Silva forced a doctor stoppage against the revered Russian in the quarter-finals of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix at Strikeforce ā€œFedor vs. Silvaā€ on Saturday at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. The end came between rounds two and three, Emelianenkoā€™s right eye having been swollen shut by a series of hammerfists from the monstrous Brazilian.

ā€œI trained hard for this fight with my camp,ā€ Silva said. ā€œAll the people say, ā€˜Fedor, Fedor, Fedor.ā€™ I trained too hard, and I showed it to the world now. I want the best heavyweights in the world.ā€

A competitive first round gave way to a lopsided second. Silva ducked one of Fedorā€™s trademark overhand rights and scored with a takedown inside the first five seconds. He passed to half guard and then to North-South position before moving to full mount. Hammerfists left Emelianenkoā€™s face a mangled mess and forced the former Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight titleholder to surrender his back more than once. Silva worked first for a rear-naked choke and later an arm-triangle choke that nearly finished Emelianenko.

Exhausted by the worst beating of his storied career, Emelianenko saw his last-gasp effort come up short, as the two men traded leglock attempts at the close of the second round. The Russian returned to his corner, where it soon became clear he could no longer continue. Never before had Emelianenko been so thoroughly dominated.

Emelianenko, who had gone nearly a decade without a loss, has now been finished twice in the span of eight months. Afterward, he hinted at retirement.

ā€œSomething went wrong from the very beginning, and I couldnā€™t readjust myself. Maybe itā€™s time to leave,ā€ he said. ā€œYes, maybe itā€™s the last time. Maybe itā€™s high time. Thank you for everything. I spent a great, beautiful, long sporting life. Maybe itā€™s Godā€™s will.ā€