Fedor Emelianenko
by, Billy Mumphrey
Fedor Emelianenko is largely considered to be the Greatest Fighter alive by many in MMA circles. Emelianenko, for those who have just been introduced to the UFC, has been known to fight in any outside promotion other than the UFC mostly because he makes more money with single contract fights instead of signing with the mega mogul for a multi-fight contract. A lot of fans think he is dodging some of the best fighters in the world except when we look at his record he has fought many of the high level UFC heavyweights either before or after their relationship with the promotion. Fedor has fought 41 times, won 36, lost 4, and one No Contest. Two of the four times he lost the doctor stopped the fight because of a cut on Fedor's face.
But there is something odd about Fedor that we don't see a lot of in the fight game: compassion. In a sport where aggression is king, where does this softness that Fedor has come from; his upbringing. Coming from humble beginnings, and when I say humble I mean that he and his family grew up with very little in what was the old Soviet Ukraine, Fedor was an Honors student as a child. He understood from a young age lessons in hard work and the unfairness of life.
"Years ago we hardly had anything to eat. Now I earn more money and I see every opponent as a man that tries to put me back to that poorer period," Emelianenko says about opponents. I think this mindset shows us that Fedor doesn't fight the MAN, he's fighting against LIFE. And with this larger scale vision, I believe it allows Fedor to perform at a higher level, being able to motivate him past adversity without getting mixed up into the emotion of anger or anxiety towards the other fighter.
This couldn't be more prevalent when watching Fedor before, during and after a fight. No matter what, Fedor always taps gloves with his opponent. This may seem silly but it shows an overall level of respect for the sport and the other fighters. While he is knocking out or submitting an opponent, if that opponent seems clearly hurt or beaten, Fedor pulls up, where as in most fights we usually see the referees have to intercede.
The greatest Fedor story I have seen is when he fought Mark Coleman. Mark Coleman's young daughters were at the fight and very upset watching their father get punched and ultimately lose. After the fight, Coleman brought his daughters into the ring to meet Fedor to show them he isn't a scary man and in unbelievable fashion, Fedor is extremely sweet to Coleman and his girls. (Video 1 Below, Start at 2:55.)
Fedor fights Matt Mitrione this Saturday for free on Spike in Bellator 172. I would highly recommend watching it; I'm a UFC guy, but I'll be watching this event, because of Fedor.
Fedor/Coleman Interaction (2:55)
Fedor Highlights
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