Fedor Emelianenko Goes To Controversial Decision In His Latest MMA Fight

Fedor Emelianenko's latest stop on his return tour didn't go as smoothly as expected.

Fedor took on UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado in the main event of EFN 50, and age quickly caught up with him. Early in round one, Maldonado weathered a series of strikes and grounded Fedor, pummeling him for several minutes. To the surprise of viewers and audience members, the fight wasn't stopped and Fedor made it to round 2.

In the second round, Fedor recovered and attacked the weathered Maldonado, winning the round. Fabio still managed to get in some offense, and even appeared to be up on the scorecards, as the first round was likely a 10-8. Fedor was also able to land a solid head kick in the second round.

The third round was more of a back-and-forth exchange, but Maldonado's output was severely decreased after the first round. The two slugged it out for the final five minutes, visibly exhausted and abandoning defense outside of the occasional shoulder roll from Fabio.

In the end, Fedor was gifted a decision, somehow earning two 29-28 scorecards, along with a draw. After the fight, Fedor looked battered and beaten. Earlier this week, Emelianenko said that he was closer than ever to signing with the UFC. Maybe not so after today's performance.