Finding Fedor: Heavy.com Goes in Search of the Hidden Emelianenko

Considering he has been the best MMA fighter on the planet for more than five years, we know very little about Fedor Emelianenko. We know he enjoys wearing sweaters, eating ice cream cones, and ducks. We know he was in the Russian Army, was a world class judoka, and loves Combat Sambo. We know his skin is susceptible to cuts, that he can be hit, that he can be thrown. We have learned he is human, or if not, is at least not indestructible. We are fairly sure money is not his main motivator.

But who is he? What does he feel? What are his desires? Why does he step into the cage? What does he dream about at night? These questions have never really been answered? He is an enigma, the unanswerable. And it struck me, a fit of hubris, the thought that perhaps I could be the one to penetrate the protective shell that surrounds him. I could be the one to reveal Fedor to the world.

That did not happen.

I tried everything. Flattery had no effect on the man. Shared experiences? Only stoicism. Technical questions about his mastery of a myriad of martial arts? He was not interested. More flattery? Nothing. What follows was supposed to be THE Fedor Emelianenko interview. Instead, it is A Fedor Emelianenko interview. What we know about Fedor, we will continue to learn in the ring and in the cage. That’s where we’ll take the measure of the man.

Heavy.com: How difficult has it been for you to hear all of the negative comments directed towards you and M-1 after the UFC negotiations. There are many rumors circulating about why you did not sign with the UFC. Can you tell us what about the Strikeforce deal was more appealing?

Fedor: It wasn’t difficult for me to hear, the people who made negative comments have the right to do so but they weren’t all well informed. I will not go into contract details but I am very happy with the deal I have with M-1 and the deal they made with Strikeforce.

Heavy.com: Your fans enjoy very much how calm you are in the ring. I spent a month training with the Russian military and found the Russian people in general to be very calm and composed. How does coming from a country like Russia affect how you are as a person and how you fight?

Fedor: I am not sure how this is different from other countries since I never lived anywhere else. I am a calm person in and outside the ring.

Heavy.com: I have found my experience as a soldier affects how I understand and relate to the world. What did you learn in the military that made you the person you are today?

Fedor: I learned to work hard and have respect.

Heavy.com: What have you learned about Americans in your time here? How are we similar and how are we different from the typical Russian?

Fedor: Americans are very nice and outgoing people.

Heavy.com: What are the special challenges you face with a fighter like Brett Rogers? How does his heavy punching power change the way you approach him to clinch and throw?

Fedor: I will not go into tactics of course but of course his heavy hitting is a big strength and I think is good in keeping distance in a fight.

Heavy.com: The biggest challenge for you and M-1 is selling a foreign fighter to the American fight fan. Have you embraced this fight outside the ring? In many ways it seems harder than the battle with an opponent. After all, you cannot armbar public opinion.

Fedor: Well, I am who I am. I am a fighter and I hope the public respects me and M-1 for what we do.

Heavy.com: There are many great photographs online of you eating ice cream cones and enjoying nature. How are you at once a gentle family man while also maintaining a fighting edge?

Fedor: It’s all the same, I am not a different man in or outside the ring.

Heavy.com: What do you want fans to know about Fedor Emelianenko? We have been told many things about you by Dana White and the UFC. What do you think people should know?

Fedor: I am not sure. I guess you need to know that I am always myself and I will always give 110% in training and fighting.

Heavy.com: The most legendary fights of your career were with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has such a strong grip and such good techniques on the ground. How were you able to control him so well there when so many others had failed?

Fedor: Me and my team studied him (we watched all his fights) and I trained a lot on the ground before the fight.

Heavy.com: His coaches told me that they expected that his advantage over you would be speed and quickness. Instead, you were much faster. How have you prepared your body for such quick bursts of movement?

Fedor: I trained a lot with lighter quicker fighters but I don’t change my training regime for any fighter. For Nogueira I will train more on the ground, for Crocop more stand-up for instance but the routine stays the same.

Heavy.com: How were you able to so fluidly combine striking and grappling in these matches? The two became like one set of techniques as you fought?

Fedor: I always have trained both. I have two great coaches who prepare me in both fields.

Heavy.com: Despite your wins, Nogueira is still in the history books as a great champion. Can you discuss his heart and his unwillingness to quit fighting? What did you think of him after your fights?

Fedor: I have great respect for him. I think he still is one of the best fighters in the world. He has a big fighter’s heart!

Heavy.com: In the second fight, like with Kohsaka, you were cut. How big a fear is this for you? Were you upset when it happened?

Fedor: I was disappointed that it happened but I wasn’t afraid of it. Neither me or Nog wanted it to end that way.

And so it ends. My attempt to penetrate the veil, foiled. Fedor Emelianenko will do his talking in the cage Saturday night on CBS. Perhaps it is better that he remain the great unknown. Do we want to know what Fedor watches on television? Do we need to know if his childhood made him into the calculating killer he has become in the ring? Or are we better off with Fedor as a blank slate, a vessel to project our own thoughts and dreams onto?

Is the perfect Fedor interview a possibility? Perhaps. But you didn’t find it here. For Emelianenko, perfection lies in the cage, not the printed page.

Check out our MMA Interview Archive for tons more interviews.