Fedor Emelianenko became famous for his brilliant performances in mixed martial arts. But the titled athlete is known not only for his fights, but also for his good organizational skills. For six years he headed the MMA Union of Russia.

In 2018, the fighter resigned and was not going to return to the post of leader. However, it seems that this was not taken into account in the early presidential elections.

Fedor did not even offer his candidacy, but he was appointed to the position anyway. Was the last emperor simply forced?

irreconcilable differences

Until recently, the MMA Union of Russia was led by Radmir Gabdullin, whose candidacy was approved by Emelianenko himself in 2018. Fedor, on the other hand, resigned to secondary roles in the organization.

At first, this distribution of powers suited all parties, but over time, disagreements began to appear between the former allies. For the time being, they remained on the sidelines of the organization.

But this year, Fedor began to publicly show dissatisfaction with the actions of Gabdullin. The last emperor accused his successor of pulling the blanket over himself. Also, Emelianenko was dissatisfied with the poor work with the judiciary.

Ratmir Gabdullin and Fedor Emelianenko / Photo: © Union of mixed martial arts “MMA” of Russia

On April 1, the disagreements between Fedor and Radmir became too serious, and the famous athlete announced his withdrawal from the Union. Later, the decision was revised and an extraordinary conference was appointed, at which it was planned to arrange the election of a new president.

Won by clear advantage

In several interviews, Fedor admitted that he was not going to run for president of the organization. Emelianenko’s promises did not go wrong. On June 14, there were only two candidates at the reporting and election conference. The current head Gabdullin was supposed to compete with Andrey Terentyev, who was supported by Emelianenko.

– Fedor Vladimirovich sent a request to the leaders of the federations to support my candidacy in the elections. While everyone is calling, everyone is supporting. There will be an open vote. It seems to me that Radmir will report on the work done, then Fedor will speak with some word, – Terentyev spoke about the support from the Last Emperor in an interview with Match TV.

But during the meeting of the reporting and election conference, an unexpected change occurred. Terentiev withdrew his candidacy, and his supporters nominated Emelianenko instead. As a result, Fedor returned to the presidency by an overwhelming majority. Gabdullin was entrusted with the position of vice president.

The opponent accepted defeat with dignity. The moment of the rivals’ handshake hit the reporters’ cameras. The former head came up and congratulated Emelianenko on his victory.

Photo: © Union of mixed martial arts “MMA” of Russia

Changed the rules right before the vote

Despite the fact that the transfer of power was peaceful, there are questions about the voting procedure. Initially, Emelianenko did not run for president of the MMA Union of Russia. According to the existing rules, it is forbidden to add new candidates during the reporting and election conference. But for the sake of electing Emelianenko, the conference participants, shortly before the vote, adopted an amendment to the organization’s charter and eliminated this problem.

Fedor, after being elected president, did not look joyful: Emelianenko clearly did not plan to take on the heavy burden of leadership. The external impression was confirmed by the words of the famous fighter.

– You know, it’s very hard, because you have to give all the best. I understand that I am responsible for a large organization, for people, for athletes, for the development of sports, – declared the newly-made president of the organization in a conversation with reporters.

The return of Emelianenko to his duties was a big surprise not only for himself, but also for the general sports community. How Fedor’s work will progress in a position that he did not seem to want is a big question.