Semmy Schilt was a nightmare matchup for anyone in the world while the fight stayed standing.
Having achieving incredible success in kickboxing while competing in MMA, Schilt faced some hard hitters and legends of the sport.
He’s now set to use his remarkable pedigree of being the only kickboxer to have won five major heavyweight tournaments to help out the fighters who will take part in SENSHI’s first Grand Prix on September 13.
This has seen him link up with one of his most iconic opponents, Ernesto Hoost, who recently revealed who his toughest foe was.
For Schilt, the answer came quickly, which isn’t surprising considering that he’s shared the ring with one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
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Semmy Schilt names Fedor Emelianenko as the toughest MMA fighter he faced
While his kickboxing career defined him as an all-time great, Semmy Schilt also competed 41 times in professional MMA bouts.
The former UFC and Pride veteran faced champions like Josh Barnett and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira but when it comes to the toughest man he clashed with in MMA, there was always going to be one answer.
“The toughest guy in MMA was Fedor Emelianenko. He was a really, really tough guy. I did some damage with him. He was coming from Rings at that time. It was his first fight in Pride, I think. It was a really tough fight.”
At Pride 21 in 2002, Emelianenko debuted in the promotion by beating Schilt via a unanimous decision in the start of a legendary run.
Schilt recalled how ‘The Last Emperor’ was completely focused on the task at hand, and while he couldn’t stop the Russian from taking him down, he was able to survive on the ground.
“He’s got no emotions. This is what I also wanted always, you know. I don’t want to show emotion in the ring. I just want to be calm and I want to have my goal, I just want to go for that. Fedor has that too. I remember I could not really hit him and then he got close to me really fast.
“Now, from the ground position, my ground work was not always the best. My takedown defense was not the best, I can admit that, but on the ground, he could not damage me really… I think I had the first fight where he fought until the end, it was a decision.
“It was not a knockout and after that, he got ‘easier’ fights. Not easier fights but he won by knockout. So, he couldn’t knock me out so for me, that was a good thing but of course, I remember he was a tough fighter.”
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Semmy Schilt names the toughest opponent he fought in kickboxing
When switching to his kickboxing career, Semmy Schilt quickly produced another name as his toughest opponent.
While he did state that Badr Hari was perhaps the most dangerous foe that he met because he was so unpredictable, it was Peter Aerts that took the top spot.
Funnily enough, Ernesto Hoost, who was never able to beat Schilt in their multiple bouts, also said that Aerts was the most difficult fight for him because he always knew that his opponent was going to give everything he had to try and secure the win.
“If I look at K-1, always a tough opponent was Peter Aerts. He was always a tough opponent. He was always willing to fight and never give up.”