Fedor Emelianenko was born in 1976 in the Rubezhnoe town in Luhansk
region, presently a part of Ukraine (part of the Soviet Union at the
time). Fedor's family moved to Stary Oskol, Russia in 1978. His mother,
Olga Feodorovna, is a teacher. His father, Vladimir Alexandrovich, is a
gas-electric welder. Fedor is the second child in the family and has one
older sister, Marina, and two younger brothers, Aleksander (born 1981)
and Ivan (born 1988). Aleksander is also an MMA fighter in PRIDE, and
Ivan is currently in training.
Fedor finished high school in 1991 and graduated with honors from a
professional trade school in 1994. In 1999 he married his wife, Oksana.
Fedor's daughter, Masha, was also born in 1999.
Fedor is part of the Red Devil Sport Club camp.
Martial Arts Background & Training Regimen
Emelianenko's enthusiasm for fighting began with Sambo and Judo. He
initially trained under Vasiliy Ivanovich Gavrilov, and later under his
current coach, Vladimir Mihailovich Voronov. Voronov remembers that
ten-year-old Fedor was relatively weak physically and did not have an
innate grappling talent; instead, Fedor's biggest strength was his
perseverance and strong will.
From 1995 until 1997, Emelianenko served in the Russian Army. His
official biography erroneously states that he trained in Sambo during
his army years. However, Fedor has specified in his 2005 Amsterdam
interview that this is incorrect, and his training in the army was
limited to running and strength training in a makeshift gym he put
together himself.
In 1997, Emelianenko received the official certification of a "Master of
Sports" in Sambo and Judo. Fedor became Russian Judo Champion in 1998.
In 2000, he started studying striking with arms and legs under coach
Alexander Vasilievich Michkov. Fedor started competing in combat sambo
and mixed martial arts in 2000, because he "didn't have any money".
Fedor used to weight train extensively, but in 1999 he almost completely
substituted his weight exercises with sport-specific training in
grappling, boxing and kick-boxing. His strength training consists of
daily pull-ups, push ups on parallel bars, and crunches. Emelianenko
also runs 12-15 kilometers (7.5 - 9.3 miles) every day.
Fedor's team consists of coach Voronov (grappling), coach Michkov
(boxing), and his training partners: his brother, Aleksander Emelianenko,
and Roman Zentsov, another PRIDE fighter.
In 2005 Emelianenko started paying special attention to improving his
kicking technique. He trained Muay Thai with kickboxer Ernesto Hoost in
Netherlands in 2005. During his 5 day visit in January 2006 to South
Korea to promote Sambo, Fedor mentioned that now he also trains in
Taekwondo to improve his kicks.
Mixed Martial Arts
Fedor Emelianenko currently holds a professional Mixed Martial Arts
record of 23-1-0. Including amateur bouts, he is 30-1-0 , He started his
MMA career in the Rings organization and eventually moved on to fight
for PRIDE where he is currently the Heavyweight Champion.
Emelianenko's only loss in MMA came at the hands of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at
the King of Kings 2000 Block B event on December 22, 2000, via a TKO
(doctor stoppage due to a cut) 17 seconds into the fight. The cut was
caused by an elbowstrike, illegal under RINGS rules unless the striker
was wearing elbow pads; however the tournament format required a winner
and loser be acclaimed. He avenged the loss at the PRIDE Bushido 6 event
on April 3, 2005, defeating Kohsaka by TKO due to doctor stoppage after
the first round.
On August 28, 2005, Emelianenko successfully defended his heavyweight
title by defeating Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic by way of unanimous
decision in the Pride FC Final Conflict event held in Saitama, Japan. It
was his third title defense. He said Mirko to be his toughest opponent
he has ever fought.
At Pride's "Shockwave 2005" event on December 31, 2005, Emelianenko
entered a non-title match against Zuluzinho, a 400-lb. Brazilian.
Emelianenko won in 26 seconds by submission due to strikes.
