suggested that Emelianenko was on his way to the UFC. 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, whereas Finkelstein has cited difficult negotiations as the reason. 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. 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. Nevertheless, these negotiations broke down, as Emelianenko committed to a non-exclusive, two-year and six-fight deal with M-1 Global in October 2007.

Yarennoka

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. Emelianenko defeated Choi in the opening round by submission via an armbar.

Dream

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. 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.

Affliction

On July 19, 2008, at ''Affliction: Banned'', Emelianenko faced elite competition in former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia, who at the time was widely regarded as a top-five heavyweight in mixed martial arts. Sylvia was coming off a title fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, in which he fought against number-two ranked heavyweight Sylvia was ranked as the #4 heavyweight fighter in MMA by ''Sherdog.com'' prior to his fight with Emelianenko. Sylvia said in the post-fight press conference, Affliction commentator and senior Fox Sports writer Jay Glazer sung Fedor's praises after the fight; "You want to know why he's the greatest fighter on the planet today? That is why! Tim Sylvia is shaking his head in disbelief! That, folks, is the Michael Jordan, the Tiger Woods, the Rocky Marciano of our sport!"

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."

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 defended his WAMMA championship against 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. Arlovski had some early success in the fight, landing punches and leg kicks. 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. The knockout victory was awarded knockout of the year for 2009 by ''Sherdog''. With the win, Emelianenko defended his title and defeated his second straight top-5 heavyweight opponent.

Emelianenko met WAMMA lightweight champion 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. 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.

Emelianenko was scheduled to defend his WAMMA Heavyweight title against 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. On July 23, 2009, Vitor Belfort – who was already on the card – was reported as a likely replacement, but the next day Affliction canceled the event citing limited time to find a suitable replacement and inadequate time to promote the fight.

Negotiations with the UFC

After the collapse of Affliction, UFC President Dana White ferociously tried to sign Emelianenko to an exclusive contract with the UFC several times. White said of Emelianenko; "He has become my obsession. I want it (him in the UFC) worse than the fans want it." 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". 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, negotiations fell apart after Emelianenko's management team demanded a co-promotion between the UFC and M-1 Global, terms which White deemed unacceptable.

Strikeforce

Following Affliction's collapse, Emelianenko signed a three-fight contract with Strikeforce. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed that Emelianenko's debut would take place on November 7, broadcast nationally on CBS.

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. 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; in the process, Werdum became the first MMA fighter to attain a non-controversial victory over Emelianenko. After the fight, Emelianenko said the following:

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Following their fight, Werdum praised Emelianenko, declaring him "the best in the world" and his idol. M-1 Global boss Vadim Finkelstein declared that a rematch against Fabricio Werdum was Fedor's main priority, eyeing a possible October–November date. However, it was later reported that Werdum would be out for the rest of 2010 while recovering from elbow surgery.

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.

Emelianenko had expressed interest in fighting Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem before the end of 2010. 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. 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.

After the fight, Emelianenko implied that he may retire. "Yes, maybe, it's the last time. Maybe it's high time. Thanks for everything. I spent a great beautiful long sport life. Maybe it's God's will."

At the post-fight press conference, Vadim Finkelstein stated that he didn't feel Fedor would retire yet. "I think Fedor was just really upset that he lost the fight... I don’t think it was a clear-cut loss. If it doesn’t get stopped by the doctor, we don’t know what would have happened in that third round. Because of that I think we will see Fedor return." Finkelstein added that he would honor whatever decision his fighter chose. Upon returning to Russia, Emelianenko stated that he planned to continue fighting.

Emelianenko faced Dan Henderson on July 30, 2011 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson. At the event, Emelianenko was defeated with a technical knockout stoppage. Henderson delivered a punch underneath Emelianenko's armpit which landed flush on Emelianenko's chin and knocked him face first into the mat. Emelianenko's body went limp prompting referee Herb Dean to immediately stop the fight. However, as Dean separated the fighters, Emelianenko rolled to his back to recover guard, stirring a debate among some fans as to whether the stoppage was premature. Emelianenko expressed that although he was hit, the strike did not land flush, and that he could have certainly continued. Dean defended his decision after reviewing the tape, 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." When asked about retirement, Emelianenko stated that it is not up to him, as he said, "It's God’s will.".

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.” 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." 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''.

Championships and accomplishments

Fighting Network RINGS

RINGS Openweight Championship (1 Time, Last)

*2002 RINGS Absolute Class Tournament Winner

PRIDE Fighting Championships

*PRIDE World Heavyweight Championship (One time; Last)

*PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion

World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts

*WAMMA World Heavyweight Championship (One time; First; Last)

Black Belt Magazine

2004 NHB Fighter of the Year

Sherdog

2009 Knockout of the Year vs Andrei Arlovski

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

*2005 Most Outstanding Fighter

Mixed martial arts record

| Loss | style="text-align:center;"| 31–4 (1) | Dan Henderson | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 4:12 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S. | |- | Loss | style="text-align:center;"| 31–3 (1) | Antonio Silva | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. | Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal |- | Loss | style="text-align:center;"| 31–2 (1) | Fabricio Werdum | Submission (triangle/armbar) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:09 | San Jose, California, U.S. | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 31–1 (1) | Brett Rogers | TKO (punches) | Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:48 | Hoffman Estates, Illinois, U.S. | Defended WAMMA Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 30–1 (1) | Andrei Arlovski | KO (punch) | Affliction: Day of Reckoning | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 3:14 | Anaheim, California, U.S. | Defended WAMMA Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 29–1 (1) | Tim Sylvia | Submission (rear naked choke) | Affliction: Banned | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 0:36 | Anaheim, California, U.S. | Won inaugural WAMMA Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 28–1 (1) | Hong-Man Choi | Submission (armbar) | Yarennoka! | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:54 | Saitama, Saitama | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 27–1 (1) | Matt Lindland | Submission (armbar) | BodogFIGHT: Clash of the Nations | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 2:58 | St. Petersburg, Russia | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 26–1 (1) | Mark Hunt | Submission (kimura) | Pride Shockwave 2006 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 8:16 | Saitama, Saitama | Defended Pride Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 25–1 (1) | Mark Coleman | Submission (armbar) | Pride 32 | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:17 | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 24–1 (1) | Wagner Martins | Submission (strikes) | Pride Shockwave 2005 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 0:26 | Saitama, Saitama | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 23–1 (1) | Mirko Filipović | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Final Conflict 2005 | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama | Defended Pride Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 22–1 (1) | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pride Bushido 6 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 10:00 | Yokohama, Kanagawa | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 21–1 (1) | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | Pride Shockwave 2004 | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama | Unified Pride Interim Heavyweight Championship; Won 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix |- | No Contest | style="text-align:center;"| 20–1 (1) | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | NC (accidental headbutt) | Pride Final Conflict 2004 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 3:52 | Saitama, Saitama | Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Final |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 20–1 | Naoya Ogawa | Submission (armbar) | Pride Final Conflict 2004 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 0:54 | Saitama, Saitama | Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 19–1 | Kevin Randleman | Submission (kimura) | Pride Critical Countdown 2004 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:33 | Saitama, Saitama | Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 18–1 | Mark Coleman | Submission (armbar) | Pride Total Elimination 2004 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 2:11 | Saitama, Saitama | Pride 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 17–1 | Yuji Nagata | TKO (strikes) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:02 | Kobe, Hyōgo | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 16–1 | Gary Goodridge | TKO (soccer kicks and punches) | Pride Total Elimination 2003 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:09 | Saitama, Saitama | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 15–1 | Kazuyuki Fujita | Submission (rear naked choke) | Pride 26 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 4:17 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 14–1 | Egidijus Valavicius | Submission (kimura) | Rings Bushido Rings 7: Adrenalinas | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:11 | Vilnius, Lithuania | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 13–1 | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 25 | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Yokohama, Kanagawa | Won Pride Heavyweight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 12–1 | Heath Herring | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Pride 23 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 10:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 11–1 | Semmy Schilt | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 21 | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 10–1 | Chris Haseman | TKO (strikes) | Rings: World Title Series Grand Final | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 2:50 | Yokohama|Yokohama, Kanagawa | Rings Absolute Class Tournament Final; Won Rings Absolute Class Tournament |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 9–1 | Lee Hasdell | Submission (guillotine choke) | Rings: World Title Series 5 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 4:10 | Yokohama|Yokohama, Kanagawa | Rings Absolute Class Tournament Semifinal |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 8–1 | Ryushi Yanagisawa | Decision (unanimous) | Rings: World Title Series 4 | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Rings Absolute Class Tournament Quarterfinal |- | | style="text-align:center;"| | Bobby Hoffman | Forfeit | Rings: 10th Anniversary | | style="text-align:center;"| | style="text-align:center;"| | Tokyo, Japan | Rings Open-Weight Class Tournament Final, Won Rings Open-weight Championship |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 7–1 | Renato Sobral | Decision (unanimous) | Rings: 10th Anniversary | | style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Rings Open-Weight Class Tournament Semifinal |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 6–1 | Kerry Schall | Submission (armbar) | Rings: World Title Series 1 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:47 | Tokyo, Japan | Rings Open-Weight Class Tournament Quarterfinal |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 5–1 | Mihail Apostolov | Submission (rear naked choke) | Rings Russia: Russia vs. Bulgaria | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 1:03 | Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast | |- | Loss | style="text-align:center;"| 4–1 | Tsuyoshi Kohsaka | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block B | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 0:17 | Osaka, Kansai | Rings King of Kings 2000 Tournament 2nd Round; Inadvertent illegal elbow strike reopened existing cut. |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 4–0 | Ricardo Arona | Decision (unanimous) | Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block B | | style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 5:00 | Osaka|Osaka, Kansai | Rings King of Kings 2000 Tournament Opening Round |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 3–0 | Hiroya Takada | KO (punch) | Rings: Battle Genesis Vol. 6 | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 0:12 | Tokyo, Japan | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 2–0 | Levon Lagvilava | Submission (rear naked choke) | Rings: Russia vs. Georgia | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 7:24 | Tula, Tula Oblast | |- | Win | style="text-align:center;"| 1–0 | Martin Lazarov | Submission (guillotine choke) | Rings: Russia vs. Bulgaria | | style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 2:24 | Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast |

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

! style="width:75px;"

Status !! style="width:150px;"|Date !! style="width:225px;"|Championship !! style="width:100px;"|Weight !! style="width:200px;"|Location
				Anaheim, California
				Yokohama, Japan
		PRIDE World Grand Prix		Saitama, Japan
		RINGS Absolute Class Tournament		Yokohama, Japan
		RINGS Heavyweight Class Tournament		Tokyo, Japan

Judo

! style="width:75px;"

Status !! style="width:150px;"|Date !! style="width:225px;"|Championship !! style="width:100px;"|Weight !! style="width:200px;"|Location
		Dutch Grand Prix		Rotterdam, Netherlands
		Russian National Championships		Kstovo, Russia
		Sofia Liberation A-Team		Sofia, Bulgaria
		Moscow International Tournament		Moscow, Russia
		Russian National Championships		Kstovo, Russia

Sambo

! style="width:75px;"

Status !! style="width:75px;"|Date !! style="width:300px;"|Championship !! style="width:100px;"|Weight !! style="width:200px;"|Location
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		Krasnokamsk, Russia
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		Kstovo, Russia
		World Combat Sambo Championships		Prague, Czech Republic
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		St. Petersburg, Russia
		World Combat Sambo Championships		Prague, Czech Republic
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		Buryat Republic, Russia
		World Combat Sambo Championships		Prague, Czech Republic
		World Combat Sambo Championships		Panama City, Panama
		World Combat Sambo Championships		Thessaloniki, Greece
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		Moscow, Russia
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		Orenburg, Russia
		Russian Armed Forces Combat Sambo Championships		Russia
		Russian Armed Forces Combat Sambo Championships		Russia
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		Kaliningrad, Russia
		European Combat Sambo Championships
		Russian Combat Sambo Championships		St. Petersburg, Russia

See also

List of male mixed martial artists

List of Pride champions

References

External links

Fedor Emelianenko "The Last Emperor" Official Website: news, fights, videos, photos.

The Official Site of Fedor Emelianenko

Category:Living people Category:1976 births Category:Russian mixed martial artists Category:Heavyweight mixed martial artists Category:Russian judoka Category:Russian sambo practitioners Category:Pride Fighting Championships champions Category:People from Belgorod Oblast Category:People from Luhansk Oblast Category:Russian Orthodox Christians

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