Fedor Emelianenko had already said goodbye to his career, stepped into the cage one last time, received farewell applause – and suddenly he is back in the news: the legendary Russian heavyweight is announcing that at the beginning of 2026 he is preparing to step into a boxing ring against an old rival, Croatian Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. On paper, it is just another exhibition bout between veterans. In reality, it is a fight between a 49-year-old ex-champion and a 51-year-old fighter who has suffered a stroke. It is no surprise that fans are both excited and clutching their heads, asking: "How can this even be legal?"
From Tyson And A Blogger To An Old Rival
After losing to Ryan Bader and officially ending his MMA career in February 2023, Fedor almost immediately outlined a new direction – boxing. He openly asked for a bout with Mike Tyson, then started calling out Jake Paul, insisting that Paul would never dare to accept a challenge from such an experienced heavyweight. Paul agreed in public, but things never went beyond loud statements.
For two years, Emelianenko kept reminding everyone that he still wanted to box and was waiting for concrete offers. In the United States, "retro shows" featuring veterans were in full swing at that time – pop boxing events, exhibition cards, legends stepping into the ring under simplified rules. Yet Fedor seemed to be completely absent from that picture: promoters looked past him, and Andrei Orlovsky's attempts to challenge him with a bit of trash talk also went unanswered.
Gradually, the focus shifted to the idea of a rematch with Mirko Filipovic – the very same Cro Cop with whom he had one of the most spectacular fights in the history of Pride back in 2005, a "fight of the century" for Japanese MMA fans. A rematch in Japan was discussed for the 20th anniversary of that bout: promoters were found, a venue was scouted, contracts were drafted. But for reasons that were never fully explained, the show fell apart and never even reached the poster stage.
Japan Fell Through – Now Serbia Is On Deck
Despite the collapse of the Japanese scenario, Fedor did not let go of the idea of a rematch. At the beginning of November, he said that there was a high probability he would finally fight Filipovic in 2026 – under boxing rules and this time not in Japan, but in Serbia. According to Emelianenko, negotiations are at an advanced stage: there is a mutual understanding regarding the arena, the date, and the financing of the event, and what remains is to agree on the finer points of the contract.
If we take Fedor at his word, the fight is planned for March–April. The organization will be handled by some "Serbian friends" – no specific promoter or brand has been named yet. The format is strictly boxing, not kickboxing and not MMA: Emelianenko openly says he wants to show that fighters with a sambo background can also look good in the ring.
To underline the respect and add weight to the story, Fedor addressed Cro Cop via the popular Balkan TV channel Arena Sport. His message was not an aggressive call-out, but almost a nostalgic letter: he reminded that twenty years ago they had already written a page of history that still lives in the memory of fans, and now they can repeat something similar in Serbia – a country for which Emelianenko has repeatedly professed a special affection.
Cro Cop's Perspective: Stroke, A Failed Rematch And Skepticism
From Filipovic's side, the picture looks different. He claims that he agreed to the rematch a year ago and even signed a contract – at that time they were talking about an exhibition bout in Japan. According to the Croatian, Fedor's team contacted his long-time friend and manager Orsat Zovko, and negotiations began specifically about a light, "demonstration" fight, because Emelianenko supposedly could no longer compete fully in MMA due to health issues.
Japanese promoters, according to Cro Cop, had reserved several major venues for 2025 in advance – from arenas in Saitama and Yokohama to the legendary Tokyo Dome, which can hold up to 55,000 spectators. But because of delays in signing documents on Fedor's side, the time slots for the tournament closed up, and the nearest available date in Japan turned out to be in August 2026. Mirko says he sees no reason to turn down the boxing option now either, but he himself does not fully believe that the specific fight is already "set in stone" – things have fallen through too many times.
It is important not to forget why Filipovic ended his career in the first place. In 2019, he suffered a stroke and announced that he could no longer afford to take repeated blows to the head. After being discharged, he quickly returned to the gym, but never again went back to hard sparring or professional fights. At the same time, the Croatian emphasizes that he undergoes regular medical check-ups and had an additional MRI when the rematch talks became serious, and doctors do not see any critical contraindications to a light-contact bout.
Muscles Versus Age: How They Look In Photos And How Ready They Are To Fight
Judging by appearances, both veterans look impressive. Fedor is 49, Mirko is 51, but their physiques are closer to the elite of strength sports than to a "veterans' club". Emelianenko recently went viral on social media after showing a strength pull-up on the bar and a noticeably increased muscle mass.
Filipovic is not slacking either: he has long focused on strength work, has become even bigger and leaner, but has almost completely abandoned full-contact sparring. His training schedule has also changed: instead of two sessions a day, he now trains once, with mandatory days off on Thursdays and Sundays. Because of knee problems, he has removed running entirely and switched to cycling – the load on the joints is lower while the cardiovascular benefit is preserved.
Fedor's preparation is even more specialized. He has gone back to his roots – the boxing school in Stary Oskol, which has produced Olympic and world champions. On Emelianenko's team is former European champion Mikhail Gala, with whom he once polished his striking technique and made a sharp leap forward in MMA. In Moscow, Fedor trains at the CSKA club, where Dmitry Karakash and other coaches help him. As the fight approaches, he plans to bring well-known professional boxers into camp as well – including Denis Lebedev.
But for fans, the main question is not how many pull-ups he can do or how his biceps look in photos. More important is how two aging heads, one of which has already gone through a stroke, will react to punches.
"You Can't Cheat Age": Why Fans Are Against It
The picture of "fit legends returning to the ring for nostalgia's sake" sounds great only until you remember what happens to fighters after 40 when it comes to punches to the head. You can preserve muscle mass, tidy up your footwork, refresh your technique. But the ability to take a shot almost always deteriorates, and that is exactly why so many veterans rack up knockout losses at the end of their careers if they do not step away in time.
It is enough to recall how, in 2021, 58-year-old Evander Holyfield stepped into the ring against 44-year-old Vitor Belfort. On the outside, Holyfield looked like a bodybuilder, in some angles even more imposing than his opponent. But in the ring he could barely keep his balance, moved heavily and went down after almost every more or less clean punch.
Filipovic has not fought since 2019, when he suffered his stroke. In his last MMA fight, Emelianenko was dropped and finished by Ryan Bader in the first round. That is why the news of a possible rematch with Cro Cop was met with concern from the very beginning. First and foremost, because of Cro Cop, whose health is causing anxiety.
"I would rather not see that. They are outstanding legends, but you cannot cheat time. No matter what kind of experience you have behind you, it does not matter. However you feel in the gym, a fight is a completely different story. I know a lot of guys who feel fantastic in the gym but look totally different in a real fight," ACA fighter Alexey Makhno says.
Foreign fans react even more harshly. On forums and social networks, they are almost begging Mirko not to sign anything, reminding him of the risk of paralysis after repeated trauma and questioning how athletic commissions can even approve a fight for someone with such a medical history. Many stress that for a true fan of legends it is far more important to see them healthy than to watch them take punches again for the sake of one-off nostalgia.
Sparring Instead Of War And A Big Question Mark
At the same time, it feels like the drama around this fight is currently running ahead of reality. There are so many factors that the future rematch still looks ephemeral. First of all, the location – Serbia, a country where truly large-scale boxing or MMA events are rarely held. Fedor says the arena has already been agreed upon, but he does not name a promoter, broadcaster, or any other details – only vague "Serbian friends".
Judging by his words, Cro Cop is in fact more oriented toward the Japanese option that was discussed a year ago: he has a name there, connections, a familiar audience and promoters ready to build a show around him. On top of that, there is a fundamental disagreement in how the format is understood. Emelianenko insists that this should be a "real", full-contact fight. Filipovic, however, initially agreed to a soft exhibition. In Japan, where both pro wrestling and staged elements are deeply rooted, the line between an "exhibition" and a full-fledged bout is often blurred – many MMA stars have taken part in such events, and it is considered normal.
Mirko says he has accepted the challenge, but they have not yet discussed either the rules of the fight, or the glove size, or the number of rounds. Negotiations can easily slow down at this stage. Even if he has a "clean" MRI, if the Croatian does not intend to expose his head to heavy blows again, it is more logical to expect a format similar to what Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen did in 2024: essentially a five-round sparring session on live TV, a solid paycheck and leaving the ring without damage.
Whether the Emelianenko–Cro Cop rematch will turn into exactly such a "soft" show, or remain just a nice-sounding announcement, is still a big open question. But one thing is already clear: any attempt by two legends of the Pride era to step back into the spotlight will be met not only with nostalgia, but also with a tough conversation about health, responsibility and the boundaries of what is acceptable in professional combat sports.
