Alexander Emelianenko Net Worth

Biography of Alexander Emelianenko

Alexander Emelianenko is a Russian mixed martial arts fighter, multiple champion of Russia and the world in combat sambo, former world champion according to ProFC.

Childhood and youth

Alexander Vladimirovich Emelianenko was born on September 2, 1981 in the city of Stary Oskol, Belgorod Region, in the family of a teacher and a gas and electric welder. Alexander’s family at one time moved to Russia from Ukraine. Alexander also has a sister Marina and brothers Ivan and Fedor (four-time world champion in mixed martial arts, now president of the MMARF Union).

Emelianenko began to practice martial arts at the age of 7 – his older brother Fedor took him with him to sambo so as not to miss training. At first, Sasha just watched, but soon he joined the athletes himself. After the 9th grade, Alexander continued his studies at the local vocational school as a gas and electric welder, while continuing to practice martial arts.

Sports career

At the age of 16, Emelianenko was already able to receive the title of master of sports in judo, and two years later he won the European Combat Sambo Championship. Subsequently, the fighter repeated his sporting success three more times.

In 2003, Alexander joined the Russian Top Team and began to fight in Pride, where his brother Fedor also worked. Soon, due to a quarrel with management, the athlete moved to the Red Devil Fighting Team.

In 2003-2006, as part of the Pride Fighting Championships, Alexander defeated Brazilians Ashuerio Silva and Angelo Araujo, Briton James Thompson, and Pole Pavel Nastulu. At the same time, the athlete also suffered several offensive defeats – in battles against Croatian athlete Mirko Filipovic (Cro Cop), Brazilian Fabricio Werdum and American Josh Barnett.

In 2007, the fighter took part in the BodogFight: Clash of the Nations tournament, where he knocked out American athlete Eric Pele. After that, Alexander led an unbeaten streak until the end of 2010, until he lost to Peter Graham. During this period of his career, Emelianenko became the ProFC Heavyweight Champion, but subsequently relinquished the title.

Emelianenko’s bench press record is 170 kg.

In 2008-2011, Alexander took part in a number of fights under the auspices of M-1 Global, where he proved to be the strongest opponent. However, there were some unsuccessful performances: in the fight with the Dagestani Magomed Malikov, the athlete lost by knockout in the first round.

At the end of 2012, the M-1 company terminated cooperation with Emelianenko due to constant violations of the contract on his part. There were suggestions in the media that the athlete was fired after a scandal on board the plane, when he molested passengers, smoked and demanded alcohol while intoxicated.

Shortly thereafter, Alexander announced his retirement from the sport and lived for several months in a monastery in Greece. However, soon Emelianenko, who, according to him, was blessed by Elder Eli, decided to return to the ring and became a member of the Legend fighting show in Moscow. The performance went extremely well for Alexander – it took a little more than a minute to defeat a powerful opponent, American Bob “The Beast” Sapp.

In 2014, Emelianenko took part in a fight organized by the ColiseumFC promotion company, in which he lost to Dmitry Sosnovsky, nicknamed the “Evil Machine”.

Problems with law

In the spring of 2014, a criminal case was initiated against Alexander. At trial, the fighter confessed to raping his housekeeper. A year later, Emelianenko was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and fined. Alexander served his sentence in a general regime colony near Voronezh.

In the fall of 2016, the fighter was released on parole – part of the term was replaced by corrective labor with a deduction of 10% of earnings.

In February 2017, Alexander signed a contract with the Akhmat club based in Grozny and has already had several successful fights.

Personal life of Alexander Emelianenko

With his first wife, Petersburger Olga Gorokhova, the athlete divorced in the fall of 2011. The marriage was dissolved without disputes over the division of property, since even before the wedding, a marriage contract was concluded between them. Their common daughter Polina (born 2007) stayed with her mother after the divorce.

In the spring of 2015, Alexander married a 22-year-old native of Tambov, Polina Seledtsova, with whom Emelianenko began a relationship even before he was in prison. The marriage was concluded in the capital’s pre-trial detention center No. 2 “Butyrka”. Later, Polina became the fighter’s manager.

There are many tattoos on the athlete’s body, some of which he got in prison.

Alexander has not communicated with his brother Fedor for the last 10 years. After leaving prison, Emelyanov Jr. criticized his brother and his entourage in an interview, to which Fedor made an open statement in which he spoke about all Alexander’s bad habits.

Alexander Emelianenko now

In April 2018, it became known that Emelianenko terminated the contract with Akhmat and was free to offer. Alexander was going to fight the next fight in May 2018 – obviously, under the auspices of the Russian organization, since the athlete is still not allowed to travel outside the country. In addition, Emelianenko will become a physical training coach for the Grozny Akhmat football club. It is reported that Alexander included sparring in the training plan for FC players.