The key facts

  • Emelyanenko declined to assess his chances against young sambo athletes at the 2027 Russian Championship
  • The Russian Sambo Championship will be held in March 2027 in Ulan-Ude
  • Emelyanenko's last professional fight took place on February 4, 2023, when he lost to Ryan Bader

Emelyanenko on a possible return to the mat

Former mixed martial arts world champion Fedor Emelyanenko declined to assess his chances against young sambo athletes at the 2027 Russian Championship, saying he can judge his form only by results. His words were reported by Gazeta.Ru citing its own correspondent.

What the athlete said

“How do I assess whether I am ready to compete on equal terms at the Russian Championship with athletes who could be half my age? I can only judge myself by results, because I have not competed in combat sambo for a long time. But I train and spar with my coaches and sparring partners all the time. How are things going? So far, thank God, well,” the outlet quoted Emelyanenko as saying.

Context

The Russian Sambo Championship will take place in March 2027 in Ulan-Ude. Emelyanenko is 50 years old; his last professional fight took place on February 4, 2023, when he lost to Ryan Bader by knockout. Over his career, the Russian competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships, Strikeforce and Bellator. Earlier, according to Gazeta.Ru, he said he was ready to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov — that is a separate report, unrelated to the sambo championship.