Tournaments have always been a part of Fedor Emelianenko’s storied mixed martial arts career.
In 2004, Emelianenko defeated Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to capture Pride Fighting Championship’s heavyweight grand prix. Seven years later, “The Last Emperor” was upset by Antonio Silva in the quarterfinals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight bracket, a tournament that would eventually be won by current UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Fast forward to the present day, and the 42-year-old Russian is on the brink of winning Bellator heavyweight gold when he faces Ryan Bader in the finals of the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix at Bellator 214 on Jan.