Politics always will be part of the fight game. In mixed martial arts, that perhaps never was as true as in the sport’s formative times when Fedor Emeliankeno, reigned.
After Zuffa purchased PRIDE, Emelianenko was the only titleholder to not leave Japan behind for the octagon. He eventually played the free market in favor of Strikeforce as the biggest free-agent signing in history.
After an 84-second knockout of Pedro Rizzo this past week for M-1, Emelianenko hung up his gloves having never stepped in the UFC’s octagon.