One of the most famous and recognizable students of Fedor Emelianenko is, of course, Kirill Sidelnikov. He was a fighter of great potential who made his debut in mixed martial arts at the age of 18, knocking out his opponent in 19 seconds. Then there was a series of fights at the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge tournaments, which included a world-famous fight against Martin Soltysik, a knockout from which is still included in a variety of highlights.
And it was all the more unexpected that at the age of 22, in 2010, Sidelnikov announced his retirement from professional career and after that, for five whole years he performed only in combat sambo tournaments, having managed to win the world champion title five times and four European champion titles.
However, many specialists and fans were waiting for his return to mixed martial arts, and this happened when Fedor signed a contract with the newly created Japanese promotion Rizin in 2015. Emelianenko called his students with him, and Kirill, five years later, decides to resume his career again. And his opponent in the first fight upon his return was the Brazilian heavyweight Carlos Toyota. He competed throughout his career in various Asian tournaments and was famous for knocking out many tough fighters, including the giant Hong Man Choi.
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