Famed Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko looking for a little U.S. redemption

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

More than 17 years after his legendary mixed martial arts career began, heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko is as stoic as ever ahead of his most important fight in years.

In a sport where the outrageous and arrogant are seemingly rewarded with riches and fame, Emelianenko’s calm, peaceful demeanor has gone unchanged throughout the course of his storied career.

The Russian is soft spoken and rarely displays emotion, but when this otherwise unsuspecting fighter steps onto a fighting canvas, he’s proven to be one of MMA history’s most successful and dominant competitors.

Emelianenko (36-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is a man of faith who carries a workmanlike attitude into each bout. Scheduled to fight Matt Mitrione (11-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) in the co-headliner of Saturday’s Bellator NYC pay-per-view event at Madison Square Garden in New York (10 p.m. ET), Emelianenko’s perspective hasn’t changed for his first U.S. bout since 2011.

“I’m not a fan of extremes,” he tells USA TODAY Sports through an interpreter. “I don’t have many personal ambitions. Fighting for me? (It’s) a job that’s work. It’s the work that brings wealth to my family.”

Emelianenko’s dominance was at its peak in the mid-2000s, when the 40-year-old was champion of the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships organization. He went undefeated in 15 fights with the Japanese promotion and beat many of the best fighters of his era, often in spectacular fashion.

Once considered the sport’s pound-for-pound king, Emelianenko eventually brought his skills stateside, and his aura of invincibility took a hit. After going 33 career fights without a true blemish on his record, Emelianenko dropped three consecutive contests (all by stoppage) with Strikeforce, the UFC’s chief rival (until an eventual merger), from 2010-2011.

He then returned to Russian and Japanese promotions, and won three straight fights before retiring in June 2012. Like many MMA fighters, though, the allure of competition was too much to resist, and Emelianenko returned to fight in late 2015.

As far as results, Emelianenko’s comeback has been successful. He’s 2-0, and he’ll have the chance to redeem himself on U.S. soil at Bellator NYC.

“Hopefully Fedor is back to being the awesome, badass Fedor that he’s always been,” said Mitrione, who’s facing the most prominent opponent of his career.

Emelianenko says the opportunity to again perform in the country where MMA is most prominent is an honor he doesn’t take lightly.

“Certainly, I enjoy being here because it was here that MMA was developed and it was acknowledged as a big sport,” he says. “It was here much earlier than in Asia. The UFC existed before PRIDE, so it’s a really great opportunity. The audience, the fans are real experts in fights.”

Emelianenko says that despite being older, he hasn’t altered his approach to the sport. He says he always has nagging injuries, but he’s physically prepared for battle. He wants to win “as fast as possible” against former NFL player Mitrione, a longtime UFC heavyweight who has a noticeable size advantage.

Beating Mitrione would mark Emelianenko’s most significant win of the past half-decade. But he’s not looking to reclaim his former prestige and glory. He said he’s simply supporting his family.

Should he win, additional marquee fights are certainly on the horizon, including a potential bout for the currently vacant Bellator heavyweight belt. However, as the story of his career goes, he’s not going to follow the trend of talking trash or calling out someone to advance his position.

Emelianenko wants to continue fighting as long as possible, but as someone who puts his belief in “God’s plan,” he won’t predict his future.

“I have a strong wish to continue fighting,” he says. “But we’ll be making decisions based on my feelings and health after the fight.”

For more more on Bellator NYC and Bellator 180, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.