Following a scintillating, but ultimately meaningless, knockout of Pedro Rizzo at today’s M-1 event, Fedor Emelianenko has retired from the sport of mixed martial arts. Fedor, one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, leaves behind a tremendous legacy including an incredible run in PRIDE where he was the longtime champion.
LowKick.com has the quote from the press conference:
“I think it’s time. I’m retiring from sports. I still have the SAMBO World Championships. My family is the reason I will not be fighting again. My daughters are growing without their father, so it’s the right time to leave.”
You can read our liveblog of the event here and check out video of Fedor’s win here.
Fedor also said that there is no offer out there that will tempt him into coming back, effectively closing the door on some potential UFC deal getting him back in the cage.
There will be plenty of time to question what Fedor’s career means without fighting in the UFC, but I’ll always remember him for his incredible run from 2002, when he burst on the PRIDE scene, through 2009, when I had the chance to see him knock out Brett Rogers live.
In the spirit of positive vibes as one of the sport’s legends hangs up his gloves, what are your favorite memories of Fedor Emelianenko’s career.