Fedor Emelianenko made short work of Pedro Rizzo tonight in St.Petersburg, taking just 84 seconds to knock out the former UFC fighter.
Fighting under the M-1 Global banner, Emelianenko thrilled the Russian fans as he stepped in with a bombing right hook followed by another short right, the combined effect of which sent the Brazilian to the canvas. A brief flurry of strikes on the ground followed, bouncing Rizzo’s head off the mat as he was rendered unconscious.
This marks Fedor’s third victory since his a triple-whammy of defeats in the Strikeforce promotion and extends his career record to 34-4 (1nc).
There had been speculation in the build-up to the fight that this could be the Russian’s last fight before retirement, but so far it appears he hasn’t said as much post-fight and after a big win like that you’d have to imagine that it would offer him encouragement to perhaps continue to fight on.
Having said that, defeating Rizzo, who prior to this evening hadn’t fought in two years and just turned 38 a month ago, isn’t exactly top opposition and is unlikely to make UFC president Dana White rethink his stance on refusing to sign the popular heavyweight so it’s entirely possible he may see this as as good a time as any to call it a day on his career.
