Alexander Vladimirovich Emelianenko (or Yemelianenko; rus, Александр Владимирович Емельяненко, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Emel'janenko, ɐlʲɪkˈsandr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjænʲɪnkə}; born 2 August 1981) is a Russian professional
mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...
. He is a three-time Russian national Combat
Sambo champion and three-time world Combat Sambo champion in the absolute division.
He is a younger brother of
Fedor Emelianenko.
Background
Aleksander was born on in
Stary Oskol
Stary Oskol (, ) is a city in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located south of Moscow. Population: It is called ''Stary Oskol'' () to distinguish it from Novy Oskol () located south. Both are on the Oskol River.
History
Oskol was first mentioned i ...
,
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
,
into the family of a teacher, Olga Feodorovna Emelianenko, and a welder, Vladimir Alexanderovich Emelianenko. He is the third child in the family and has an older sister, Marina, an older brother,
Fedor, and a younger brother, Ivan.
In his childhood, since his parents were working during the day, Aleksander spent a lot of time on the rough streets.
During his early teens, he used to take part in street fights while his parents were working,
going so far as being involved in a riot between neighborhoods.
Since his family did not have enough money, his mother used to prepare only a single meal for the entire week for Emelianenko and his brothers
and he had to share clothing with his older brother.
Initially studying to become an electrician at the vocational school, Emelianenko finished his studies in 1999 as an electric welder after he was transferred several times to other technical specialties for bad behavior.
When he was a teenager, while his brother Fedor was in the
Russian Army
The Russian Ground Forces (), also known as the Russian Army in English, are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces are the protection of the state borders, combat on land, ...
, his parents separated and, since then, Emelianenko has had a strained relationship with his father, with whom he rarely speaks.
Martial arts training
Emelianenko started martial arts training at a very early age: his older brother, Fedor, often had to babysit him, and since Fedor did not want to miss his
Sambo practice, he took young Alexander with him.
At first, Emelianenko only observed the older kids, but soon he started mimicking their movements.
He started his formal Sambo training when he joined elementary school, training with Vladimir Mihailovich Voronov.
Emelianenko would go on to practice
Judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
,
Wrestling
Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
, and
Boxing
Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...
, and he also participated in other sports like
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
and
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
.
At 16 years old, when he was in
training school, his mother forbade him from training boxing but Emelianenko kept doing it in secret.
Also at 16 years old, Emelianenko became a Russian Master of Sport in judo.
In 1999, Emelianenko won the European Sambo championships.
In 2003 he won the World Combat Sambo championships and repeated this feat in 2004 and 2006.
In 2010, during 19–22 February, Emelianenko took part in the Russian Cup of Combat Sambo representing
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, winning the heavyweight tournament (his brother Fedor injured his hand during the tournament) and earning the right to represent Russia at the World Championships.
Emelianenko participated in sambo at Sportaccord Combat Games 2010 in
Beijing
Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, where he won the silver medal in the +100 kg category.
Emelianenko has famously said of his fighting prowess, "My punches are like electric trains, if I miss, my opponent would catch a cold."
Mixed martial arts career
The Pride years
One of the youngest fighters to debut in
Pride Fighting Championships
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
at 22 years old, on 5 October 2003 at the event ''
Pride Bushido 1
The year 2003 was the 7th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2003 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 25 - Body Blow''.
Title fights
Debut Pride FC fighters
The follo ...
'', Emelianenko made his professional
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
(MMA) debut against Brazilian
Assuério Silva, defeating Silva by
split decision
A split decision (SD) is a winning criterion in boxing, most commonly in full-contact combat sports, in which two of the three judges score one particular competitor as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other competitor.
A split de ...
.
In his next fight on 31 December 2003, Emelianenko fought against Brazilian fighter Angelo Araujo at ''Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 Inoki Festival'', defeating Araujo by
TKO after Emelianenko cut Araujo above the right eye and the doctor stopped the fight.
At ''
PRIDE Bushido 3'' on 23 May 2004, Emelianenko defeated
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
Matt Foki via
rear naked choke
The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...
in the first round.
In his fourth professional fight, Emelianenko was defeated in the first round via KO (head kick) by
Mirko Cro Cop
Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a Croatian former professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro ...
, one of the top heavyweight contenders in MMA at the time, at ''
Pride Final Conflict 2004
The year 2004 was the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''.
Title fights
Debut Pride FC fighters
The follow ...
'' on 15 August 2004.
On 9 October 2004, Emelianenko rebounded with a victory over Brazilian
Carlos "Carlão" Barreto by decision at ''M-1 MFC Middleweight GP'', the first time that Emelianenko fought outside Japan.
Returning to Pride, on 31 October 2004 at ''
Pride 28'' Emelianenko knocked out English brawler
James Thompson in eleven seconds, Emelianenko's shortest fight to date.
In his second shortest fight, Emelianenko defeated Brazilian
Ricardo Morais by KO (punches) in fifteen seconds on 3 April 2005 at ''
Pride Bushido 6''.
Emelianenko has commented that he broke one of his hands while punching Morais.
In his third consecutive KO victory, on 9 October 2005 Emelianenko defeated Dutch kickboxer
Rene Rooze in 28 second with a brutal knockout that left Rooze unconscious for some minutes at ''Bushido Rotterdam Rumble'' in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
.
At ''
Pride Shockwave 2005'' on 31 December 2005, Emelianenko
submitted 1996 gold medalist judoka
Pawel Nastula with a rear naked choke in the first round.
In Emelianenko's second professional loss, on 5 May 2006 at the event ''
Pride Total Elimination Absolute
The year 2006 was the 10th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2006 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 31 - Unbreakable''.
Title fights
Debut Pride FC fighters
The f ...
'', during the second round of Pride 2006 Openweight Grand Prix,
King of Pancrase Josh Barnett just defeated Emelianenko with a
keylock, after Emelianenko slipped and Barnett took advantage off this in the final seconds off the last round. Emelianenko dominated the entire fight well on his way to a decision victory moving on to the next round off the tournament. Emelianenko used his brutal striking exchanges during the first round and broke Barnett's nose.
Official doctors claimed that Emelianenko had fever and sickness before the fight, with the doctors advising him not to fight that night, which he ignored because it was the Openweight Grand Prix, the most important competition at the time.
In his last fight in Pride, Emelianenko defeated former teammate and fellow Russian
Sergei Kharitonov via TKO in a back and forth match which ended in the first round after Emelianenko punched and kneed Kharitonov relentlessly on the ground, forcing the referee to stop the fight at ''
Pride Final Conflict Absolute'' on 10 September 2006.
After Pride
Two months after his last fight, on 12 November 2006 at the event ''2 Hot 2 Handle: Pride & Honor'' in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, Emelianenko faced
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu specialist
Fabrício Werdum, who defeated Emelianenko in the first round via submission (
arm triangle choke).
In an interview with
Sherdog
Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...
, Emelianenko stated that he did not train at all for the Werdum fight as his original opponent was not going to be Werdum, and he would like a rematch with him.
On 14 April 2007 at ''Bodog Fight Series II: Clash of the Nations'', Emelianenko fought once again in Russia, knocking out American
Eric Pele with punches in the first round, the first time that Pele was knocked out in his career.
In his next match, Emelianenko faced Dutch Jessie Gibbs (called Gibson at the time), who was a late replacement for
Gilbert Yvel
Gilbert Yvel (born 30 June 1976) is a Dutch professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1997, Yvel competed in the Pride Fighting Championships, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Affliction Entertainment, A ...
.
Emelianenko defeated Gibbs with a
kimura submission in the first round at ''M-1 Mix Fight Championship: Russia vs Europe'' on 21 July 2007.
Fighting for the first time in North America and originally scheduled to fight
Wesley Correira,
Emelianenko defeated American
super heavyweight
Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and bodybuilding, competitive bodybuilding.
Boxing
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Int ...
Dan Bobish via submission (
guillotine choke) in the first round on 19 October 2007 at ''Hardcore Championship Fighting: Title Wave'' in
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
.
This was Bobish's last professional bout as he injured his back in the fight and refused to have surgery.
Returning to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, on 3 April 2008, Emelianenko fought Brazilian Silvao Santos, defeating Santos by TKO (punch) at ''M-1 Challenge 2''.
Affliction controversy
Emelianenko was signed to make his United States debut at ''
Affliction: Banned'' on 19 July 2008.
But at the weigh-ins for the event,
it was announced that Emelianenko was unable to meet the licensing standards of the
California State Athletic Commission (CSAC).
Emelianenko was replaced by
Gary Goodridge.
Emelianenko denied the rumors of testing positive for
hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the '' hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection.
Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. ...
, commenting that he was unable to compete because he was late for his medical exam, having arrived two days after the scheduled date due to
visa issues.
Due to the health and privacy rules in California, the CSAC was not allowed to comment on why Emelianenko was denied a license, but a member of the CSAC stated on a radio show that Emelianenko was not and would not be cleared in California, and that this would stand for all of the United States of America.
Emelianenko was expected to appear at an upcoming Affliction event (''
Affliction: Day of Reckoning'') on 11 October 2008 but was removed from the plan due to still having licensing problems in August 2008.
After Affliction
Returning to Europe, on 21 November 2008 at
M-1 Global's event ''M-1 Challenge 9'' in Saint Petersburg, Emelianenko defeated South Korean Sang Soo Lee via KO (punches) in the first round.
Emelianenko left
Red Devil Sport Club on 3 March 2009.
At the event ''ProFC 5: Russia vs. Europe'' on 29 March 2009, Emelianenko defeated fellow Russian Ibragim Magomedov by TKO in 51 seconds, after Magomedov was close to knocking Emelianenko out but, in the punching exchange, Emelianenko managed to cut Magomedov near his right eye, which prompted the referee to stop the fight after the ring doctor checked the injury.
Emelianenko was slated to compete on 29 September 2009 in South Korea at the event ''Fighting Mixed Combative 2'' against Bulgarian Sambo practitioner
Blagoi Ivanov, who had defeated Emelianenko's brother Fedor in the
2008 World Sambo Championships,
but Ivanov injured his hands in a previous match against
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Championship ...
, which left the event date in the air, so Emelianenko decided to withdraw from the event altogether.
After a year without professional MMA matches, Emelianenko's next fight was on 23 April 2010 at ''ProFC: Commonwealth Cup'' against Swedish
wrestler
Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...
Eddy Bengtsson. The fight ended in under a minute as Bengtsson appeared to fake being knocked unconscious from a light punch.
Emelianenko founded his own training team, AE Team, which he started to present in his fight against Bengtsson.
A month later, on 22 May 2010 at the event ''Azerbaijan vs. Europe'' organized with the support of the Azerbaijan Pankration Federation (APF) and held in
Baku
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
, Emelianenko defeated Serbian fighter Miodrag Petkovic by TKO (punches) in the first round.
KSW controversy
During July 2010, Emelianenko was in talks with Polish promotion KSW (Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki) for a possible match up against
strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski and reached a verbal agreement.
But on 3 August 2010 KSW co-owner Maciej Kawulski stated in a
Polsat News
Polsat News is a Polish news channel, launched on 7 June 2008 at 7:00am (UTC+1). Being a part of the Polsat Network, Polsat News is owned by Polsat Group. It is available over Polsat Box, Canal+ (Polish TV provider), Platforma Canal+ and UPC Pola ...
interview that Emelianenko would likely not fight in KSW, claiming that Emelianenko had
hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include ...
.
Emelianenko denied this and demanded an apology from KSW.
During the controversy, a previous opponent of Emelianenko claimed that he believed that Emelianenko had hepatitis B, not C.
On 10 August 2010, Polish MMA promotion Strefa Walk decided to make public the results of medical tests reportedly taken by Emelianenko, which purportedly showed that he did not have any form of
viral hepatitis and thus was fit to fight for the promotion. There has not since been independent verification of the tests results or recognition of the results by independent licensing agencies.
Strefa Walk
After the controversy, Strefa Walk announced a fight between Emelianenko and
Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
*Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*' ...
champion
Alistair Overeem
Alistair Cees Overeem (born 17 May 1980) is a Dutch former professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is a former Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, Dream Heavyweight Champion, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, and was the first fight ...
, which Bas Boon, head of
Golden Glory, confirmed to a Polish MMA website that it was in negotiations,
but a few days later Overeem announced on
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that he was not going to fight Emelianenko.
On 19 October 2010, Strefa Walk held a press conference in which it was officially announced that Emelianenko would face Austrian fighter Chris Mahle in the main event of ''Strefa Walk M&W: Emelianenko vs Mahle'' in
Łódź
Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, Poland on 19 November 2010.
On 17 November 2010 Strefa Walk announced that the date of the bout of Emelianenko's bout with Mahle was changed to 25 February 2011.
Before his fight with Mahle, Emelianenko faced Australian kickboxer
Peter Graham on 18 December 2010, being defeated by Graham via TKO in the second round after Graham connected several leg kicks that rendered Emelianenko unable to continue the fight.
On 10 February 2011 it was announced that Emelianenko's bout with Mahle was postponed to an unspecified later date due to the injury that Emelianenko received during his fight with Peter Graham.
Emelianenko faced Magomed Malikov at M-1 Challenge XXVIII on 12 November 2011, in Astrakhan, Russia. Emelianenko lost the fight via first-round KO.
Alexander Emelianenko fought Tadas Rimkevicius at M-1 Challenge 31 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Emelianenko won the fight via TKO (punches) at 1:52 of round 2.
In his final match, Emelianenko submitted to a
north–south choke from American grappler
Jeff Monson in the second round of their contest at ''M-1 Challenge 35: Emelianenko vs. Monson'' at the
Ice Palace in Saint Petersburg on 15 November 2012. He announced his retirement from MMA competition through an open letter to his fans on 18 December 2012, citing a chronic injury and a lack of time for his family as contributing factors in his decision.
About three months after announcing his retirement, Emelianenko announced that he is making a comeback into MMA with ProFC. His first match since retirement however was at the Legend Fighting Show against American MMA superstar
Bob Sapp
Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxing, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football, football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federatio ...
on 25 May 2013, in Moscow. Alexander defeated Bob Sapp by TKO in Round 1.
Alexander was expected to fight
Darrill Schoonover on 25 August at the ProFC 50 event in Rostov-on-Don in Russia, but withdrew due to a knee injury. In a video released on the ProFC website, Emelianenko said that he hoped to go ahead with the much-anticipated rematch with Mirko Cro Cop scheduled for November under the Legend Fighting Show banner.
MMA return
On 24 November 2016, Emelianenko was released from prison.
After his release, he signed a contract with the Akhmat Fighting Club for several fights. Alexander had his first fight on 27 September 2017, as part of the WFCA 42 tournament against Brazilian Geronimo dos Santos. Alexander knocked out his opponent as early as 36 seconds of the first round. Two more victories followed: in December over American
Virgil Zwicker at "WFCA 44" and in March 2018 over Pole Szymon Bayor at "Battle of the Volga". Both fights, as well as with the Brazilian, ended with a technical knockout in the first round. Afterwards, Emelianenko signed a contract with the "RCC", in which he fought in parallel with the "WFCA". Under the auspices of the Ural promotion he held 2 fights in Yekaterinburg, which became the main fights of the evening. On 5 May 2018, at RCC 2 he defeated Brazilian
Gabriel Gonzaga. n 9 July 2018, at the next tournament, RCC 3, he was stronger than Czech
Viktor Pešta. In both fights, Emelianenko managed to knock out his opponents in the second round. On 18 August, during the WFCA 50th Akhmat League jubilee tournament in Moscow, Emelianenko faced American
Tony Johnson in the main event. The fight ended in a draw (29:28 (Johnson), 29:29, 29:29) by split decision of the judges. On 15 December 2018, Emelianenko was scheduled to fight Brazilian Francimar Barroso at the RCC 5 in Ekaterinburg. However, in early March 2019 Emelianenko was detained after crashing into two cars while fleeing police and
driving under the influence
Driving under the influence (DUI) is the crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while one is impaired from doing so safely by the effect of either alcohol (drug), alcohol (see drunk driving) or some other drug, whether re ...
, leading his upcoming bout canceled. Emelianenko was scheduled to fight another Brazilian, Wagner Prado, at the next tournament, RCC 6 on 4 May 2019, in Chelyabinsk. But because of the incident in Kislovodsk this fight was also cancelled. Later the league cancelled the contract with Alexander. On 10 May 2019, Emelianenko was agreed to fight in the GFC promotion with another Brazilian, Luiz Henrique, which, like the previous two fights, did not take place because of the Russian. This time the reason for Emelianenko's withdrawal was a fall from his bike. On the YouTube channel Sport24's "HukVam" program, Alexander Emelianenko and Magomed Ismailov agreed by phone to fight. On 28 December 2019, the ACA promotion officially announced their heavyweight bout, which was scheduled to take place in Moscow on 3 April 2020, at
ACA 107: Emelianenko vs. Ismailov. However, due to restrictive measures in the capital due to the coronavirus epidemic, the tournament was postponed to 24 July 2020. It later became known that it would not be held in Moscow, but in Sochi. The three-round bout was dominated by Ismailov and ended with the latter winning by technical knockout in the last five minutes.
Emelianenko, as a replacement for
Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, faced Márcio Santos was slated to serve as the event headliner at
AMC Fight Nights 106. He lost the bout via arm-triangle choke in the first round.
16 December 2022 Emelianenko fought with a Russian video blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko. Fight took place within the "Ren TV Fight Club" tournament. Emelianenko lost the fight via split decision.
Boxing career
On 3 October 2009, Emelianenko made his professional boxing debut against Khizir Pliev, an army boxing champion from
Ingushetia
Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...
who was also making his professional debut, in a fight that ended in a draw.
On 25 September 2022, Aleksander Emelianenko was knocked out in 13 seconds by
Viacheslav Datsik in Moscow at a Hardcore Boxing event.
Personal life
In his hometown of Stary Oskol, Emelianenko regularly trained with his brother Fedor.
In 2003, Emelianenko moved to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
,
where he met his future wife Olga,
whom he married on 4 September 2004.
The couple had one daughter together, born in 2007,
and shared another daughter from Olga's previous relationship.
They divorced in 2011.
He became a member of
Red Devil Sport Club after he and his brother Fedor left Russian Top Team,
but he subsequently had a falling out with Red Devil Sport Club's and Fedor's manager Vadim Finkelstein.
In an interview published on 21 March 2008, his brother Fedor, in response to a direct question, confirmed that Alexander had spent time in prison, having been sentenced to five years but only serving three and a half.
Alexander, however, denied this,
including in an interview published on 5 December 2008 in the same publication where his brother commented about the issue.
Some commentators have expressed doubt regarding Emelianenko's alleged prison time, citing Japan's strict immigration policy against admitting convicted felons, which normally would have forbidden him to fight in Japan,
while others point out that some of his tattoos are an indication that he spent some time in prison.
In 2003, Emelianenko enrolled in
Belgorod State University, from which he graduated in 2009 with a bachelor's degree.
Emelianenko has several tattoos, which he collects as a hobby.
In a controversy apparently sparked by his tattoos, he was accused by
NTV on 20 March 2010 of being a
Russian nationalist like
Roman Zentsov, which Emelianenko quickly denied, stating that he was only engaged in the development of MMA in his country, with no political motivations, especially for
extremist groups.
He enjoys hunting and claims to have killed a bear by piercing its throat with a
bear spear and then stabbing it in the heart with a knife, a traditional way of Russian bear hunting.
After the
Russo-Georgian War
The August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, also known as the Russian invasion of Georgia,Occasionally, the war is also referred to by other names, such as the Five-Day War and August War. was a war waged against Georgia by the Russian Federation and the ...
, he went to
South Ossetia
South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...
to train in preparation for his bout against Sang Soo Lee, in a sign of solidarity with the
Ossetian people
The Ossetians ( or ; ),Merriam-Webster (2021), s.v"Ossete" also known as Ossetes ( ), Ossets ( ), and Alans ( ), are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the northern and southern side ...
.
In 2015, Emelianenko married his second wife, Polina Seledtsova. They divorced in 2018 but reunited in 2022.
Television appearances
Emelianenko has appeared on a Korean comedy show and Russia
Channel One's show ''Big Races'', on which he lost two teeth in a competition against a bull in 2010.
Emelianenko played one of the protagonists, alongside fellow MMA fighter
Julia Berezikova and other Russian athletes, in the 2010 Russian series ''Olympic Village'', starring
Yevgeni Sidikhin.
[
Once Emelianenko said:"У меня удары, как у встречной электрички. Если промахнусь, то соперник простудится"]
Sexual assault conviction
Emelianenko was accused of
assault
In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
ing and
raping his former housekeeper Polina Stepanova on 2 May 2014, as well as stealing her passport. Emelianenko pleaded not guilty and claimed the sex was consensual. Prosecutors asked for five years in prison for Emelianenko. On 19 May 2015, Emelianenko was found guilty of
sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...
and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison and a 50,000-
ruble
The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are s ...
(USD $1000) fine. On 20 May 2015, his promoter Oleg Rajewski stated that he would appeal the decision. On 24 September 2015, the appeal was declined.
Известному бойцу смешанных единоборств Александру Емельяненко оставили приговор в силе
/ref>
While in prison, Emelianenko married his second wife, Polina Seledtsova. He was released on parole in October 2016 and returned to MMA competition in 2017.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
*Professional Fighting Championships
**ProFC Heavyweight Championship (One time)
Sambo
*SportAccord
SportAccord is a global sports event organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, that is governed by stakeholders representing the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations and has currently taken on some of the activities of the dissolve ...
** 2010 SportAccord World Combat Games Combat Sambo Silver Medalist
*Fédération Internationale Amateur de Sambo
** 2006 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist
**2004 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist
**2003 FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships Gold Medalist
**1999 European Championships Sport Sambo Gold Medalist
*All-Russia Sambo Federation
**Russian Combat Sambo National Championship (2003, 2004, 2006, 2010)
**Russian Combat Sambo National Championship Runner-up (2012)
*Combat Sambo Federation of Russia
**Russian Combat Sambo National Championship (2003)
**2004 Dagestan Open Combat Sambo Silver Medalist
**2003 Union of Heroes Cup Combat Sambo Silver Medalist
**2003 Moscow Open Combat Sambo Silver Medalist
Mixed martial arts record
, Loss
, align=center,
, Márcio Santos
, Submission (arm-triangle choke)
, AMC Fight Nights 106
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:58
, Syktyvkar
Syktyvkar (, , ; , ) is the capital city of the Komi Republic in Russia, as well as its largest city. It is also the administrative center of the Syktyvkar Urban Okrug. Until 1930, it was known as Ust-Sysolsk after the Sysola, Sysola River.
Ety ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 28–8–1
, Magomed Ismailov
, TKO (punches)
, ACA 107: Emelianenko vs. Ismailov
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 3:25
, Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Draw
, align=center, 28–7–1
, Tony Johnson
, Draw (majority)
, World Fighting Championship Akhmat 50
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 28–7
, Viktor Pešta
, TKO (punches)
, RCC: Russian Cagefighting Championship 3
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 3:52
, Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 27–7
, Gabriel Gonzaga
, TKO (punches and knees)
, RCC: Russian Cagefighting Championship 2
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 3:43
, Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 26–7
, Szymon Bajor
, KO (punches)
, Battle on Volga 3
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:03
, Tolyatti
Tolyatti or Togliatti ( , ; , ), known before 1964 as Stavropol, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which is neither the administrative center of a federal subjects of Rus ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 25–7
, Virgil Zwicker
, TKO (punches)
, World Fighting Championship Akhmat 44
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:56
, Grozny
Grozny (, ; ) is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2021 Russian census, 2021 census, it had a population of 328,533 — up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Russian Census, 2002 ce ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 24–7
, Geronimo Dos Santos
, TKO (punches)
, World Fighting Championship Akhmat 42
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:36
, Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 23–7
, Dmitriy Sosnovskiy
, TKO (punches)
, Coliseum FC - New History 2
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:43
, St. Petersburg, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 23–6
, Jose Rodrigo Guelke
, TKO (punches)
, ProFC 49: Resurrection
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:10
, Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 22–6
, Bob Sapp
Robert Malcolm Sapp (born September 22, 1973) is an American mixed martial artist, kickboxing, kickboxer, professional wrestler, actor, and former American football, football player. He is currently under contract with Rizin Fighting Federatio ...
, TKO (punches)
, Legend Fighting Show: Emelianenko vs. Sapp
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:18
, Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 21–6
, Jeff Monson
, Submission (north-south choke)
, M-1 Challenge 35
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 3:17
, St. Petersburg, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 21–5
, Konstantin Gluhov
, Decision (unanimous)
, M-1 Challenge 34
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 20–5
, Ibragim Magomedov
, TKO (doctor stoppage)
, M-1 Challenge 33
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 5:00
, Dzheyrakhsky District, Ingushetia
Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 19–5
, Tadas Rimkevicius
, TKO (punches)
, M-1 Challenge 31
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 1:52
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 18–5
, Tolegen Akylbekov
, Submission (kimura)
, Bushido Lithuania: vol. 50
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:32
, Almaty
Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...
, Kazakhstan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 17–5
, Magomed Malikov
, KO (punch)
, M-1 Challenge 28: Emelianenko vs. Malikov
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:23
, Astrakhan
Astrakhan (, ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, from the Caspian Se ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 17–4
, Peter Graham
, TKO (leg kicks)
, Draka 5: Governor's Cup 2010
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 2:59
, Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...
, Russia
, Special rules allowing :30 on the ground.
, -
, Win
, align=center, 17–3
, Miodrag Petkovic
, TKO (punches)
, APF - Azerbaijan vs. Europe
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:00
, Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 16–3
, Eddy Bengtsson
, TKO (punch)
, ProFC - Commonwealth Cup
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:40
, Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 15–3
, Ibragim Magomedov
, TKO (doctor stoppage)
, ProFC: Russia vs. Europe
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:51
, Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 14–3
, Lee Sang-Soo
, KO (punches)
, M-1 Challenge 9: Russia
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:40
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 13–3
, Silvao Santos
, KO (punch)
, M-1 Challenge 2: Russia
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:34
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 12–3
, Dan Bobish
, Submission (standing guillotine choke)
, HCF: Title Wave
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:09
, Calgary, Alberta
Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...
, Canada
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 11–3
, Jessie Gibbs
, Submission (kimura)
, M-1 MFC: Battle on the Neva
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:37
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 10–3
, Eric Pele
, KO (punches)
, BodogFIGHT: Clash of the Nations
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:07
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 9–3
, Fabrício Werdum
, Submission (arm-triangle choke)
, 2 Hot 2 Handle: Pride & Honor
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:24
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, Netherlands
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 9–2
, Sergei Kharitonov
, TKO (knee and punches)
, Pride FC - Final Conflict Absolute
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 6:45
, Saitama, Saitama
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 8–2
, Josh Barnett
, Submission (americana)
, Pride FC - Total Elimination Absolute
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 1:57
, Osaka, Osaka, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 8–1
, Pawel Nastula
, Submission (rear-naked choke)
, Pride Shockwave 2005
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 8:45
, Saitama, Saitama
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7–1
, Rene Rooze
, KO (punches)
, Bushido Europe: Rotterdam Rumble
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:28
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, Netherlands
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6–1
, Ricardo Morais
, KO (punches)
, Pride Bushido 6
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:15
, Yokohama
is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 5–1
, James Thompson
, KO (punch)
, Pride 28
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:11
, Saitama, Saitama
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4–1
, Carlos Barreto
, Decision (unanimous)
, M-1 MFC: Heavyweight GP
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, Russia
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 3–1
, Mirko Cro Cop
Mirko Filipović (; born 10 September 1974), better known by his ring name Mirko Cro Cop, is a Croatian former professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and amateur boxer. He is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro ...
, KO (head kick and punches)
, Pride Final Conflict 2004
The year 2004 was the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''.
Title fights
Debut Pride FC fighters
The follow ...
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:09
, Saitama, Saitama
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 3–0
, Matt Foki
, Submission (rear-naked choke)
, Pride Bushido 3
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:16
, Yokohama, Kanagawa
is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...
, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 2–0
, Angelo Araujo
, TKO (doctor stoppage)
, Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 4:28
, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Assuério Silva
, Decision (split)
, Pride Bushido 1
The year 2003 was the 7th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2003 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 25 - Body Blow''.
Title fights
Debut Pride FC fighters
The follo ...
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 5:00
, Saitama, Saitama
is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...
, Japan
,
Professional boxing record
Bare-knuckle boxing record
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Jeff Monson
, Decision (unanimous)
, Hardcore FC: Russia vs. USA
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 3:00
, Moscow, Russia
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
See also
* List of mixed martial artists with professional boxing records
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
PRIDE profile
PRIDE english profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emelianenko, Aleksander
1981 births
Living people
Russian male mixed martial artists
Heavyweight mixed martial artists
Super heavyweight mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo
Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing
Heavyweight boxers
Russian male judoka
Russian sambo practitioners
People from Stary Oskol
Russian male boxers
Russian rapists
Russian prisoners and detainees
Sportspeople from Belgorod Oblast
21st-century Russian sportsmen