With each passing fight my opinions on Fedor get proved more and more correct every single time. I'll get to Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery soon. But I just want to round up all my thoughts on the one thread to stop arguments starting over and over on different threads.
Where to start.......
First of all, some absolute morons like squatting tiger claim he is the best of all time. Hmm. Lets have a look at that, shall we?
While his record of 31-1-1 is undoubtedly superb and is the most impressive on paper of all top fighters, but does this mean he is the best ever? No. Why? Well, you'll see why when we examine that record. Lets begin with the organisations he has fought in. Out of his 33 fights, 16 (more than half) have been in either second rate or third rate promotions. He's fought 12 times in Rings, once at the Inoki Festival, once for Bodog, once for Yarennoka, twice for Affliction and once for Strikeforce. The one time he fought in what was at the time the top organisation in the world, even then he was fighting very average fighters. I'll go into that now as it links to the next reason he can never be described as the best ever. Another reason is his opposition. Or lack of it. He has fought in the weakest division his whole career in the entire sport - heavyweight. He has fought only two fighters who can be arguably recognised as great One is definitely Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira. The other is Mirko Cro Cop, although it is debatable whether he is a an all time great. He beat them both. By decision. He failed to stop both of them, despite having four attempts at it - 3 vs Big Nog and 1 vs Cro Cop. Within two years Cro Cop went to the UFC and got Knocked The Fooook Out by Gabriel Gonzaga, a good but far from exceptional fighter, and then lose to Cheick Kongo and Junior Dos Santos. Within three years Nog went to the UFC and looked like sh1t beating Herring and Sylvia before getting destroyed by Mir (with excuses) who went on to get destroyed by Brock Lesnar, and Velasquez (with no excuses). So it's safe to say that even though these two are the best Fedor's ever faced, they have hardly 'franked the form.' So now I've looked at the best he's faced, lets have a look at the absolute no mark cans he has fought, and not just at the beginning of his career, in order to pad out his record - something boxers do, not real fighters.
He beat amateurs Martin Lazarov, Levon Lagvilava and Hiroya Takada. Then he met and was beaten up by a young Ricardo Arona, before being handed a controversial decision. He lost his next fight on a cut. They were the rules. He lost because he didn't defend himself well enough. So enough of the undefeated BS we get from Fedor fans. He then beat another amateur in Mihail Apostolov and then pro-am Kerry Shcall, who has a record of 22-11. He then beat Babalu by decision before beating Japanese Pro Wrestler Ryushi Ranagisawa, by another decision. Next be beat the mighty Brit Lee Hasdell, with a fine record of, err, 15-17. Hum. He stepped up his competition by beating someone with a winning record, just, 20-16 Chris Haseman. He beat Herring and then Nog to become the Pride HW Champ. So what does the new champ do next? Fight no mark Egidijus Valavicius, then another pro wrestler (15-9 in MMA) in Kazuyuki Fujita and then jouneyman Gary Goodridge, before amazingly lowering the quality of his opposition further by taking on another pro wrestler Yuji Nagata in Inoki Bom Ba Ye 2003. Way to go Champ. He then beat a past it Coleman (who has been past it most of his career) and had trouble with Kevin Randleman, being dumped on his head, before coming out with the W. After that, he went back to beating up fake wrestlers in Naoya Ogawa. He then had a NC with Big Nog then beat him via another decision. (Yes, another one) Fedor then beat 26-18 Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. Then Mirko. By decision. So he's confirmed himself the HW champ by beating #2 and #3. Logically, as GSP/Silva/Penn/Aldo/Liddell all did and continue to do, he went on to beat #4, #5 and #6, right> Oh no, not Fedor. He decided to take on and get an easy W against Zuluzinho, the Brazilian Butterbean, only a worse version, who went 2-6 in his next 8 fights. He then beat Coleman again - signifying how little depth the division had, and then Mark Hunt. Fedor then beat Matt Lindland, who isn't even good enough to get on a Strikeforce PPV at the minute. The UFC was calling, but no. Fedor had another 'challenge' in mind. He took on 7 foot 2 inches Hong Man Choi, who is 2-3 in MMA. Nice. Next was former UFC champ Tim Sylvia, who he beat easily. Sylvia showed just what an accomplishment that was when getting KTFO by 50 year old boxer Ray Mercer in 9 seconds. Yea. In between this and his next bout, Fedor lost his five year reign as Sambo World Champ. Then came Arlovski, who schooled Fedor on his feet before losing his discipline and getting hit on that glass jaw of his. Arlovski has lost 3 in a row recently. The UFC came back again, with the single most lucrative contract offer in MMA history - a five fight $30,000,000 deal. Fedor declined at the chance to make a ludicrous amount of money when past his best, declined the opportunity to fight Brock Lesnar and prove like a champion that he is the best and declined to give all MMA fans around the world the fight they wanted to see. And finally came Fatty Rogers, who actually swept Fedor on the ground before gassing in round 2. He showed how good he is by getting totally dismantled by Overeem last night in just 3 and a half minutes of round 1 at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery.
So I think it's fair to come to the conclusion, having examined Fedor's record, that in fact he is not the best ever.
Now let's look at the claim that he is currently pound for pound number one.
George Rush Saint Pierre - 20-2 - fights in the UFC and has done most of his career - best welterweight of all time - stacked division - seeks to fight the best to continually prove to himself let alone anyone else he is the best - ducks no-one - last few performances total domination and never in trouble - does not waste his time facing fresk-show opponents like Hong Man Choi or Zulzinho to pad out his record
Anderson Silva - 26-4 (one defeat on his debut via controversial split decision, one defeat taking a fight on 2 week notice, one defeat fighting with a broken ankle and in need of money and the last defeat via DQ) - fights in the UFC and along with Pride has fought in top organisation most of his career - 11-0 in UFC, a record - best middleweight of all time - seeks to fight the best to continually prove to himself let alone anyone else he is the best - ducks no-one - last few performances busted up a top middleweight when hardly trying and took apart a former Light Heavyweight Champ (most stacked division ever) when fighting in a heavier division - does not waste his time facing fresk-show opponents like Hong Man Choi or Zulzinho to pad out his record - he fights the best available at that time in two different weight classes
Jose Aldo - 17-1 - fights in WEC - Featherweight Champ - strong division - seeks to fight the best to continually prove to himself let alone anyone else he is the best, already talking about going up to 155lbs - a destroyer who has only went to decision 4 times - last few performances annihilating all comers, taking the title from a machine in Brown and putting Urijah Faber in hospital in front of his home crowd - does not waste his time facing fresk-show opponents like Hong Man Choi or Zulzinho to pad out his record
Fedor - 31-1-1 - fights in Strikeforce - weak organisation and a weak division - seeks to fight guys he knows pose no real threat to him in order to protect his record - last few performances owned on his feet against Arlovski and troubled on the ground against a fighter with no wrestling or BJJ experience in Rogers - increasingly inactive, just 5 fights 2007 to 2010 - has fought nobody of note in the last half a decade - fights freaks to pad out his record
That's all that's needed really.
Now let's examine the belief that he is still the best heavyweight.
We could look at the form-line with Nog, Mir and Lesnar. We could look at the last few performances of Brock Lesnar, a dominant beast, comparing to Fedor, a bloodied, tired and sore victor. If Arlovski could kickbox Fedor like he did, what would Cain Velasquez do to him? If Rogers could sweep Fedor, what would Lesnar do to him? We could look at the standard of competition Fedor has faced comparing to that of the UFC champion. We could look at Fedor's refusal to fight the best while Brock beats the best, even though he's only been at 60% his last two fights because of illness. Need I go on? Ok. Lesnar is 5 fights into his MMA career. So he has still a huge amount of potential to improve. He has beaten a better quality of opponent in his first five fights than anyone else in MMA history. And certainly better than Fedor's first five opponents - amateurs. In fact better that Fedor's last five opponents - cans! Haha
Politics - what keeps Fedor fans in clover
Even this is coming to an end. Before it was announced Rogers would fight Fedor, Rogers was ranked 14th in the world. Then it was announced he signed a deal to fight the Russian. Immediately he jumped into the top 10 rankings with fighting another fight. As Allistair Overeem showed last night, that is absolute nonsense. Overeem was like a man beating up a boy. Yet against Fedor, Rogers looked like he belonged in their with him. The same has happened with Fabricio Werdum, the next oppnonet Fedor has chosen to face. He was cut from the UFC for not being good enough, after being KTFO by Cigano, who is a top 5 heavyweight but not a champion. Werdum looked like sh1t in his last bout against Antonio Silva, wasn't ranked anywhere near the top 10 heavyweights in the world, yet when it was announced he would fight Fedor, BANG! He was now top 10! lmao But once Fedor disposes of him, then someone else does, people will come to the realisation that it is total stupidity to keep trying to validate Fedor's choice of opponents and attempt to keep him relevant.
Then we have the whole M1 situation. A micky mouse organisation part owned by Fedor and his manager Vadim who want to turn it into a powerhouse and challenge the UFC, and are using Fedor's name, record and brand to do so. Well, M1 are being blamed for their stewardship of Fedor's career in the last 5 years, but read this:
Fedor: 'I have full control over all my contracts and my career. All contracts and issues are discussed with me. I have full control over everything going on.'
Hmm.
The Running Man
Not only is Fedor running from the elite in the UFC, he is running from the champion in his own organisation - Strikeforce. Overeem is dying to take on the Russian. But Fedor doesn't want to know.
Read this statement from Vadim:
'I personally think that Overeem has not reached the desired level to challenge Fedor.'
Ok, so Overeem, who is Strikeforce Champ, won 8 in a row and is an elite K1 striker isn't good enough to challenge Fedor.
YET BUMS LIKE ZULUZINHO AND HONG MAN CHOI AND WERDUM ARE?
This is what Overeem, not even in the top 5 heavy's in the world, said: "I think they want to keep Fedor's status as undefeated (he is not undefeated), I think they see me as a threat to that. I've been trying to fight Fedor for sometime now but what are you going to do if you have one party that wants to fight, and the other party (Fedor) doesn't want to fight? I fights Rogers instead. I think Brett did one hell of a fight with Fedor, Fedor doesn't want to fight me, it's real simple."
It was the same story last night.
"Fedor Emelianenko," Overeem answered when asked who he wanted to fight next. "His management declined to fight me tonight, respect for Brett because he stood up and wanted to fight me like a man. I think now it's Fedor's time."
Other Opinions
Frank Mir: 'I've never been hit as hard in my life. Every time I was seeing white flashes. Brock would crush Fedor.'
Lyoto Machida: 'The sport has evolved tremendously in the last two years. Lesnar is now the best heavyweight in the world.'
Andre Arlovski: 'Fedor is a great fighter, yes, but he is not superhuman. Lesnar is the best in the world at 265lbs.'
Randy Couture: 'To be considered in the pound for pound list Fedor has to step up his level of competiton and fight top level guys again. I'm not sure why he's not in the UFC or why he's not willing to do that.
Yahoo Sports (a once very pro Fedor group): 'At this point, only Emelianenkos most die-hard fans refuse to recognize that the long stretches of inaction and lack of matchups against elite competition have tarnished his reputation.'
Analysis of Fedor: "Exactly one fight in 16 months and counting."
Analysis of their number one pound for pound fighter: 'That makes three fights and victories in 14 consecutive rounds for GSP during the same span that Fedors handlers have kept him out of competition.'
Joe Rogan (once Fedor's biggest fan despite a UFC employee): 'Anderson Silva is, in my opinion, THE GREATEST FIGHTER EVER IN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.
Fedor: 'Brock is a very good fighter. A very strong fighter. I am impressed with his speed.'
Me: 'You are a deranged lunatic if you think 2010 Fedor is in any way, shape or form as good as 2003-2005 Fedor. It cannot, simply cannot, be disputed that if you want to be considered the best in the world, you fight the best in the world.
Is Rogers one of the best in the world? No Is Arlovski one of the best in the world? No Is Sylvia one of the best in the world? No Is Hong Man Choi (lmao) one of the best in the world? No Is Lindland one of the best in the world? No Is Hunt one of the best in the world? No Is Coleman one of the best in the world? No Is Zulzinho (lmfao) one of the best in the world? No
They, above, are Fedor's last 8 opponents in the previous 4 and a half years. And we are to believe he is p4p#1?
The fact Fedor, supposedly the best HW is the world right now (and I stress right now, not 5 years ago, which noone disputes) chooses to fight a guy not even top 15 let alone top 5, should be laughed at.
A layman's true definition of a champion is thus: 'One who seeks out the best competition in the world in order to continually prove his or herself as the best.' GSP does this. Aldo does this. Silva does this. Fedor does not do this. Fedor is quite obviously just content to beat on fighters he knows are not the best in the world and pose no real threat to him, knowing that his record from years ago and his fanboys will ensure he would still be regarded as the best at 265lbs.
It's natural at his age that he is regressing. They can't all be as good at 46 as they were at 30 years old. Based on his last 10 minutes in a cage, his skill set has definitely diminished.
I have a pretty good record of 86-0-0 against my two little brothers in the last 4 and a half years, but I am not claiming to be the best fighter in my home let alone the best fighter at 265lbs in the sport of MMA.'
no disrespect intended here as i normally like your reviews but i cant be bothered to read all that at the moment,still hungover.
You seem a little bit obsessed with being proved right that he isnt the best HW in the world,i think brock would smash fedor but i disagree wit most of the others,but your entitled to your opinion just like i am and squatting tiger to his too.
No one is adamant that he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world,you seem to be arguing with yourself there.
Fedor is the greatest HW of all time,like in all sports you get worse as you get older,no shame in that but he has been the best HW in the world,judging by alot of what you say and your write ups,you do know alot about the sport and have most prob been watching mma alot longer than me but i think you really do have to admit he has been the best heavy weight to walk the planet.
no disrespect intended here as i normally like your reviews but i cant be bothered to read all that at the moment,still hungover.You seem a little bit obsessed with being proved right that he isnt the best HW in the world,i think brock would smash fe
@comeonkautostar: i know there's alot of good to that, detailed report. I skimmed through it, and I'd have to agree Fedor will have to test himself eventually. He will otherwise fade in the history books as he hasn't fought anyone significant in years. Brock, Overeem, maybe Carwin, these are the battles we want to see. Up and coming Velasquez, Dos Santos, all would be a handful at this point for "Araidor Emelianenko".
On an other note though, your analysis deserves it's on thread in the Sports Forum Listings. If enough people send a request to Betfair, they will gladly open a listing. Afterall, THIS IS THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT, IN THE WORLD.
@comeonkautostar: i know there's alot of good to that, detailed report. I skimmed through it, and I'd have to agree Fedor will have to test himself eventually. He will otherwise fade in the history books as he hasn't fought anyone sign
Just think the sport has evolved and theres a different breed of Heavyweight now.
There some serious machines out there at 265.
He's got to face reality and drop to 205 imo. Joe Rogan even said recently that he could see Fedor fighting at 185. Okay thats a stretch but I think his time in the heavyweight div is gone....unless he wants to carry on beating up deadbeats.
He's a brilliant fighter. Just think the sport has evolved and theres a different breed of Heavyweight now. There some serious machines out there at 265. He's got to face reality and drop to 205 imo. Joe Rogan even said recently that he cou
@ELG: dropping down a weight could actually be the only option (apart from retiring) Fedor does have to avoid some very predictable line up of loses.
Then again, when you think about it, how would he really fair with his weight cut, age, and skillset? When meeting yet another formidable calibre of fighters with the likes of: Machida, Evans or Rampage, Shogun?! or even a formidable Couture or a supposedly reborn Nog (note: even if he did get demolished in his last via Velasquez , that looked in shape, just went in with the wrong tactic IMO).
Out of the frying pan, into the fire if you ask me.
His other option would be to grow some nuts, and work very very hard to run into some credible fighters, and actually stand with them. It's not about the win, it's about giving a good fight right? He rode this high horse, many claiming he's the #1PFP for too long. Time to pay the price, by way of a the true champions fist. Be it Lesnar, or Overeem.
Did I mention 23 year old Jon Jones is also in the mix at 205?
@ELG: dropping down a weight could actually be the only option (apart from retiring) Fedor does have to avoid some very predictable line up of loses.Then again, when you think about it, how would he really fair with his weight cut, age, and skillset?
Quality post Kauto Fedor wouldnt live with the UFC top heavyweights, although i can see him eventually joining the UFC and fighting at 205.
Just out of interest, How do you see the Lesnar-Carwin fight going?
Quality post KautoFedor wouldnt live with the UFC top heavyweights, although i can see him eventually joining the UFC and fighting at 205.Just out of interest, How do you see the Lesnar-Carwin fight going?
Good post and i agree with most of it, however to me it seems like Fedor doesnt care if he's being classed as the top heavyweight in the world. He will be classed as the best heavyweight to fight in mma for a while, due to his record, and some of the names he has beat, even if you say he has beat cans, he also beat the #2 and #3 heavyweights at the time, when they were in their prime.
Good post and i agree with most of it, however to me it seems like Fedor doesnt care if he's being classed as the top heavyweight in the world. He will be classed as the best heavyweight to fight in mma for a while, due to his record, and some o
I think this kind of post is usually based on comparing Fedor versus fighters close to their peak, versus the same fighters years later in the UFC. This is clearly rubbish.
Despite being a very small heavyweight, Fedor is extremely durable, has excellent defense amd can seize opportunities, finishing on the floor or on the feet.
Whilst I wonder argue he's the best PFP, none of the other heavyweights can hold a candle to this record. Overeem was beaten repeatedly in Pride, sometimes by smaller fighters. Lesnar has beaten light-heavyweight oldie Couture, and gone 1-1 with Frank Mir, whose pedigree is questionable to say the least (did he actually get first round KO'ed by Brandon Vera?). Carwin has wins over Gonzage and Mir etc. etc.
If you don't think Fedor rules heavyweight, bet against him and keep getting richer...
PS I'd make him about 1.39 against Overeem.
I think this kind of post is usually based on comparing Fedor versus fighters close to their peak, versus the same fighters years later in the UFC. This is clearly rubbish.Despite being a very small heavyweight, Fedor is extremely durable, has excel
No one is adamant that he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world,you seem to be arguing with yourself there.
Get on the UG or Sherdog forums! I'd say a small majority or at least a large majority still class him as the best p4p-er in the world! It's crazy, like literally stepping back into a time machine and going back 5 years.
you really do have to admit he has been the best heavy weight to walk the planet.
Never once denied it. Think his performance vs a vintage Cro Cop in 05 was ridiculously good, the best he's ever put on and one that raised the bar at 265lbs, but as has been pointed out from Machida to ELG, this sport has evolved and there are a new breed of scary 265lb monsters now on the scene. Overall his dominance of Pride means he is the best heavy ever, but due to the growth of the sport I think even 2005 Fedor, if not getting beat, would struggle against the elite today.
ELG:
Think it would be easily possible for him to drop to 205lbs, but that is still the best division in the whole sport, so there would be no point at this stage of his career. In truth, and it's something I could have gone to town on but haven't, if he really wanted to test himself he should have dropped down to 200lbs at least once or twice between 2003 and 2005 to face Shogun or Wanderlei, when both the Axe Murderer and Fedor himself were in their prime, instead of messing around taking fights like Egidijus Valavicius or Nagata. But he didn't.
$wordfish:
I see Brock taking Carwin down and pummelling his face in from half guard for a TKO R2 win. I think if Lesnar gets past Carwin he'll reign for a long time, if he wants to. As outstanding as Cain and Cigano are, the same would happen to them. And Fedor or Overeem for that matter. Carwin is the perfect opponent to beat Brock right now. He is almost as tall, almost as heavy, is a good wrestler (but not 106-5 good) and has cinder blocks for hands. But will it be enough? No imo. As soon as Shane comes to punch, Brock will just have to move fractionally (as Carwin is quite static in his standup) and that will get him to the clinch, and from there he is in command. From there, he took Mir down just 40 secs into their 2nd fight and he worked and controlled Frank relentlessly inside his half guard until the end of the round. He hit him with some of the hardest arm punches ever seen inside the Octagon. And Mir, with all the technical ability in the world, and certainly more technical ability than Carwin of his back, couldn't do jack about it. I also think that Lesnar has a chin. He caught a left hook and a left knee from Mir in R2, but simply responded by shooting successfully before proceeding to mess Mir up. Granted Carwin hits harder than Mir, but at least Brock has shown he knows how to respond when clipped.
I thought Mir would beat Carwin and think for some reason Frank didn't show up in that fight. He wasn't just flat, he was zombie-esque throughout. But when you have the power of a nuclear bomb in each hand I suppose you always have a chance. And Carwin has a chance. The term 'punchers chance' was coined for him. But watch what will happen if Shane tries to push Brock up against the cage and land uppercuts at will.
One thing I will say is that Brock will need to watch for a guillotine - Shane has a good one. But in all honesty if he can comprehensively avoid subs from Mir, he should do so easily vs Carwin.
FinancialHemorrage:
I think this kind of post is usually based on comparing Fedor versus fighters close to their peak, versus the same fighters years later in the UFC
Ok. Cro Cop fought Fedor in August 2005. Cro Cop fought Gabe Gonzaga in May 2007. So whats that? Just over a year and a half? And in that time Cro Cop went 6-1 in 7 fights, his only loss coming via controversial split decision to Hunt. In that time he also KO'ed Wandy Silva. So are you honestly suggesting that in those 20 months Cro Cop became a lesser version of himself? Then just 4 months later he was owned by Kongo. Hmm. Similar story with Nog. Fought Fedor December 04, made UFC debut July 07, went 5-1 in between times, only loss via controversial split decision.
Lesnar has beaten light-heavyweight oldie Couture, and gone 1-1 with Frank Mir, whose pedigree is questionable to say the least (did he actually get first round KO'ed by Brandon Vera?)
Very few people rip through Randy the way Brock did; no-one rips through Randy the way Brock did just 4 fights into their MMA career.
Brock was beaten by Mir in only his 2nd ever MMA fight and UFC debut. He knew nothing of submission defence and got too excited when taking Mir down 4 seconds in and trying GnP him to the finish there and then. Who was Fedor fighting in his 2nd ever MMA fight? Former champions of the world? No, he was fighting amateurs. Amateurs who weren't very good either. Also Mir lost to Vera and Cruz after a very serious motorcycle accident that curtailed his ability to train and sent him into serious depression. He was away for 18 months and lost his title because of it. I think it's fair to give him a by ball on those few performances tbh.
If you don't think Fedor rules heavyweight, bet against him and keep getting richer...
Unfortunately Fedor only takes fights were he is 1.01 to win
I'd make him about 1.39 against Overeem.
I'd make him 1.39 to duck Overeem
Mehmet:No one is adamant that he is the best pound for pound fighter in the world,you seem to be arguing with yourself there.Get on the UG or Sherdog forums! I'd say a small majority or at least a large majority still class him as the best p4p-e
dont think you will get 4/6 brock will you???!!! Ill be having some of that if so!
One of my friends who likes mma says that carwin will win as he is bigger
Obviously didnt see them in the octagon after carwin beat mir.
Brock to dominate carwin from round 1 for me,love to see carwin land one of his breeze blocks and knock the motherf***er out though!
dont think you will get 4/6 brock will you???!!! Ill be having some of that if so!One of my friends who likes mma says that carwin will win as he is bigger Obviously didnt see them in the octagon after carwin beat mir.Brock to dominate carwin from ro
disappointed with 8/15 - thought with all the hype behind Shane, his undefeated career, never been out of the first round, bricks for hands etc, we'd have at least got 4/7.
But then again it is Brock - still more hype about him and his return probably.
i know i realised after i hit submit postwhat a numpty disappointed with 8/15 - thought with all the hype behind Shane, his undefeated career, never been out of the first round, bricks for hands etc, we'd have at least got 4/7.But then again it