On this day 16 years ago, Fedor Emelianenko welcomed UFC veteran Mark Hunt into the ring

16 years ago to the day, Fedor Emelianenko put on a show. He locked horns with the heavy-hitting Mark Hunt as the two squared off as the headliner for Pride FC - Shockwave 2006.

Despite ending his career with a record of 13-14-1-1, 'The Super Samoan' was a dangerous newbie to mixed martial arts and posed many problems for those in his weight class. Prior to fighting the Russian, the knockout artist had beaten legends like Wanderlei Silva and Mirko 'Cro Cop' under the Pride banner.

As the two powerhouses collided at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, Fedor Emelianenko came away with his hands raised. He secured a stunning Kimura submission victory over the dangerous Mark Hunt eight minutes into their bout.

Shortly after Pride FC - Shockwave 2006, the promotion shut its doors for a number of reasons and became defunct, bringing an end to one of the most pivotal eras in the sport's history.

Following the result against Fedor, Mark Hunt went on a further four-fight skid. He lost to Alistair Overeem, Melvin Manhoef, and Gegard Mousasi, with him then later falling to a defeat in his UFC debut against Sean McCorkle.

Something then changed for the New Zealander as the athlete seemingly found his feet in the octagon, drawing one and winning five of his next seven outings to earn himself a UFC interim-heavyweight title shot.

At UFC 180 in Mexico City, Mexico, Mark Hunt took center stage and headlined the pay-per-view in search of his first championship in MMA. Unfortunately for the now-48-year-old, midway through the second round, he was caught with a well-placed knee and suffered a TKO loss at the hands of Fabricio Werdum.

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What happened to Fedor Emelianenko following his win over Mark Hunt?

Fedor Emelianenko spent the next three years unbeaten after his submission win over Hunt. However, he then had a one-year span dating from June 26, 2010, to July 30, 2011, where he failed to claim a victory in the cage.

'The Last Emperor' managed to find success in his old age and even managed to reach the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, in a fight he ultimately lost to current champion Ryan Bader.

After a couple of huge wins and a postponed retirement later, Fedor now finds himself with arguably his last chance at claiming Bellator gold. He competes in his second title clash with the promotion in a rematch against 'Darth' Badar.