EFN 50: Fedor Emelianenko Gets by Fabio Maldonado, After Taking Beating in Opening Round
By FCF Staff
Fedor Emelianenko earned a victory at EFN 50 as many expected he would, but the legendary fighter was battered, bloodied and nearly finished by Fabio Maldonado.
Emelianenko came out firing heavy punches, and had Maldonado on the defensive, but the UFC vet weathered the storm. As Fedor looked to resume his attack, Maldonado floored the former PRIDE champ with a hook and reigned down punches from above. Many referees would have stopped the fight, as Emelianenko took multiple punches to the face, before somehow, he worked his way back to his feet.
The Russian star managed to survive the round and appeared to have his feet back under him as round two began. For the rest of the fight, Fedor was the aggressor and he in turn, bloodied Maldonado with knees and punches. The latter, however, wouldn’t go away and kept returning fire.
After the third round ended, Emelianenko was awarded the majority decision win (28-28, 29-28, 29-28), but it remains to be seen how the controversial victory will impact reported talks with the UFC.
EFN 50 took place in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.