| Desription ......... As the reigning heavyweight champion in the PRIDE competition, Alex trained with his brother Fedor until June 2006, and is known for his powerful KO’s as well as for his submissions. Emelianenko’s impressive record in the PRIDE, BodogFIGHT and M-1 franchises point to a fighter with UFC ambitions, though in 2008 Alex expressed his opinion that the UFC doesn’t want him because “I would beat everybody and take the belt to Russia.” Alex is currently associated with the Red Devil Sports Club in St. Petersburg, and has trained with Vladimir Mihailovich Voronov.
Though it was while watching Fedor train at Sambo as a child that Alex became interested in mixed martial arts (Alex started Sambo training in elementary school), the two brothers are reportedly on less than speaking terms. A third brother, Ivan, is currently in training, pointing to the possibility of an Emelianenko martial arts dynasty. Alex Emelianenko’s dark, gothic tattoos are a constant source of curiosity to the public and to journalists, and are a testament to the tough nature of this hard fighting MMA competitor. |