Alexander Emelianenko did not lose fights in a matter of seconds, speaking in promotions for freaks. At the dawn of his career, the Russian fighter showed great promise and dealt with even very dangerous opponents.

Among others, Emelianenko Jr. can boast of a brilliant victory over the most powerful rival from Britain. James Thompson resembled a walking mountain of muscles and endured most of his opponents in the first round – but our athlete was too tough for him.

Alexander coped with the Englishman in 11 seconds!

Duel with a huge Brit

In 2004, Alexander Emelianenko’s career in mixed martial arts was only gaining momentum. He took his first steps in the Pride promotion, where by that time Fedor Emelianenko already reigned in his weight category.

By the end of October of the same year, Alexander had three fights in the Japanese organization: he won two of them, and in another he lost to the legendary Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovich. Emelianenko Jr.’s next opponent at Pride 28 was to be James Thompson.

This is now in the Colossus record of defeats almost as many as victories. But in 2004, he was considered a very promising and dangerous fighter. A month before the fight with Emelianenko, Thompson defeated the legendary Dan Severn in a five-round fight by unanimous decision. And after the confrontation with the Russian, James generally knocked out six opponents in a row in the first round. At that time, it was even scary to look at the powerful, pumped up and brutal Briton!

James Thompson / Photo: © Wikimedia Commons

“He pushed me and I fell a little bit”

Before the start of the fight, when the fighters were already in the ring, Thompson began to literally turn into a beast, setting himself up for a confrontation with Emelianenko. The fighter began to growl and beat himself with his hands, and his eyes filled with rage. James was literally shaking with rage.

— My career in MMA started one and a half years ago. I was confused before the fight and didn’t know what to do. When I entered the ring, I decided that I would act on emotions. I imagined that I would help my brother with cancer if I won this fight. It was this that filled me with the rage that I wanted to unleash on Mr. Emelianenko, ”Thompson spoke about his emotions before the fight.

Alexander, on the contrary, was as calm as possible – his face did not express emotions. Fyodor, who stood behind his brother, also behaved very reservedly. It seemed that the fighting family, which at that time did not yet have irreconcilable differences, already knew how this fight would end. At the same time, Emelianenko Jr. admitted that he did not have a specific plan for this confrontation.

But the beginning of the fight turned out to be discouraging for the Russian. After the starting gong, Colossus, like a dog that has broken the chain, rushed at Alexander. His first blow with his right hand hit the target. He hit Emelianenko in the jaw, from which the Russian fighter fell to the floor of the ring. In fairness, our athlete just lost his balance, trying to dodge the blow. A second later, he already met an opponent who rushed to finish him off on his feet. Apparently, the impact force of the British was small.

“He pushed me, and I fell a little bit,” Alexander compared Thompson’s blow with a push right after the fight in a conversation with Fedor.

After the fall, Alexander quickly got up and delivered several blows to the head of the Briton who was running at him, which shocked him. James dropped to one knee, but immediately tried to get up. Emelianenko quickly stopped Thompson’s attempt to return with several hits to the jaw.

Alexander Emelianenko / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Artur Lebedev

After that, the fate of the battle was already decided. James collapsed to the floor, and the referee quickly stopped the fight in the 11th second of the first round. The most joyful in the ring at that moment was Fedor, who celebrated the victory of his brother brighter than most of his own. With a broad smile, he ran up to his brother, hugged him and lifted him up.

– My impressions of the battle? I did not feel tired, but I got a good result. Personally, I am satisfied, I think that my brother Fedor is too, ”said Emelianenko Jr.

Thompson looked frankly disappointed. He longed for revenge – but he was never destined to happen.