Why fedor emelianenko

When I did manage to catch a Fedor fight, it was either on a perpetually buffering middle-of-the-night stream or on a DVD or even VHS tape rented at the video store in my neighborhood many months after the bout took place. Despite all of this, and perhaps in some ways because of how difficult he was to follow, Fedor had the aura of a cult superhero. So when the opportunity finally came to see the man perform in person, I could not pass it up.

It was , and by then Emelianenko was in Strikeforce, set to compete in a Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. The setting was the Meadowlands in New Jersey, which held personal significance for me as a longtime Giants season ticket holder. I had experienced many glorious sports moments in these swamps, and seeing Fedor at the arena right across the parking lot from the football stadium was going to add one more big one.

Less than seven months earlier, Emelianenko's unbeaten run had come to a shocking end when Fabricio Werdum submitted him in barely a minute. Fedor had just got caught. That was the prevailing narrative, anyway.

And the continuation of that Fedor-centric narrative posited that he now was returning to reclaim his supremacy among heavyweights. His opponent, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva , was in for a beating. Or so we thought. It was a beatdown, all right, but Fedor was on the receiving end. Silva was a more than 5-to-1 betting underdog, but the more telling number came at the weigh-in: "Bigfoot" was the bigger man by 34 pounds. And on fight night the brawny Brazilian used every ounce of that advantage to trap Emelianenko underneath him for a ground-and-pound battering that by the end of Round 2 left Fedor's right eye puffy, purplish and fully closed.

The fight was waved off. In that inconceivable instant, the crowd of 11, at Izod Center now Meadowlands Arena went from boisterous to stunned silence. The great Fedor hadn't been caught this time. He and his aura had been smashed. Showtime , 3 p.

ET Heavyweight: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Timothy Johnson Heavyweight: Vitaly Minakov vs. Said Sowma Catchweight pounds : Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Patrik Pietila Middleweight: Anatoly Tokov vs. ET Heavyweight: Kiril Sidelnikov vs. Rab Truesdale Lightweight: Vladimir Tokov vs. Fedor 6'0'', lbs is by no means a large man. He is actually a fairly small heavyweight. His ability to handle the incredible size difference is impressive.

Many fighters his size may have struggled if taken down by one of these men. However, in the case of the Hong-Man Choi fight, Fedor won the match off his back.

A respectable list of former champions, K-1 strikers, and talented wrestlers. All of these men's size ranging from much bigger than Fedor to fairly smaller than Fedor.

Tim Sylvia was dominated by Fedor and finished quickly. Those who say Sylvia was washed up claim he was in his last three fights before fighting Fedor. Well, those two losses were to Randy Couture and Minotauro Nogueira. Certainly respectable talent in my book. Andre Arlovski was also deemed as "washed up" after his loss to Fedor.

He certainly hadn't been fighting any cans up until that point. Finally, Brett Rogers. I have the easiest time understanding why people may not approve of Rogers as "top" competition. He came in with his last victory being a win over Andre Arlovski. However, is , and I don't think we will be able to fairly judge Rogers as a fighter until we see him fight more.

Overall, this is the debate that angers me the most. I understand not supporting a fighter, but diminishing a man's fighting record when there is no one else in MMA that has one comparable is a low move. As he prepared for his return to action at Bellator , which will take place in his native Russia, the former PRIDE heavyweight champion had a list of potential opponents presented to him and was allowed to essentially pick and choose who he wanted to face.

As arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, Emelianenko has already faced a laundry list of veterans and former champions, with names such as Andrei Arlovski , Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira , Mirko Cro Cop , and Mark Coleman on his resume. When Bellator first announced that the year-old legend would be returning in October, a slew of fighters volunteered to serve as his opponent, including Josh Barnett as well as Alistair Overeem and former UFC champion Junior dos Santos , the latter of whom both became free agents earlier this year.

All three made public pleas to Emelianenko, including dos Santos, who previously revealed that his management team was talking directly to Bellator in an attempt to land the fight. For complete UFC results and coverage click here. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.

Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. More From MMAmania.