Fedor Emelianenko: Early Life, Championship & Net Worth
Fedor Emelianenko is a Russian professional mixed martial artist and the Honorary President and Chairman of the Russian MMA Union.
Further, he is considered one of the most decorated MMA fighters globally. With 39 wins and six losses, he has earned his nickname as the Last Emperor.
Likewise, he won multiple MMA championships. Moreover, Sports Illustrated named him the top MMA fighter of the 2000s.
Besides that, he has also won many championships in Sambo and Judo.
However, regardless of his colossal stardom, he has never fought in UFC as their negotiation fell off.
Nonetheless, the starfighter called it quits and became the President of the Russian MMA Union.
Hence, after three years of hiatus, the last Emperor returned to competitive fighting on July 14, 2015. Currently, the Russian starfighter has signed with Bellator MMA.
Nevertheless, as of December 2019, he hasn’t fought any fights but is speculated to fight very soon in 2021.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko |
| Birth Date | September 28, 1976 |
| Birth Place | Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Nick Name | The Last Emperor |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox Christian |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Ethnicity | Russian |
| Sports | Mixed Martial Art |
| Team(s) | FedorTeam (2015-present) Red Devil Sports Club (2003-2012) Russian Top Team (2000-2003) |
| Profession | Mixed Martial Artist |
| Active Years | 2000-2012, 2015-Present |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 76 in |
| Style | Sambo, Judo |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Stary Oskol, Belgorod, Russia |
| Teacher(s) | Volk Han Andrei Kopylov |
| Trainer(s) | Vladamir Voronov Alexander Michkov Peter Teijsse Ernesto Hoost |
| Rank | Sambo: 1st Razryad Gran Master Judo: Black belt and International Master of Sport |
| Education | Belgorodskiy Gosudarstvennyy Natsional’nyy Issledovatel’skiy Universitet |
| Horoscope | Libra |
| Father’s Name | Vladimir Alexandrovich Emelianenko |
| Mother’s Name | Olga Emelianenko |
| Siblings | Two |
| Age | 47 Years Old |
| Height | 6 ft |
| Weight | 235 lb |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Build | Atheltic |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse(s) | Marina (m. 2009, div. 2013) Oksana (m. 1999, div. 20006) |
| Children | 3: Elizabeth, Vasilisa, Masha |
| Net Worth | $18 Million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Youtube, Facebook |
| Merch | T-Shirt, Photo with Donald Trump, Hoodie |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Fedor Emelianenko: Early Life, Family, and Education
Fedor Emelianenko was born in Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.
Further, his parents are Olga Emelianenko and Vladimir Alexandrovich Emelianenko.
Likewise, he has two younger brothers, Alexander; a mixed martial artist, and Ivan; a militant for the Russian Army.
Moreover, the athlete’s mother was a teacher, whereas his father was a welder.
Nonetheless, they supported their children’s decision to learn wrestling.
Thus, the three brothers started practicing Sambo and Judo at an early age.
At age 12, Fedor was admitted to sports classes by his coach Vladimir Voronov.
Three years later, he finished school and went to Natsional’nyy Issledovatel’skiy Universitet.
He graduated in 1994, after which he served in the Russian Army as a Military Firefighter from 1995 to 1997. Not to mention, his parents also got divorced during this time.
Furthermore, after being released from his duties, he received the “Master of Sports” certification in Judo and Sambo. He also became part of the Russian national team.
However, due to a lack of money, Fedor left the team and began his career as a professional mixed martial artist.
Fedor Emelianenko: Age, Height, and Weight
The Russian fighter is 47 Years Old.
Likewise, he goes to the gym every day and takes excellent care of his diet to keep himself in the best shape possible.
Furthermore, Emelianenko is 6 feet tall and weighs 235 lb, i.e., 107kg.
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Fedor Emelianenko: MMA Career
Debut, First Loss, and Heavyweight Titles
The Last Emperor made his official MMA debut for the Rings, a Japanese combat sports promotion.
Further, he won his fight by guillotine choke submission in the first round.
Likewise, he cruised to two more victories and signed a two-fight tournament deal. Hence, he faced Ricardo Arona for the first fight, which he won unanimously.
Furthermore, he advances to the second round facing Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.
However, 17 seconds into the fight, the match was stopped by doctors due to a cut sustained by Fedor.
The fight ended, and the Kohsaka was named the winner of the match.
Four months after the loss, he returned to the ring and went on a five-fight winning streak. Following his victory, he signed with the Pride Fighting Champions.
Further, he made his debut for PRIDE on June 23, 2002, against Semmy, which he won.
Similarly, he won one more fight, after which he landed a heavyweight title opportunity.
On June 20, 2004, Fedor was sent on a flight with one of Kevin Randleman’s suplexes, but eventually, the Russian managed to win the match by submission.
Additionally, Fedor won the match 19-1 after finishing Kevin with a kimura.
The Russian fighter faced Antônio Nogueira for the PRIDE Heavyweight Championship. The fight was very intense, where Emelianenko maintained his dominance from start to end.
Hence, he won the PRIDE Heavyweight Championship via unanimous decision.
He held the title for three years until his contract expired, and he didn’t return.
Failed UFC Negotiation and WAMMA Heavyweight Title
After the contract expired, UFC quickly offered a contract worth under just $2 million.
Not to mention, he would also get the UFC Heavyweight title match against Brock Lesnar.
Hence, the deal looked very appealing to both sides. However, Emelianenko’s management team demanded a co-promotion between UFC and M-1 Global.
Nonetheless, the President of UFC, Dana White, didn’t accept the terms. As a result, the negotiation fell, and the MMA fighter signed a contract with Affiliation.
He gave his debut against Tim Sylvia for the WAMMA Heavyweight Championship.
Further, he defeated Sylvia in 36 seconds, one of the quickest victories of his career.
To elaborate, Emelianenko dropped Tim with some quick insane punches and held a rear-naked choke. It was one of his most dominating and electrifying performances.
Even Dana White, who recently had criticized the fighter, praised him for the fight against the Ex-UFC champion.
Therefore, with the victory, he became the WAMMA Heavyweight Champion of the world.
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Three Consecutive Carrer Losses and Retirement
Fedor successfully defended his title twice after the title win alongside signing with Strikeforce.
Furthermore, his next fight was against Werdum, which he lost via a triangle armbar in just 1 minute.
As a result, he lost the WAMMA Heavyweight title and seemed very disappointed.
Not to mention, this was just his 2nd career loss after winning 26 consecutive fights.
After seven months, he returned to the octagon for a fight against Antônio Silva. Further, the battle was very intense in the first round.
However, Sliva unleashes some great punches after passing to mount in the second round.
As a result of his hits, Emelianenko’s right eye swelled up to a point he couldn’t see.
Thus, the ringside doctors ended the match leading Fedor to lose his third overall fight.
Moreover, six months later, he lost another match via punches in 1st round.
Following his stint in Strikeforce, he joined M-1 Global, where he won his debut match. He then returned to Japan for competing in Fight for Japan.
Likewise, he also won his debut match and returned for a final game in M-1 Global.
After winning the match, he announced his retirement.
Comeback and Bellator MMA
After three years of hiatus, he announced his return and immediately started training. Further, UFC and Bellator MMA both offered him a lucrative deal.
However, due to the previous unsatisfactory encounter with UFC, he decided to decline their offer. Therefore, he signed multi-year deals with Bellator MMA.
Before making his official debut for Bellator MMA, he fought in “Rizin World Grand Prix 2015 Finale” and “Fight Nights Global 50″, winning them.
Hence, on June 24, 2017, he debuted at Bellator MMA, facing Mitrione.
However, the return was not as expected as he lost the fight in the first round in under 2 minutes.
Nonetheless, he returned within a month and landed a devastating uppercut to win against Frank Mir.
Furthermore, in October 2018, he left the post of President of the Russian MMA Union.
Nevertheless, he remained as an Honorary President and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Union.
Likewise, on January 26, 2019, he landed a title shot at the vacant Bellator Heavyweight Championship. But, unfortunately, he lost the match due to insane punches by Ryan Bader.
It was one of his worst losses, as he was knocked out within 35 seconds of the match.
He returned to fight after nine months after his devastating loss, where he won via first-round knockout.
Stats
ESPN lists Fedor as the most excellent MMA heavyweight fighter of all time.
Furthermore, The Last Emperor is compared to Wayne Gretzky, Pele, Muhammad Ali, and other great personalities.
Some of Fedor’s stats are:
- 40 wins
- six losses
- zero draws
- 16-5 (technical) knockout
- 15 wins by submission
The Last Emperor was indeed one of a kind, one of his hits, and you could get knockout quickly.
Moreover, a video shows some of his greatest hits over his fascinating career!
Achievements and Honors
- One-time Pride Heavyweight Champion
- One-time Rings Opneweight Champion
- Six-time 2000s Fight of the Decade
- One-time WAMMA Heavyweight Champion
- Three-time MMAFightning.com’s Heavyweight of the year in 2003, 2004, and 2005
- Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
- One-time Fair Play Glory Award in 2007
- Four-time Fighter of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009
- One-time Comeback Fighter of the Year in 2018
- Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Finalist
- One-time Most Outstanding Victory of the Year Golden Belt Award in 2006
- Two-time SportAccord World Combat Games Sambo Ambassador in 2010 and 2013
- One-time WCSF World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist in 2002
- Three-time FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist in 2002, 2005, and 2007
- One-time European Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist in 1999
- Six-time Russian Combat Sambo National Championship in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2012
- One-time President’s Cup Combat Sambo Gold Medalist in 2008
- The honor of carrying the Olympic torch in Sochi 2014
Fedor Emelianenko: Marriage and Kids
Emelianenko has been married three times to two different women.
Further, his first wife was Oksana Emelianenko, who met in a pioneer camp during their school years.
Oksana worked as a camp counselor in a children’s center.
Likewise, the athlete attended the camp for sports competitions and gatherings.
They stayed in touch after the camp and soon started dating. Hence, in 1999 the couple got married and had their first daughter named Masha Emelianenko.
Even though the couple was madly in love, things went haywire after Fedor committed adultery.
Oksana could not forgive her husband and demanded a divorce.
As a result, after seven years of marriage, they got divorced in 2006.
After his separation, the athlete dated Marina and had his second daughter Vasilisa with her.
After the birth of his second daughter, the couple legalized their marriage in 2009.
Furthermore, two years later, in 2011, the couple shared another daughter named Elizabeth.
However, five years into the marriage, they separated in 2014. Following Fedor’s second divorce, he went back to his first wife, Oksana, and married her the same year.
They live together in Stary Oskol, Russia, with their daughter.
Fedor Emelianenko: Net Worth and Salary
The Russian athlete has built an enormous wealth throughout his MMA career.
Emelianenko has a net worth of $18 million.
Similarly, he has a career earning $7,300,000 from his multiple fights.
He made $2,200,000 in the 2015 Rizin World Grand Prix Finale.
As a result, he has ranked the ninth wealthiest MMA fighter globally, just behind Anderson Silva.
Further, he is the only non-UFC fighter in the top 10 richest MMA fighters list.
Likewise, he has sponsor deals with Dragon Door, M-1, RVCA, Clinch Gear, and Okko Sports.
On top of that, he has a multi-year contract with the Red Devil Sports Club.
Hence, he lives a very comfortable life in a great house and multiple car collections.
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Fedor Emelianenko: Social Media Presence
The Russian athlete can be found on various social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.
Further, he has over 1 million followers on his Instagram handle.
Moreover, the athlete mostly posts pictures alongside his family and friends. Besides that, he also shares his life as a professional MMA Fighter.
Likewise, the last Emperor also has a Facebook account with over 19 thousand followers.
Further, he has shared pictures of his early fights and championships.
Aside from that, he also has a Youtube account with over 15 thousand subscribers.
Additionally, he shares highlights of his fights and videos of pre-fight workouts.
Similarly, he also has multiple pre-fight and post-fight interviews.
Not to mention, he has posted a video where Russian President Vladimir Putin praises him.
However, he is not active on Facebook and Youtube anymore as there have been no posts made in over three years.
Nonetheless, he is pretty active on his Instagram and posts weekly. All in all, he loves to share his daily life on social media.
Fedor Emelianenko: FAQS
Is Emelianenko still fighting?
Yes, the last Emperor is still fighting and is scheduled to fight in 2021. However, the date and his opponent have not been announced yet.
Why did Fedor never go to UFC?
UFC had approached the Russian athlete, but he declined the offer because he claimed they did not show enough respect during their negotiation.
Did Fedor Emelianenko ever face any injuries?
Being an MMA Fighter, it is uncertain what type of injury the fighter will face next!
Yes, Fedor faced some injuries in his career.
At the PRIDE Final Conflict 2006, The Emporer broke his nose after being hit by two stiffs jabs from Cro Cop.
Despite the nose injury, the Russian fought to win the match by unanimous decision.
Fedor had a recurring hand injury; furthermore, a plate was inserted in his hand before a match with Coleman in 2006.
