Fedor Emelianenko: "I can see the mistakes that Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos
Legendary Fedor Emelianenko spoke in extended interview about his childhood, first coach, family problems that stood behind his losses and revealed that Russian MMA fighters reject his help for many times.
In my childhood every boy attended some sports club. It could be one week or month, but almost all of my friends and class-mates were going into some section. I always wanted to be stronger. Guys who were training boxing, karate, judo – they were always well-known.
I went to my first sport section because of my mother and my first coach – they were both teachers in one gymnasium. And he invited me to become his student. When he got spare time – he taught children sambo and judo. That was how it all had begun. Since that time Alexander Michkov and Vladimir Voronov were my head coaches. There were a lot of guys who became my friends.
And even after I finished my career the guys who were training with me still become champions.
It may be not too good to tell this about myself, but I was always training at my best. My coach was so-called “killer-coach”. What does it mean? It means that when you work hard and finish your training session without any powers left, your coach comes and forces you to make another 10 or 20 pull-ups or something like that. That makes 50-60 times more a week. And after 1 year you can be more far ahead than anyone else. That’s why I tried to train more than anyone else. I came earlier and left later than the others. That made the difference.
When I came to the fight I tried to do everything that depends on me. Well, there were some fighters who were stronger than me in certain moments. What to say? I think I should go through that. It was difficult period of my life and I’m grateful to my close ones, who were supporting me. I had many problems with my family, my wife Marina was pregnant and we had problems with her health and also with medical help.
Since that time Marina already moved in her own direction, and I came together again with my first wife – Kseniya, who was nearby when I started my career and became champion. She was always beside myself and supported me when I fought with Mirko Cro Cop.
I’m happy now because I feel there’s someone close nearby, who will support me no matter what the result is.
Japan is completely genuine country. It is totally different from America. They always respect the fighters, both winners and losers. They loved fighters for some qualities known only by them. Each fighter had his own fans who loved him no matter won he or lost.
Pride had the best ever event organisation. I never watched any promotion to organise event better than Japans. But anyway, even after the fight ends, I was eager to run back home, because I was missing my family so much. But I think Russian person is always missing his homeland. It doesn’t have anything to do with relation that he gets in abroad. When the fight is over I wanted to come back home.
Russia is our homeland, it is our Motherland.
When I was coming from “Rings” to “PRIDE” they named me “The Last Emperor”. I tried to explain many times that Russian Emperor was in fact St. Nikolai the Second. And I didn’t like this nickname too much. But I couldn’t do anything with this. This nickname just stuck to me.
I can see that I could help many our guys. And more – I can see the mistakes that Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos use to make. Of course Velasquez is best in our time but I see his flaws. Still I can’t understand why our fighters can’t take what I could give them. Or they just don’t want to take it.
Many of our fighters consider them to be seasoned and experienced fighters. They reject my help many times. So I am only left to work with newcomers. It’s easier to work with them.
Of course now I’m official executive. Now I try to develop MMA in our regions. I try to do everything that depends on me. But no matter what I’m the person of sport. MMA is in my blood till the end.
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