Fedor Emelianenko has spoken outright about the Russian involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, calling out people that are trying to evade the military draft. According to him “If the Motherland calls me to defend the borders, I’ll go.”
Fedor Emelianenko, ‘The Last Emperor” is a legend in MMA. He fought in Pride, and Strikeforce and is still under contract with Bellator. During his prime days, he was considered to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
Fedor’s calm demeanor, his extreme devoutness to religion, and his unusual training methods (carrying logs across snow-covered Russian tundras) gave him an aura of mystery that brought him even more fans.
Recently, Fedor shared that his brother Ivan, who is 34, volunteered to serve Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, and Fedor couldn’t be more proud.
The Last Emperor stated for Match TV: “Ivan will be sent as a volunteer under contract. I know that he’s already passed a medical examination. When exactly he’ll go, I can’t say,”
Fedor expressed his “shock” at people trying to flee the country in order to avoid serving in the military: “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.”
Fedor Emelianenko added that: “I am not eligible for military service, I wasn’t called up. If the Motherland calls me to defend the borders, I’ll go. I just didn’t serve in the army. My brother served in the special forces, so he volunteered.”
Fedor is on a two-fight win streak in Bellator at the moment, knocking out Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269 a year ago. Emelianenko is also a close personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Currently, there are mixed reactions to the draft in Russia. it is estimated (Bloomberg) that 400.000 Russians have emigrated in order to avoid the draft. Mobilization in Russia started in September, and there 200.000 soldiers were already added to the troops.
