Fedor Emelianenko has been trying to have his final bout in mixed martial arts for quite some time. The longtime veteran and disputed Greatest of all time has had the political situation impact his career and cancel anticipated showdown with Ryan Bader in Moscow.
Desptie rumblings that Anderson Silva was approached about being his final MMA opponent it seems like Bellator has pivoted back to the Ryan Bader idea although the location is obviously uncertain at this time.
Like many of his countrymen, Fedor is in the midst of a big crisis. But his perception of the youths response to the latest political moves out of Moscow has been interesting.
Bloomberg reported that over 400,000 individuals have fled to nearby nations like Georgia, Kazakhstan, or Mongolia. Some men have even gone as far as self-mutilation to dodge the drafting.
According to Forbes, “search terms like “how to break an arm,” “how to break an arm at home” or “how to break a leg” spiked on Google (which is still used by millions in Russia) in the days after the draft was announced.”
In an interview with Championat, heavyweight Emelianenko responded:
“There are different [reactions] in my environment, people have different thoughts, questions arise. But for me personally, it was a great discovery and a slight shock when you read the news in our country, what is happening in the military registration and enlistment offices and that people are fleeing the draft.”
Of course, Emelinaneko is an a tricky position as a politically active man.
There’s been a lot of talk about the forcible conscription Russia is forcing upon its men. Earlier this month mixed martial artist Vladimir Mineev escaped the country to avoid partaking in the Ukraine war.
Mineev is not the only professional athlete to get drafted. He’s joined by the tallest and heaviest world champion in boxing history.
Valuev won the WBA heavyweight championship for the first time in 2005. He successfully defended it three times until Ruslan Chagaev stopped his 46 bouts long win streak. Valuev later became a two-time champion and successfully defended his title against the legendary boxer Evander Holyfield.
Valuev lost his championship title against David Haye in the so-called “David vs. Goliath” match. He afterwards announced his retirement from boxing due to bone and joint issues.
Valuev changed his field of employment after retiring to politics. He is now a member of the United Russia party and of the Russian parliament. Valuev said in a recent interview with Russian official media that he received his summons while in Donbas.
Valuev told Izvestia,
“In my opinion, everyone has received a summons, I also received a summons. “Will I go? Of course, I will go to the enlistment office now. My colleagues are good, they were registered for military service in the State Duma and received summons here, but I have to go home.”
“I received the summons right before my trip to Donbas, and I was not at home. Next week I will definitely go and report to the enlistment office.”