Great Fedor's powerful words about Serbia: "I feel at home here, Serbs and Russians are brothers forever"

One of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, Russian Fedor Emelianenko, is a guest of Serbia on the occasion of the European Sambo Championship, which will be held in Novi Sad from May 9 to 10.

He today visited the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, and then held a press conference as the ambassador of the World Sambo Federation.

It was precisely sambo and judo that were the basic sports that Fedor started practicing as a child, and even today he supports this sport as an ambassador.

"Good day," Fedor began in Serbian, and then followed up on the question.

"I would go out (in the ring) with a song from Serbia playing, I love that song, more than anything I love the song by Nikolaj (Vladimirovic), 'Vera vecna, vera slavna' ('The eternal faith, the glorious faith'). I did it for several fights, the words are Serbian, with Russian performers."

He revealed how he got into samba and judo.

"My mom suggested that I practice sambo and judo, because she worked with my first coach, Vasily Gavrilov. I found myself in that sport and I've been in it for 36 years," said Fedor and noted that besides Serbia, he might visit some other Balkan country, because he wants to promote sambo here.

"It could be one of the Balkan countries, I don't know the plan yet. But I would like our beautiful sport to be developing here."

Emelianenko was asked about possibility of becoming president of the World Sambo Federation.

"Everyone should do what they are best at. I led the Russian Sambo Federation, but I will do everything to promote sambo as an ambassador, to reach the Olympic Games, but I will not deal with the role of president," said the famous Russian and revealed which Serbian sambo fighter he follows.

"Stefan Zuparic, who is the champion of Europe and a medal winner at the World Championship."

He was also asked what Serbia means to him and how he feels here.

"For me, Serbia is a beloved country. Russia is my motherland, but I feel at home is Serbia. The Serbian people have suffered a lot. I traveled a lot in Serbia, it's not big, but I visited holy places, I visited many monasteries, holy relics. No nation loves Russia like the Serbs do. That's why there is the expression phrase that Serbs and Russians are brothers forever," Fedor was emotional.

Fedor believes that sambo as a sport is great as a base for entering MMA.

"Sambo has the best basis for MMA, it is about great physical strength, excellent throwing techniques and strong floor skills. It develops well all the physical attributes of an athlete, such as endurance and is good for sportsmanship, if supplemented with other techniques, it is excellent for MMA."

Emelianenko was also asked about pro Combat Sambo that is being developed in Russia.

"There have been several attempts before to organize a professional league, in 2010 I took part in some competitions, I saw that it was interesting for the spectators, it was a good start, I think it will take off."

Asked how he experienced defeats, even though there have been few, he replied:

"You do everything that humanly depends on you, prepare the best you can for a fight, try to do the best you can. And the result is God's will."

In the end, he emotionally revealed that he decided to enter MMA when he realized that he could not afford to support his family and buy medicine for his daughter.

"I was a member of the Russian national judo and sambo team, and I realized that, when my daughter was born and when I had to feed my family, when she got sick and when I had to buy her medicine. It was the end of the 1990s, sport in Russia was going through difficult times, it was difficult for me to support my family, but I wanted to stay in the sport and represent Russia, and then I came across MMA I realized that I could represent Russia in that kind of sport. That was the moment," concluded Fedor Emelianenko.

(Telegraf.rs)