Aleksander Emelianenko, who was about to face Mirko Cro Cop again in the second half of 2013 at the Legend event, is no longer interested in the fight.
Defeated by the Croatian in 2004, in the now extinct PRIDE, with a spectacular left high kick, the brother of Fedor Emelianenko he had to withdraw from the rematch after getting involved in a disturbance in Moscow, Russia, when he allegedly attacked a 63-year-old man. The incident caused him to be fired from the event, which replaced Emelianenko with another Russian, Alexey Oleinik – winner of the fight against Cro Cop, by submission.
However, given the Croatian's latest performances, Emelianenko said he had lost the desire to return defeat to his rival. “He’s old now. Why should I hit you? How much longer will he continue to fight like this? The promoters only brought him in to give the show credibility. And he only follows to make more money”, declared the fighter, who said he was not frustrated with the recent events.
“I’m not the one who should be frustrated. The promoters and fans are the ones who should be frustrated. The promoters decided to save money by replacing me with Oleinik”, criticized the Russian, who challenged his compatriot.
“If Oleinik wants to fight me, I will beat him. I would crush him standing up, or, if the fight goes to the ground, I would strangle him,” he determined.
Emelianenko's last performance was in July this year, when he knocked out Brazilian Rodrigo Dragão in Moscow.
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