It’s always like this. Only long after the approach of a natural phenomenon of huge proportions the authorities gather to discuss its amazing destructive power, emergency measures and what to do with the debris.
Whether natural or not, the heavyweight champion of the biggest MMA organization in the world is definitely the hurricane that’s been causing the biggest damages in the martial arts world – a fact proven by his undisputed win against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Before defeating the Croatian politician and former cop, retaining the belt in the city of Stari Oskol, the cold-eyed, chubby fighter had beaten Ricardo Arona, Renato Babalu, Semmy Schilt and Rodrigo Nogueira (twice). Meticulous strategist? Impenetrable fortress? Or, perhaps, the greatest fighter there has ever been? Before this report, the best analysis of the monster from the cold was recently made during the recording of a documentary on his life. Asked whether she was scared when her daddy got into the ring, little Mashenka didn’t even blink before answering: “No, he hits everyone anyway…”
“The truth is when he came around no one had any idea who Fedor was. The Russians used to be strong, but not as technical,” Babalu, who was defeated by him in Rings in 2001, recalls. Ze Mario Sperry, one of the Brazilians who has more often seen Emelianenko fight in loco, gives a hint on how to beat him: “Of course it’s no easy task, but it’s not impossible either: the thing is to trade and then put him down somehow.” Well, this is what Gary Goodridge, Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman unsuccessfully tried. Boiling down: in a five-year MMA career, Fedor’s hand was not raised only once, due to a cut in a fight against Japanese Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.
Even if hurricane Emelianenko never again catches unwary opponents, GRACIEMAG.com listened to great stars of the rings and, in a small piece of Eastern Europe hidden somewhere in Rio de Janeiro, gathered two of the main runners-up for the next Pride Heavyweight GP, scheduled for the beginning of 2006. Among typical Russian dishes, Rodrigo Minotauro and Pedro Rizzo scrutinized all of the virtues, possible weaknesses and main secrets of the greatest fighter nowadays. To Brazilian athletes and supporters, deserving or not, as long as there is a Fedor on top, there will always be that feeling that something is rotten in the state of mixed martial arts, whose flag is traditionally Brazilian.
The day before he fought Mirko Cro Cop for the heavyweight belt, Emelianenko’s breakfast was eggs, bacon and sausages. What bothers you guys most, the fact that Pride today has a non-Brazilian king or that he is, well, chubby?
Rizzo: What really bothers me is that he’s got on his waist line that we want (laughs).
Nogueira: His genetics say he is chubby, so that’s got nothing to do with it. There are other great fighters with the same body type, such as Mark Hunt.
What we must do is to push one another and train harder. Further, the fact that he is fat makes it even more complicated when it comes to such an explosive, slippery fellow. It’s like Jeremy Horn, when the guy is fat an the skin is smooth, it gets hard to grab him.
Rizzo: More muscular fighters have more edges you can grab.
Nogueira: It was three times I fought him hitherto, right? What puzzles me is that he is smiling the whole time. As soon as he sees us he starts smiling. Amaury Bitetti says it’s because he is happy, he has the belt, what would you want him to do? Cry?
Is the secret in the water he drinks? Or the vodka perhaps?
Nogueira: He does like drinking, I remember after I defeated Mirko he came up to congratulate me with a powerful breath in the lobby of the Japanese hotel. He was all happy, at leisure and drunk, invited me to have a drink with him. I then remembered he owned the belt and thought: “What I’ll have is your neck, now it’s easy to kick your ass (laughs raucously).” Now, for real, down in Russia those guys train a lot, both him and his brother, who I used to think had an even heavy hand, more dangerous boxing. But after this fight with Cro-Cop, Fedor showed he has greatly evolved in stand-up game.
Rizzo: In that hellish cold one’s got nothing else to do: you either train or you train. I, who have never drunk in my life, would have to train like that to, just to warm myself up.
Who can defeat him, and how?
Rizzo: The secret is truly exchanging strikes, and then just let MMA flow. Because playing on the bottom is difficult, since to attack from the guard you’d have to open it, then he jumps out and stands up.
Nogueira: The key to beating him, to me, is explosion. It’s what got in my way when fighting him. I go for the spring, he takes off. I try a thrust, he hits and runs. The person who has best fought him hitherto was Arona, who is as explosive as he is. Took him down and got his back. Arona can take anyone down.
Then it’s possible for Arona and Wanderlei, even lighter, to give him a try?
Nogueira: Well, it is. Just go there try it… (General Laughter)
Can Fedor be deemed the most complete MMA fighter of all time?
(They think for some time.)
Rizzo: These days everyone is complete. He is quite complete, I don’t know. And he can play true MMA, he trades standing, he takes down, plays on top, submits, he doesn’t only play on the bottom. He is good at everything, so in order to beat him one must do everything too.
Nogueira: He’s got a good play. But if you look at it, Igor Vovchanchyn has already had a phase like this, for three years he’d beat Kerr, Sakuraba… Until he fell under Coleman and didn’t make it. Fedor hasn’t faced a wrestler full-on , someone who falls on top… Let’s see. He fought Coleman in the end of his career, as well as Randleman.
Technically he may not have such a big advantage, but physically he is the fastest heavy guy in MMA history. He tries a punch, misses it, then immediately shoots again – Cro Cop for example didn’t even see them coming.
Nogueira: He’s the fastest I’ve ever seen. Much faster than Mirko. And he’s got a great reaction.
Rizzo: That’s what I was going to say: he has a fast eye, good for counter-attacking. And in every fight he shows up with something new under his sleeve. Against Filipovic he used a great clinch-strike combo: he’d go for the uchi-mata, quickly following with a powerful hook.
Nogueira: He must practise that a lot, because it’s not easy to improvise that kind of thing. He is really with a good combination of styles, he can go from one art to the other – that’s what makes him different.
Rizzo: Exactly, he managed to mix everything, Fedor is no excellent striker, no excellent wrestler, no excellent ground player, but he is good at everything. To me Shogun won the Grand Prix because he did like him, showed the best in MMA: wenr for the striking, grabbed, took down, fell on the bottom, reversed, fell on top… And he was the underdog, which somehow helps, the responsibility is helpful.
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