- Home
- MMA's Greatest headknockers
- Fedor Emelianenko
MMA's Greatest headknockers: Fedor Emelianenko
- 2004 Pride Gran Prix Tournament Champion
- Pride World Heavyweight Champion 2003-2007
- WAMMA World Heavyweight Champion
Fedor Emelianenko is a Russian Sambo expert and former Pride Fighting heavyweight Champion who some people believe was the best fighter in the world, pound-per-pound, kilo-per-kilo, stone-per-stone, or any other way you want to measure it.
He has great submissions, tremendous strength and can uncork an opponent's head with his punching power. One of the things that makes Fedor so highly regarded is that he can adapt to any situation and can fight from any position. Standing up, on the ground, on the top, on the bottom or anywhere else a fight can go.
Incredible fighting skills
And his recovery time is unbelieveable, as Kevin Randleman will attest to. Randleman slammed Fedor on his head with a Suplex that looked like it could have Brain-Damaged an average man, but didn't seem to faze Fedor and he submitted Randleman just a few seconds later.
headknocker Fedor Emelianenko's victories come in a variety of ways. He's an expert in Judo, and a Russian Sambo Submission Specialist. He can deliver punishment standing or on the ground. It didn't matter. Fedor’s power and accuracy was what made the difference. When Fedor connected, bad things happened, damage occurred. His striking flurries were quick and devastating.
It doesn't matter to him how he wins, just THAT he wins.
And win he did, if not by KO, then by referee stoppage after a Ground and Pound session. Or even by submission, going back to his Sambo training.
If you didn't know who The Last Emperor was, and saw him on the street, you would never guess that a lot of people thought he was the Baddest man on the Planet.
If he was or not may be debatable, but the number of fighters that are in his class couldn't fill a phone booth. Although Fedor doesn't look the part, and he doesn't seem much different than the guy down the street.
Expressionless destruction
Fedor's demeanor gives no indication that he believes all of the hype about himself. Before his fights, as the referee gives the fighters their pre-fight instructions, Fedor seems awkward, like he's out of place; it seems like he doesn't belong in the ring. He doesn't try to Stare Down his opponent, he doesn't jump around, grimace or make wild grunting noises.
There is no expression on his face. He doesn't even look at his opponent, he just stares at the ground. headknocker Fedor Emelianenko seems like he's shy and too nice to be a fighter. He gives no hint of the violence that is about to erupt all over his opponent.
And when the the bell tolls, headknocker Fedor Emelianenko does his transformation from the mild mannered guy who could be your next door neighbor, to the MMA Monster and former Pride Fighting Heavyweight Champion of the world, and it's every man for himself. Its like watching an old horror movie when the nice guy changes into a werewolf and goes and rips somebody's head off.
Training
Fedor was born in the Ukraine and grew up in Russia. He started his Martial Arts training in Russian Sambo and Judo and started his Mixed Martial Arts career in 2000.
Fedor Emelianenko is a great Submission Fighter, and besides fighting in Mixed Martial Arts he continues to compete in Sambo, and has won the World Combat Sambo Championships 4 times. In 2009 he won the Gold Medal at the Russian Sambo Championships, and his last 3 fights lasted 14 seconds, 26 seconds, and 20 seconds respectively, for an average of 20 seconds a fight.
Fedor Emelianko had also been steadily improving his striking and has become a world-class headknocker, with tremendous punching power as in his three fights against former UFC Heavyweight Champions Tim Silva and Andrei Arlovski, and then undefeated at the time Brett Rogers have proven.
He knocked Silvia senseless with a barage of punches before submitting him with a choke at 47 seconds of the first round, and KOed Arlovski as Arlovski tried to execute a Flying Knee and was shot down by Fedor Emelianenko's right hand in mid flight, in the first round. And previously undefeated Brett Rogers was hit by Fedor's right hand that ended Rogers' chance for an upset.
But just when some people thought fedor was invinciple, he had a major upset loss to Fabricio Werdum when Werdum caught Fedor in a Triangle Choke and Fedor could not escape it.
Then in his next fight another shock as Fedor was stopped by Antonio Silva, when Silva Grounded and Pounded on The Last Emperor until his eye was closed shut, and he couldn't continue. Fedor lost again to another Great headknocker, Dan Henderson in a fight between two legends.
- Fedor then rebounded with a win over Jeff Monson.
- Then KOed Pedro Rizzo
- TKOed Jaideep Singh
- Fedor got KOed by Matt Mitrione, where both were knocked down by each other at the same time but a younger Mitrione jumped to his feet a little quicker to land a blow to TKO Fedor.
- KOed former UFC Heavyweight Champ Frank MIr in the 1st round
- TKOed Chael Sonnen
- Was TKOed by Ryan Bader
- TKOed Rampage Jackson
- KOed Timothy Johnson
- And was TKOed by Ryan Bader again
As of now Fedor’s record is 40 wins with 16 KOs and 15 Submissions. But a lot of those submissions came after he battered his opponents mercilessly.
Fedor was undefeated in 9 ½ years. Pretty incredible. Rampage Jackson, who's fought some hard punchers said that Fedor hit him harder than he’s ever been hit.
Versatility, adaptability, and power are some of the abilities that Fedor is blessed with.
That's what makes Fedor Emelianenko one of the Greatest headknockers.
