Fedor: “They Forget Where They Are From, What Their Flags Are”
Posted by Tommy Hackett on February 15th, 2010
It’s always a pleasure to hear from the greatest of all time.
Yesterday, two guys on the Underground Forum offered a translation of an interview with Fedor Emilianenko conducted recently by a Ukranian website. One of he two is Igor Karaev, a Moscow-based MMA promoter who has been a great asset at the Underground for some time now. I don’t highlight them or really any other folks’ work too often here, but an exception is in order. There is just a “humble pride” about Fedor which we simply don’t see enough, in any sport, and MMA fans owe it to themselves to give it a look. Total-MMA readers who can read Russian can enjoy it here, otherwise, click on the link at MixedMartialArts.com for the translation from Kareav and his pal who goes by the nick, TMR.
Among the highlights:
Fedor will appear in an action movie which will be released in April of this year. I’m looking forward to seeing this. (Then again, I enjoyed Rob Kaman’s cameo in “Blood Fist” with Don “The Dragon” Wilson. I even kind of liked Cro-Cop’s flick. In fact I’d like to begin an “MMA Cinema” series of reviews here actually, maybe starting with Kurosawa’s “Judo Story” - which is actually great by anyone’s standards…) Fedor describes his acting debut: “The result will be in April. I will probably hide during that period, hide somewhere and not leave my house. But to be fair, it didn’t look too bad at all.” You’ve got to love that.
When asked about other Russian athletes who have moved away to train elsewhere, Fedor denies that training is better in other countries. He says they move away because “they forget where they are from, and what their flags are.”
His key to success is improving in all aspects of his skillset. He echoes Sun Tzu’s maxim about knowing both weaknesses & strengths of oneself and one’s opponent. Regarding his own weaknesses, he offers: “I do not talk about my weaknesses, I work on them.” (So far, he’s always been a step ahead…)
Fedor also clarifies his national identity. He was born in Ukraine during the days of the Soviet Union, but grew up and considers himself Russian; and actually doesn’t really distinguish the two. It wouldn’t be a Fedor interview without a religous interlude. Also, he also briefly offers opinions on judo and SAMBO competition in Russia — but I wish the interviewer asked about the recent rule change in judo which outlaws of grabbing the legs. This really hurts the efficacy of judo in many fans’ eyes — it would be interesting to see the perspective of a man who has reached the pinnacle of MMA with his judo base. But hey, that’s a minor complaint. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.