Fedor Emelianenko Retires 'Glorious Sweater' But Not From Fighting

Fedor Emelianenko Retires 'Glorious Sweater'

2/07/2011 4:05 PM ET By Ray Hui 

Sadly, any illustrious career must inevitably come to an end. Yes, after frequent use and repeated washings, there comes a time in everyone's life when one must confront the difficult decision of sending his or her favorite shirt into retirement.

In heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko's case, the piece of clothing is his striped sweater (pictured right), also referred to as his "Glorious Sweater of Absolute Victory."

On an appearance Monday on MMAFighting.com's The MMA Hour, the Strikeforce/M-1 Global heavyweight provided an update to host Ariel Helwani on the whereabouts of his favorite sweater.

"I cannot understand actually why this sweater became that famous and there is no famous sweater actually because that's my wear, that's my manner," Fedor said through a translator. "I take the thing and I wear it until it becomes really very old. And I know this sweater became really very old."

Fedor says he doesn't know where it currently is but thinks it could be somewhere in his home in Stary Oskol, Russia. However, if he finds it, stated on the show that he will present it to Helwani for preservation in the The MMA Hour studio.

Fedor first wore the sweater leading up to his January 2009 fight for the Affliction promotion against Andrei Arlovski. As the former PRIDE champ began to be photographed and videotaped wearing the sweater in Russia and his travels in the U.S., it didn't take long for fans to fall intrigued with the piece of wardrobe, making the sweater an internet sensation.

The sweater is believed to be last seen at an M-1 Challenge press conference a week prior to his Strikeforce debut against Brett Rogers in November 2009.