Aleksander Emelianenko Retires Following Release From M-1

Aleksander Emelianeko

Emelianenko retires following M-1 contract termination

After dealing with nagging injuries and contract violations, Aleksander Emelianenko will join his brother, Fedor, in retirement.

Emelianenko announced his retirement via his official web site:

"Unfortunately, I won’t be able to perform in the ring anymore because of health problems caused by old injuries. As an athlete, it’s very difficult for me to come to terms with this. I’m grateful to the fans and sponsors for their support and for believing in me. I’m also grateful to my opponents. Your ill-will always made me move forward and achieve new results."

He also went on to speak on his former promoters M-1 Global, who he has been in dispute with over breach of contract.

"I understand that I’ll now be facing a lot of accusations and criticism, which are unrelated to my direct line of work. Unfortunately, there’ll always be people, who would want to score points for themselves in any negative situation. I wouldn’t like make any comments, explain anything or offer excuses. Every living person does good and bad things. This is what we are. I'm sure that I’ve made a lot for the sport, attracting many young people in the gyms by my example."

On Tuesday M-1 announced the termination of their contract with Emelianenko.

"Aleksandr has constantly violated the terms of his contact and we canceled it,” Vadim Finkelstein, M-1 Global president, told Mixfight.ru. “Now he is a free fighter. He’s on his own. Neither I nor (elder brother) Fedor or M-1 aren’t responsible for what he’s doing."

While Finkelstein did not specify what happened, Gazeta.ru is reporting the release involved Emelianenko's alleged drunken exploits, including fighting with flight attendants and passengers when he was in Barnaul in the Altai Region. This has yet to be confirmed and would appear to be the criticism and accusations Emelianenko mentioned in his announcement.

The younger brother of Fedor finishes his MMA career with a record of 21-6. He last fought Jeff Monson in November where he lost by a north south choke.

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