The return of Fedor Emelianenko at EFN 50 may not have gone as expected, though in the end, the legendary Russian champion emerged victorious. Emelianenko survived a harrowing first round to battle back and capture a controversial majority decision win over ex-UFC light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado in the main event of EFN 50, which aired lived on UFC Fight Pass from St. Petersburg, Russia on Friday.
The night nearly ended early for Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC), who sustained heavy damage at the hands of Maldonado throughout a rough first round. Emelianenko survived though, and did just enough to win the final two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards, earning him a majority decision win (28-28, 29-28, 29-28).