Fedor (photo) retired from MMA without fighting in the UFC. Photo: Disclosure
Considered by many to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, Fedor Emelianenko retired from the sport without having played for the main organization today, the UFC. However, the Russian does not harbor any resentment towards his choice, as he believes that Ultimate did not insist on signing him.
According to Emelianenko, the organization managed by Dana White offered a proposal that he could not accept. “The UFC didn’t want me to fight there, so what could I do? We were unable to reach an agreement. They offered me unacceptable conditions”, said the former fighter, in an interview with the North American television channel “AXS TV”.
The Russian, now 37 years old, does not consider the fact that he did not fight in the UFC to be a stain on his legacy, as, for him, his opponents in PRIDE were the best fighters in the world at the time. “In fact, when I fought in PRIDE, we had the best fighters in the world. At the time, the UFC was going through a major and serious crisis. They had difficulty bringing in the best fighters in the world. All the best were in PRIDE. Then, when PRIDE ended, the UFC didn't immediately recover. Now, the UFC is a huge organization, probably the best. There are several top fighters in all categories,” he pondered.
Fedor hung up his gloves in 2012, ending his career with a professional record of 34 wins, four losses and one no-contest. He won the PRIDE title in March 2003 by defeating Rodrigo Minotauro in the judges' decision. After that, Fedor only lost in 2010, when he was submitted by Fabricio Werdum, putting an end to a period of invincibility that lasted almost ten years.
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