Chuck Liddell may be the most recognizable fighter in North America but Fedor Emelianenko sets the standard as far as MMA goes. We evaluate why the Pride Heavyweight Champion is the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
Explaining to someone who has never heard of MMA takes some patience since they think it is No Hold Barred Fighting or a "Human Cockfight" as coined by Senator McCain. One would always rattle out that it is a combination of boxing, kickboxing, wresting, jiujitsu, judo, and other more common martial arts. Then you have to get into the basic rules especially the infractions such as no biting, eye gouging, and striking the groin. North American fans automatically associate MMA to UFC but then you have to get into the different organizations there are in the sport. When the topic comes up of who is a mixed martial artist, the perfect example for me is none other than the widely recognized pound for pound and Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko. Chuck Liddell may be the most recognizable fighter in North America but Fedor sets the standard as far as MMA goes.
There has never been a more dominant fighter in any weight class nor has anyone fought the number of fights he has fought against quality opponents than the Russian machine. He has fought every style of fighter there is: from world class wrestlers (Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman), Olympic Judo Medalist (Naoya Ogawa), jiu-jitsu master (Minotauro Nogueira), K-1 level fighters (Semmy Schilt and Mirko Filipovic), street fighter (Mark Hunt). Most of his opponents have outweighed him and are usually much taller than him.
Fedor first made people notice by upsetting Heath Herring, who back then were considered a title contender for the Pride Heavyweight Title. He just didn't beat Herring, he pounded him in such fashion that he elevated Mark Coleman's patented move into a whole new level. He did it again by upsetting Minotauro Nogueira who was on a 13-0 win streak. He put on the onslaught while in Big Nog's guard and had total disregard for his opponent's jiujitsu skills. Any other fighter would have been KO'd by the pounding that Big Nog took from Fedor's ground and pound. The Russian's chin was tested a couple of fights later when he got caught by a Kazuyuki Fujita punch. He was able to collect himself and choke out the popular Japanese wrestler.
The Russian champ then showcased his striking prowess by knocking out the always dangerous Gary Goodridge. He then steamrolled his next two opponents, one victim was former UFC Heavyweight Champ Mark "The Hammer" Coleman. His next bout illustrated that he could take a pounding and still has the heart to pull out the win. In highlight films we see Kevin Randleman slam him on his head and he recovers as if nothing had happened to him. The next bout he has is a throwback to MMA 10 years ago were it was about style vs. style, in this case Russian Sambo vs. Japanese Judo. He faced Naoya Ogawa who was an Olympic medalist and was on a hot 7-0 MMA win streak. Well he trampled the judoka via armbar. Next up was a rematch against Big Nog.
His first rematch against Nogueira ended up as a no contest due to an accidental cut on Fedor. Their final bout I believe is a testament to the Russian's greatness. Before this fight Big Nog trained with the Cuban national boxing team to improve his stand-up. Normally, if a fighter has a proven formula of beating an opponent, they will usually try to use the same for next fight. Fedor surprised everyone by deciding to go toe to toe with his Brazilian nemesis and out boxed him ala Muhammad Ali. He also avenged his only loss by defeating Tsuyoshi Kohsaka via doctor stoppage.
His next fight will forever be remembered as one of the greatest mixed martial arts battle of all time. His epic fight against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic solidified his status as the greatest heavyweight champion and claim as the pound for pound best fighter in the world.
Against popular belief to stay away from Mirko's dreaded left kick he instead pushed the pace of the fight and went straight at the Croatian. He ate some of his opponent's punches but still he went forward like the "Terminator". By the second round Cro Cop was gasping for air and had no solution to the Russian's assault. Fedor was bloodied and bruised but he came out victorious in the end.
In his next fight the Pride Champion demolished the 350 lbs. Wagner da Conceicao Martins in a mere 26 seconds via strikes. The lumbering Brazilian had to tap out from all the pain he was incurring. The rematch with Mark Coleman looked like a sparring session. Fedor just toyed with the wrestler until he decided to put an armbar reminiscent of their first fight. Mark Hunt was next up and the challenger almost pulled off an upset. Fedor wanted to take the fight to the ground early and not even mess with the New Zealander's striking skills. Now this is were you must respect the Pride Champion, he has great hands himself and even has the better hand speed but because there is more of a risk in standing with Hunt he did not even bother to do so. Fedor failed his first armbar attempt and ended up on his back. The 300 lbs. Hunt tried to submit Fedor with a keylock but was unable to pull it off. Fedor remained composed and showed no signs of panic. He was able to scramble out and later finally take Hunt down. At this point he easily submitted Hunt with a kimura (reverse keylock). He twisted it with such gusto as if to say this is how you put the hurt on. I think Fedor was frustrated that he even let his opponent have the window of opportunity to beat him.
His last bout was recently against arguably the best middleweight (185 lbs) Matt Lindland. Lindland beefed up to 212 lbs. for their fight but was still 18 lbs. lighter than Fedor. Surprisingly, the Olympic Silver Medalist drew first blood by cutting Fedor with a left hook. It didn't faze the Russian but Lindland was able to grab with underhooks and attempted a takedown. The Russian grabbed the ropes which prevented the takedown. A few more attempts resulted in the same action. Lindland tried again but this time Fedor didn't grab the ropes but was able to reverse and ended up on top. It was goodnight after that since he caught Lindland with an armbar. There is a little controversy with the rope grabbing but everyone is in agreement that it would not have made any difference to the outcome of the fight.
The biggest problem that Fedor faces in his career is his recurring hand injuries. He first broke his hand when he defeated Gary Goodridge with brutal ground and pound. Since then he has re-injured his hands many times. He is also prone to being cut easily. I believe due to these concerns it has made Fedor into a much more efficient fighter. Since his fight with Gary Goodridge only two out of the last twelve fights have gone the distance (Cro Cop and Nogueira). Fedor will still stand and strike with an opponent but only if he feels he can dominate the fight that way. There are far and few fighters in his weight class with similar striking skills and foot speed. He has gone away from mere ground and pound strategy even though his style is very effective but it has the risks of breaking his hands again. Once on the ground he definitely looks for a submission. If he is on top of an opponent he usually favors going for a kimura and on the bottom he goes for a reverse armbar. He has worked on his leg submissions as evident on his last fight against Matt Lindland. He has never submitted anyone via triangle choke from the guard though.
He comes in to the ring usually weighing around a compact 230 lbs. At 6' he is smaller and lighter heavyweight but still is one of the strongest fighters. His quickness and speed poses a serious problem for his opponents and is the main reason why he can manhandle most of them. When he fights it is almost as if the man opposite him is going in slow motion. When facing lighter opponents he can match them pace for pace and still call upon his strength advantage to dominate the fight. His reputation for being a machine is a close description of his mental toughness. One reason he doesn't fatigue in a fight is that his conditioning is great and that he does not get excited over a fight. He does not let his adrenaline get the best of him. He respects his opponent's abilities and knows the limits of his capabilities. He can also make the necessary adjustments during a fight to win and has the uncanny ability to predict what his opponents will do.
Fedor remains as one of the most professional fighters around. In every match he knows that he is representing not only himself but the Red Devils Sport Club, his city, his beloved Russia, and the sport of Sambo. The expectations that so many people have for him has made him work harder than anyone. He shows his respect for the sport of MMA and the MMA fans by utilizing his physical gifts to the utmost and always coming prepared for a fight. Every aspiring fighter should emulate this great champion. We need more fighters like Fedor Emelianenko to bring the sport to mainstream status.
)
