Report Last Updated - 7/03
Birthdate - 9/28/76
6' 230 lbs. - Russia
Team - Russian Top Team
Style - Sambo/Judo/Wrestling

Career Highlights - n/a

Striking - Fedor Emelianenko has heavy hands and can do tremendous damage if allowed to pound away. Russians seem to just have this natural power and even if they're not classically trained strikers, they can do it. He has no interest in standing in brawling, but his ground n' pound is better than almost anyone. His biggest flaw is his technique, Fedor's punches are imprecise and ugly, but he is a little more selective about what he throws and that sets him apart from the other GNP fighters. He's more like Randy Couture than Mark Coleman. When he gets in the zone, Fedor is lethal and he does big-time damage more than almost anyone.

Wrestling - The best Russian grappler that Pride has ever seen, Fedor is the complete package as a wrestler. Strong enough to take seemingly anyone down, quick enough to get good positioning and technically sound enough to maintain that positioning. Fedor's really going to be a handful for anyone except maybe the tippy-top wrestlers, even though he'll have other tricks for them. He has a well-roundedness due to experience in both judo and wrestling, similiar to Don Frye, but at a higher level. Unlike Frye though, Fedor is much more comfortable underneath and will be able to operate much better.

Hooking - A rarely displayed dimension for Fedor. His submission skills are respectable, but aside from simple chokes he's going to ground n' pound you before he'll try to submit you. He has strong defense though and has deadpanned some very credible submission fighters. Undoubtedly his knowledge of submission ias directed towards a counterattack first and foremost. He seems to be of the "choke em if gotta" group, which is fine. His favorite techniques, chokes and armbars, are simple, but he applies them very well.

Strengthes - Wrestling and punching are the obvious ones. Otherwise, Emelianenko has some nice factors that help him: good size, good conditioning and a real strong approach to fights. His GNP might be the best MMA has ever seen and he sticks to it very well. Fedor has a good chin, but even better instincts and is getting him into that panic-state seems unlikely. While not the most versitile, Fedor's strengths play off each well enough to make up for his mistakes.

Weaknesses - Not particularly a weakness in some people's eyes, but Fedor is not the most exciting fighter. He is pretty calculating fighter, but the rare instances he wonders from that strategy, he pays. Fedor is drawn into standing every once and a while, where he takes his damage in fights. His defense is not very strong there, so people with quick or heavy hands can take it to him.

Outlook - Russia produces strange grapplers. Typically, they are tough as nails guys who are masterful in one area and pick up secondary techniques surprisingly well. Oleg Taktarov and Igor Vovchanchyn are the level of MMA fighters that Emelienko is following, however he is a long-time RINGS competitor. This means master grapplers, namely Volk Han, have emparted their knowledge into his big, strong person. Fedor has looked like a wrecking machine and while not invincible, he has the GNP to dominate the majority of Pride's top heavies it seems. One has to suspect he'll remain a top guy for as long as his body holds up. He is not so technically superior to hang on much beyond that, but he'll be a brutal opponent for anyone until then.