Fedor Duric already carried expectations as one of Europe’s rising lightweight fighters. It turns out the name “Fedor” has carried its own weight since the day he was born. Ahead of his fight against former UFC contender Marc Diakiese at OKTAGON 94, Duric explained that he was named after Fedor Emelianenko, the former PRIDE heavyweight champion known as “The Last Emperor.

The choice came from Duric’s father, a judo practitioner and fight fan who admired the Russian MMA icon. “He’s a legend,” Duric said. “I grew up watching his fights. My mother always told me that I got the same name because my father was a fan. My father also trained judo, so he was into fighting. He loved fights.”

Fedor Duric Is Named After Fedor Emelianenko

Emelianenko gave any MMA-loving parent plenty of reasons to borrow his name. The heavyweight held the PRIDE championship from 2003 until the promotion closed in 2007, won the 2004 PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix and became a four-time combat sambo world champion. He went unbeaten for almost a decade during the run that made him one of MMA’s most respected figures and an all-time great.

Duric’s connection to the name runs much deeper than a childhood sporting hero. His father died when Duric was three, leaving his mother to explain why the name had been chosen and what it represented.

“For me to have this name, it’s like I have to carry on the name and make it even bigger,” Duric said. “That’s what it means to me.” That is a big statement when the original Fedor finished his MMA career with 40 victories and championship runs across PRIDE and RINGS.

Duric, however, sees the name as motivation rather than an impossible comparison. The young fighter said an uncle later shared something his father had said shortly after his birth. That conversation gave Duric an extra push as he built his own career.

“A few years ago, my uncle told me that when I was born, my father said, ‘He didn’t get this name for no reason. He’ll also be a big name in fighting,'” Duric recalled. “I swear to you, when he told me that, it gave me extra motivation. I have to carry on the name.”

Duric has started building a reputation of his own at MMA Spirit in Frankfurt. His latest appearance ended with a second-round TKO against Tomas Mudroch at OKTAGON 84, where he escaped several submission threats before finishing the fight with punches from back mount at 3:15.

The next assignment comes against Diakiese on September 26 at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. OKTAGON lists Duric at 10-1, while several independent databases have him at 9-1 because of a disputed early bout in his record. Diakiese enters with 15 UFC appearances and far more experience against international opposition.