Fedor Emlianenko scored faceplant KO over UFC legend to record penultimate win of his iconic career
02/17/2025 08:41 AM
The all-time great signed off his final fight in Japan with a one-shot knockout over a fellow icon.
Fedor Emelianenko’s name will forever be in the MMA history books as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and one of the most dominant forces to have never stepped foot inside the Octagon.
‘The Last Emperor’ was a force of nature during his time in Pride where he became a hero to the Japanese fans but his run didn’t end there.
It has now been over two years since the feared Russian last competed but it looks like Emelianenko could be coming out of retirement to try his hand in a new arena in the near future if Conor McGregor is to be believed.
Whilst the version of Fedor that we saw in the final years of his MMA career was far from the heavyweight king of Pride, he still produced some stellar moments despite being way past his prime.
Fedor Emelianenko faceplanted ‘Rampage’ Jackson at Bellator 237
Fedor Emelianenko spent the final years of his active career in Bellator where he fought seven times before retiring in February of 2023.
With the promotion set to host their first event in Japan in December of 2019, what better way to headline the card than by having the Russian make his last walk in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’.
Emelianenko would even get the opportunity to face a fellow Pride legend that he never got the chance to compete against with a matchup being put together with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
After Bellator stars Michael ‘Venom’ Page and Michael Chandler both earned impressive back-to-back finishes, the stage was set for ‘The Last Emperor’ to take on ‘Rampage’.
Jackson, who competed at light heavyweight for the majority of his career, had put on substantial weight heading into this fight and it cost him with the much faster Emelianenko being able to beat him to the punch.
An early flurry from the Russian served as a warning but as ‘Rampage’ looked to respond by walking his opponent down, Fedor landed a huge fast ball right hand which sent Jackson crashing to the canvas in what would be the final MMA fight of his career.
Emelianenko would fight two more times in Bellator, stopping Tim Johnson in the first round before challenging Ryan Bader in a rematch for the heavyweight title which he was unsuccessful in.
Fedor Emelianenko was past his prime but still levels ahead
The difference for Fedor Emelianenko in the fights that he won in Bellator is that against opponents like ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Tim Johnson, he was still incredibly powerful and faster than those guys.
Where he encountered a problem was when his opponents, like Ryan Bader and Matt Mitrione, were also fast and sharp enough to land power of their own.
Having ‘The Last Emperor’ step into BKFC would be a huge get for the promotion but it can’t be forgotten that he is now 48-years-old.
Whilst he would likely be fighting other heavyweight veterans, Emelianenko already did this during his time in Bellator before he called time on his incredible career.
