F. Emelianenko. Photo: Strikeforce/Disclosure
Fedor Emelianenko, considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of MMA, revealed that he made the decision to retire from the sport when he began to “feel the existence of God”. The Russian, currently 37 years old, hung up his gloves in June 2012, after knocking out Brazilian Pedro Rizzo in his farewell fight.
In an interview with the Russian website “Combat Bear”, Fedor gave more details about his decision process that culminated in his departure from MMA. “After visiting a convent in Nizhny Novgorod, I felt the existence of God and came to understand that this was necessary for me to take a different direction in my life. I couldn't continue living the way I was. I started visiting some churches and it opened my eyes,” he said.
The former fighter stated that he feels happier with his current lifestyle. “The spirit, like the body, needs training. So, I think it is necessary to strengthen the spirit. For those who believe, anything is possible. A person who believes, even when he has problems, will never be broken if he has a strong spirit. These people can move mountains,” he declared.
PRIDE heavyweight champion for a long time, Fedor Emelianenko made history in the past decade. He went almost ten years without losing, during a period in which he beat names like Rodrigo Minotauro (twice), Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring, Semmy Schilt, Mark Hunt e Andrei Arlovski. The defeat only came in June 2010, when he was finished by Fabricio Werdum. Afterwards, he lost two more fights: to Antonio Pezão e Dan Henderson.
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