Fedor Emelianenko was born in Rubizhne which is now considered a part of the country of Ukraine. His family moved to a town called Stary Oskol in Russia when he was two years old where his mother worked as a teacher and his father was a steel worker. Emelianenko grew up in a full house with one older sister and two younger brothers. One of his younger brothers also became a professional mixed martial artist and he was Aleksander Emelianenko. His other brother, Ivan, is currently training to be a mixed martial artist as well, so it is clearly something that pumps through the blood in the family.

Emelianenko went on to graduate from high school in 1991 and even graduated from a professional trade school in 1994 with honors. Fedor was a firefighter in the Russian Army for two years, but he realized it was not for him. He married his wife in 1999 and they had one child, a daughter and they just welcomed their second daughter in 2007. His interest and enthusiasm for fighting began with Judo which is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport. It began in the late nineteenth century in Japan and it is extremely competitive. He began training under a Judo instructor, but after a little bit of time he turned to Vladimir Mihailovich Voronov who is his coach today. Voronov started training with Fedor Emelianenko when he was young boy and often likes to regal about when he was weak and did not have the talent he possesses today. The greatest thing about Fedor is that he has always had an innate perseverance and strong will.

Emelianenko was granted the official certification of a Master of Sports in 1997 for both Sambo and Judo where he then became a part of the Russian national team. Fedor has competed on a very high professional level for Judo and in 1998 he even won a bronze medal in the Russian Judo Championship. This is when he started studying under Alexander Vasilievich Michkov where he learned techniques of striking with his arms and legs. It was not until the 21st century though when Fedor Emelianenko ran out of money that he decided to compete in combat Sambo. He was 25 years old at the time, married with a child and really needed a better source of income for him and his family. Fedor Emelianenko has had the fighting spirit since he was a child and he continues to leave his mark today in the world of competitive fighting.