Fedor Emelianenko is the hardcore fanbase’s #1 choice for greatest fighter of all time. And he has inspired some amazing ink.
Russian tattoo artists can create an incredible level of detail
This one was probably made near Russia, but not quite in Russia.
This one was done a long way from The Motherland.
We are not sure where this one came from.
This is an example of a Fighter Zombie Tattoo!
There’s lots of Fighter Zombie Tattoos, but that’s another story.
The Series
1. Ronda Rousey
2. Conor McGregor
3. Fedor Emelianeko
4. Kimbo Slice
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Jon Jones
7. The Rest
When Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko entered his first MMA fight in Tula, Russia, in 2000, it’s unlikely that any of the fans in attendance had any idea just how important to the fledgling sport he would eventually become.
With his emotionless countenance and pudgy midsection, Emelianenko looked more like your neighborhood plumber than an athlete who would remain unbeaten for nearly a decade, and who would be widely regarded as the best mixed martial artist in the world.
Known as “The Last Emperor,” Emelianenko started his career in the Rings organization, but it was in the Japan-based Pride FC that he truly made his mark. He defeated prominent opponents such as Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic, and beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to win the 2004 Pride Heavyweight World Grand Prix.
In his hard-fought battles Emelianenko proved to be talented in all areas of combat. It didn’t matter if his opponent was a BJJ black belt or a K-1 kickboxing champion, he could beat them all at their own specialty. He also proved to be extremely durable. Against Randleman he was the recipient of a brutal German suplex that would surely have severely injured a normal man, yet Emelianenko shrugged it off and slapped on a kimura to win by submission just 93 seconds into the fight.
With each victory Emelianenko’s legend grew. Fans and fighters alike regarded him with awe, and there would be a visceral air of anticipation around the world in the weeks leading up to one of his fights.
With the demise of Pride in 2006, he competed in several other organizations such as Bodog and Affliction, and both his win streak and aura of invincibility continued to grow.
That all stopped suddenly in June 2010, when Brazilian Fabricio Werdum shocked the world by surviving an early knock down and submitted him with a triangle choke while competing under the Strikeforce banner in San Jose, California.
Fedor Emelianenko was undefeated no more.
That one, solitary loss seemed to give hope to the fighting world that Emelianenko was not unbeatable, and the flood gates opened. He lost his next two fights as well to Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson, then returned to finish his career in Japan and Russia, where he won his final three fights.
He retired from MMA in the summer of 2012, and recently returned with a win over the unheralded kickboxer Jaideep Singh.
Some critics claimed that Emelianenko’s legacy was tarnished by taking fights against unworthy opponents such as “Zuluzinho” and Hong Man Choi, who were known more for their unique physical appearances than for their fighting skill.
There is also much disappointment over the inability for Emelianenko to come to terms with the world’s largest MMA organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A fight between him and UFC champion Randy Couture was rumored to be in the works several times, but unfortunately never came to fruition.
Despite all that, there can be no doubt that Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko is the greatest heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history.
