Fight Facts Pre-Retrospective: Fedor Emelianenko

Fight Facts Retrospective is a branch of the Fight Facts series that chronicles the accomplishments and achievements of legendary fighters and historic promotions. Join us as we celebrate the incredible career of the iconic Fedor Emelianenko, ahead of what may be his final battle as a pro. Emelianenko faces Ryan Bader atop Bellator 290 in February for the Bellator MMA heavyweight throne.

Granted the nickname “The Last Emperor,” the all-time great conquered practically all comers during his renowned run through Pride Fighting Championships and beyond. A shoe-in MMA Hall-of-Famer in its theoretical existence, Emelianenko remains the most obvious first choice to add to an MMA Mount Rushmore.

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Fedor on One Side, Cyborg on the Other: From March 2003 to June 2010, Fedor Emelianenko served as considered the consensus No. 1 heavyweight in the world. This over seven-year, roughly 2,660-day span lording over his weight class is the longest for any male fighter in the sport’s history.

Heavy Is the Head That Wears the Crown: In August 2007, Sherdog implemented divisional rankings based on a voting panel. Emelianenko served in the top spot of heavyweight from the series’ inception to June 2010, or nearly three years. His stretch on top is the longest of any heavyweight to date, with the Russian the only non-UFC fighter to claim that place.

He Did It His Way: Over the course of his legendary career, Emelianenko never fought in the UFC but faced many men that had competed under his banner. From the UFC alone, he topped seven former or future champs.

Nothing but Net: Not counting a no contest, the heavyweight held a win rate of 100% in Pride FC. He alone sported that percentage among all those to compete under its banner at least 10 times.

Practically Perfect in Every Way: In 2000, Emelianenko met and ultimately lost to Tsuyoshi Kosaka, where Kosaka cut Emelianenko with an illegal elbow and the wound resulted in a TKO. In many other rulesets at the time, the fight would have ended as a no contest, and Emelianenko’s record would have been 31-0 with two no contests when he took on Fabricio Werdum in 2010.

Empowered by Megadeth: Between his time with Pride and Strikeforce, Emelianenko served as the main attraction for both Affliction MMA events. Throttling Tim Sylvia and then starching Andrei Arlovski in the span of just over six months, he reigned supreme as the only competitor to notch two first-round finishes under its banner.

Keep It to Six: Suffering just a half-dozen defeats since his pro debut in May 2000, the only opponents to beat him fought in the UFC at one time in their own careers.

Head of the Adjustment Bureau: Across his storied 47-fight career, Emelianenko has never lost a rematch. He has faced Kosaka, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mark Coleman more than once, and on the second (and third) match, he prevailed. His fight with Bader will be a rematch of their 2019 meeting, which Bader won by first-round knockout.

Last Chance to Pull This Off: Should Emelianenko defeat Bader, he will become the only fighter in MMA history to claim both the Pride FC and Bellator crowns. Every other eligible competitor has already retired, making him the last person that could achieve this feat.