Fedor Emelianenko Talks About His Physique, Lesnar, Nogueira Stoppage and Much More

MMA Fanhouse has a new interview up with Fedor and he touches on a number of issues, including his less than amazing physique.

We've all heard that you train very hard for your fights, and that you've trained as hard for the Arlovski fight as you did for the Tim Sylvia fight. And yet you don't look as cut and muscular as most MMA fighters. Does that say anything about how your training differs from other MMA athletes, like do you do less weightlifting?
All of my training is the same. Every fighter has a different physique and different baggage they bring to the ring. I don't rely on weight training. I haven't for several years. It's really more focusing on the opponent and working on sparring, wrestling and certain activities I do. It's all about the training camp. All the hard work and all the results that show up in the ring is a result of what's done before.

Fedor also discussed a possible future with the UFC and a future match-up with Brock Lesnar.

Dana White told me he hopes you'll fight Brock Lesnar in the UFC some day. Do you think you'll ever fight in the UFC, and what would it take to make that happen?
The fact that I'm not in the UFC is because we haven't been able to come to terms with the UFC. That's something the UFC is going to have to sit down with my manager, Vadim Finkelstein, and M-1 Global and work something out. I trust my team and Vadim very much and I trust that if things have not been agreed upon to date I know there's a reason.

With respect to whether I can fight there in the future? It's always a possibility. Brock Lesnar is a very good fighter and I would be more than happy to fight with him. But this is all talk. It's been talked about before, with Randy Couture, now with Lesnar, and maybe with Frank Mir in the future. But in order for that to happen we have to come to an agreement. Maybe by then there will be some other name. But that's all talk. Right now I'm very content and happy with working with Affliction and M-1.

When asked if he was surprised that Frank Mir was able to stop Nogueira, Fedor says not at all.

Were you surprised that Frank Mir finished Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, something you did not do in your fights with him?
No. It's not surprising. Antonio has taken a lot of punishment over the years and he's had a lot of fights and sooner or later that catches up with you. Sooner or later someone was going to knock him out, especially with the style of his fights: He takes a lot of hits, misses a lot of strikes and over the course of a career that's certainly something that plays a role. At the same time, you have to give Frank a lot of credit that he was the one to do it and he was the one to take advantage and have the right way of beating him.

Head over to MMA Fanhouse for much more.