The Emelianenko name has been associated with the world of MMA for a long time. Now at the age of 35, Ivan Emelianenko has stepped into the cage to pursue his professional combat sports career. He is finally following in the footsteps of his renowned brothers, Fedor and Aleksander.
While his brothers Fedor and Aleksander have already amassed an impressive record of over 80 professional matches combined, Ivan took his time before deciding to venture into the realm of MMA. Nonetheless, he made a resounding debut by securing a victory over Alexei Ledenev at the highly anticipated REN TV event held in Moscow.
In his debut match, Ivan displayed his skills and determination to earn a unanimous decision victory. He defeated Ledenev, who was also making his pro-MMA debut.
It became evident that Ivan possesses the same punching power that has catapulted his brothers to great success. This is evidenced by the highlight reel showcasing Emelianenko dropping Ledenev with a powerful combination.
The event also marked the return of Aleksander Emelianenko to the world of MMA for the first time since 2021. However, his comeback match turned out to be one of the most peculiar bouts witnessed in the modern era of the sport.
Aleksander faced off against Russian vlogger Evgeny Ershov. In the latter stages of the second round, Ershov unleashed a barrage of punches on Aleksander which prompted the referee to intervene.
Ershov requested for the match to continue. In the ensuing seconds, the YouTuber submitted to a kimura mere seconds after landing a takedown.
Plenty of MMA fans suggested that this was a blatant ‘fix’ and questioned the integrity of the event.
Regardless of this bout, the rest of the event was rock solid with longtime UFC star Alex Oleinik getting knocked out in the opening round.
Fedor Emelianenko achieved unprecedented stardom during his time in PRIDE. Throughout his career, he competed in various notable promotions such as Strikeforce and M-1 Global. He then ultimately retired from his career with Bellator.