Russian mixed martial arts legend Fedor Emelianenko has announced his retirement after knocking out Brazilian veteran Pedro Rizzo.
It took Emelianenko just 44 seconds to knock out Brazilian veteran Pedro Rizzo on Thursday, putting him on the ground with a serious of punches and then finishing with more strikes to the head.
"I think it is time I quit," Emelianenko said.
"My family influenced my decision. My daughters are growing without me, that's why it's time to leave."
Emelianenko will not be tempted by any "fantastic offers", including a possible rematch against Brazilian fighter Fabricio Werdum, he said, adding there is no agreement on such a match.
Emelianenko, 35, is a multiple world heavyweight champion and went undefeated for almost a decade until losing to Werdum in June 2010, earning the nickname "The Last Emperor" for this record.
After that he suffered two more losses, first to Brazilian fighter Antonio Silva and then American fighter Dan Henderson, which made him take a month's break to make a decision on his career.
He chose to mount a comeback to halt the losing streak, beating Monson on a decision in November in Moscow and then knocking out Japan's Satoshi Ishii in Tokyo on New Year's Eve.
Fair play to him retiring to spend more time with his family. But he should've done it before the Strikeforce fights, could've saved face there! Still...did have some awesome fights.
At least he went out on a higher note than most MMA vets.
I think he just unleashed his frustration on poor Rizzo. He also just showed how much farther up he's in the food chain from his contemporaries. He's in top form still and can easily compete in the upper echelons of the sport.
Sucks to see him go because I still think he had something to offer but he knows what's best for him. Great fighter and true legend.
It's just a real shame as far as what could have been though, I would have loved to seen Lesnar/Fedor post UFC 100 not just because of the actual fight but what it could have done for the sport in general. That to me will always be the biggest fight that never happened.
Cannot say I'm sad or shocked to hear this, it is probably time. He's another member of the old guard to hang them up. Doesn't matter what anyone thinks of him or any of the guys from that era tbh the sport owes all of those guys a debt.
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It's not only a win. The way he fought and won, he leaves with a glimpse of his old form, making you want to see more of it. After the Werdum fight this is probably the best way to say good bye.
Even though he mentions he won't consider "fancy offers." What if M-1 knowing how greedy they are, work out some kind of an arrangement down the line with UFC. If Cain loses that puts the HW division in a tailspin cuz that leaves Alistair who's dealing with his own issues at the moment as the only contender.
So I thought of an interesting ploy on the Russians part. Maybe this is their play...their only chess move if you will. After all they are Russians.
Theoretically speaking say JDS beats Cain, Overeem, Travis, and whoever within a span of a year. Fedor could enter the picture and who would complain. I mean one million + PPVs is nothing for the UFC, but a lot for a fighter who will most likely never again see that kind of money. He's still young at 35 years old with a young family.
Sure I know it's a long shot, but you never know in this biz.
I mean one million + PPVs is nothing for the UFC, but a lot for a fighter who will most likely never again see that kind of money. He's still young at 35 years old with a young family.
Money may be Finkelstein's/M-1's primary objective, but I don't have the impression that it's also Emelianenko's. He's made enough money to make a decent living in his small Russian town for the rest of his life. You don't see him driving expensive cars, showing expensive jewelry, a big mansion with lots of expensive high tech. He just doesn't seem to be that kind of guy. For some people, money is not all
He's very good friends with Fedor. What he said, I have no idea. Probably along the lines of "being a true champion and ambassador of Russia someone I'm proud to call a fellow comrade. Also I've now appointed him as my sports minister."
Pretty neat to have your friend as the President of a nation.
...It was bound to happen soon. Rizzo isn't nothing what he was but that was a classic Fedor beatdown. He went out with a nice KO. He gave the MMA world some memorable fights we can look back on and still cheer. Fedor has a young body with a lotta miles on it. I often wonder about Rogan saying" Werdum shattered the myth surrounding Fedor". I think losing back to back played a role as well. Anywho, it's too bad Emelianenko never set foot into the Octagon. Whatever Fedor decides, he's earned it and them some. A historic run to the Pride HW belt. His fights with Big Nog were classic.
He defended that WAMMA belt twice against 2 game competitors at the time. Add that to his 12 Russian ***** gold medals, an all around respectful guy, you have a legend...
Farewell. Always fun to watch and definitely one of the best Heavyweights and fighters of all time. It's a shame he didn't fight in the UFC but he definitely left his mark.
He proved that MMA was not a sport so much as it is overall an art. Though later in his career he let his management get their way in terms of money. Regardless he will always be remembered as a legend.
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