One of the most feared strikers from the Pride FC era has been released early from prison, and he’s hungry for war…
Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Alexander Emelianenko became a feared knockout artist in Pride FC. Starting his MMA career in 2003, Aleksander became popular with Japanese fans for his heavy hands and nimble footwork.
After 12 fights, ‘The Reaper’ had built up a 9-3 record. Defeating Sergei Kharitonov, Pawel Nastula and James Thompson among others, the younger Emelianenko brother was gaining steam. In around 2008, things started to change for Aleks.
Rift With Fedor
Back in 2008, a rift began building between the brothers Emelianenko. Fedor claimed his younger brother had served prison time in the past, a statement Aleksander denied firmly. He would not have been allowed to compete in Japan had this been believed to be true.
In 2010, a Russian TV show pretty much accused Aleks of sporting mafia gang tattoos, again he denied this. Following a number of rather brutal and shady losses in MMA, Emelianenko faced the biggest fight, for his freedom.
Rape Conviction
In 2014, Aleksander’s former housekeeper Polina Stepanova accused the fighter of assaulting and raping her. Emelianenko denied the charges, but he was convicted and sentenced to 4.5 years of hard time.
Russian prisons are no joke, and Emelianenko has served just over two years so far. According to a report on BloodyElbow.com, Aleks has been released early for good behaviour. On top of that, he’s also been offered a fight already:
Released!
According to Interfax.ru, the younger brother of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko was released from prison three years early on parole for “good behavior.” Instead, he will be forced to complete “two years and 23 days of correctional labor with a 10% deduction of the convict’s salary going to the state.”
“The court granted the petition for early release filed by my client,” said Emelianenko’s lawyer, Kakhaben Dolbadze. He added that the athlete is still in a penal colony in the Voronezh region awaiting his actual release.
Check out the latest update on Emelianenko’s fighting prospects. Alexey Safonov just revealed EFN (Euro Fight Nights) is interested in Aleksander fighting for them:
Kamil Gadzhiev says that EFN is ready to make fight for Alex Emelianenko. #mma https://t.co/SQTq6AI8yC
— Alexey Safonov (@from_safonov) 27 October 2016