The GOAT the UFC Fumbled: Fedor Emelianenko

Wrestling

Year2026

Duration1h 27m

Watch Now

7.8

If you're ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can start your claim in just a click without having to leave your couch. To start your claim, visit: 🎬 Videos you'll like: ✅ Dan Severn Documentary: ✅ Mark Kerr Documentary: ✅ Don Frye Documentary: 👉 Become a Member: 👉 Become a Patron: 👉 Buy me a coffee: #UFC #UFCdocumentary #FedorEmelianenko Fedor Emelianenko began training in combat sambo and judo as a teenager in Stary Oskol, Russia, earning a Master of Sports distinction before transitioning into professional mixed martial arts in 2000. After early victories in regional competition, Fedor entered the RINGS promotion and established himself with wins over Renato Sobral and Chris Haseman. A bout against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka ended in a controversial doctor stoppage loss due to a cut from an illegal elbow — a result that would later be widely debated given Fedor's dominance in the fight. Fedor's career reached its apex in Pride Fighting Championships. A dominant first-round TKO of Heath Herring earned him a shot at heavyweight champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. Fedor dethroned Nogueira by unanimous decision, absorbing the Brazilian's best submission attempts while delivering relentless ground-and-pound. The reign that followed was historic. Fedor defended the Pride Heavyweight Championship against Kazuyuki Fujita, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Mirko Cro Cop, and Nogueira again in a rematch. The Randleman fight became iconic — slammed on his head with a devastating suplex, Fedor immediately reversed position and submitted Randleman with a kimura. The Cro Cop victory, against the most feared striker in heavyweight history, cemented Fedor as the consensus number one heavyweight in the world. He also won the 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix, stopping three opponents in a single night. Despite being universally regarded as the best heavyweight alive, Fedor never competed in the UFC. Prolonged negotiations between his management and the UFC collapsed over contract terms, co-promotion demands, a