PATRIOTISM CONFUSES SPORTS PRESS: Fedor Emelianenko doesn’t actively support female MMA — and this is somehow a faux pas. “I respect the girls who defend the country’s honor at the Olympics, in wrestling, boxing. But I do not support female MMA. A woman must take care of the house, raise her children and be feminine. There a lot of different sports which help her in that, but MMA is not one of them.”

Those commenting on this just don’t get it: “It does seem odd that he’s OK with women wrestling and boxing but has a problem with combining the two into MMA.”

It only seems odd if you think that he arrived at his position in a vacuum. He’s expressing a pro-Russia sentiment. If his country looks good in the Olympics, that’s great. But Russia needs children. If female MMA distracts women from having and caring for children while contributing nothing to the nation’s glory, then why should Fedor support it?

Then there’s the idea that female MMA fighter Ronda Rousey might frown on Fedor for his comment. Big whoop. By the way, she’s already said that she wants to have 57 of his babies. But she can’t very well do that while fighting, can she?