Fedor Emelinenko: Why he's your favorite fighter's favorite fighter...

[Guest]

i think he might make a face after he loses again

 

That wasn't really a loss. An illegal elbow that just cut him in a bad spot. Fedor was unfazed. The rematch however, that was something else.

 

1:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX9nBQMY0dg

 

2:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OIOa6407ck

 

[Guest]

Fedor is not even remotely close to being a favorite fighter of mine. Is he good? Yes, is he the best? Most say yes. Best p4p? debatable largely because of his inactivity compared to some of the other top p4p fighters.

 

Until Fedor's management get off their high horse and get fedor to sign with the UFC to fight the fighters he should be fighting to keep the title best fighter pound for pound, then he is just another good fighter not in the UFC to me.

Right now the only fighters in the UFC he will be fighting are the ones that Lose and get booted from the UFC.

 

 

 

I couldnt have said it better myself

[Guest]

Fedor is not even remotely close to being a favorite fighter of mine. Is he good? Yes, is he the best? Most say yes. Best p4p? debatable largely because of his inactivity compared to some of the other top p4p fighters.

Him not being a favorite fighter of yours is irrelevant. The title says your favorite fighter's favorite fighter and when guys like GSP, Penn (who gives no one props unless he beats them), and Couture are calling you the best around, it's probably true. His inactivity resides in the fact that 3 of the Top 5 (excluding himself) are too scared to fuck with him.

 

Until Fedor's management get off their high horse and get fedor to sign with the UFC to fight the fighters he should be fighting to keep the title best fighter pound for pound, then he is just another good fighter not in the UFC to me.

The UFC is the biggest stage in MMA. However, it doesn't contain the best talent in the division because that the best is Fedor himself. Whether you love him, hate him, or don't care, he will have been ranked as the number 1 fighter at Heavyweight for 7 years coming this March. Brock? Penn? GSP? Silva? Machida? Shogun? Rampage? Not even fucking with half of that kind of longevity.

 

If people want to prove their the best, they need to go to him, not the other way around just as a champion doesn't call out a challenger to prove he's the champion. That's backwards thinking.

 

The misconception that biggest = best is pure ignorance. So is the idea that "Fedor's management" is the problem. Fedor Emelianenko is contracted to M-1 Global, a MMA organization based out of Russia that he provided him with a 20% stake of the company. This was done to provide him with cash they felt Pride cheated him out of, but does not give him input in the say of the company. As M-1 Global's fighter, he cannot accept any negotiations that they do not agree with. Expecting different would be like B.J. Penn competing in a Strikeforce event tomorrow without the UFC's permission.

 

In order for Fedor to fight in another company, they demand co-promotion. Regardless how you feel about the UFC's status in MMA and whether or not they should co-promote, it is a standard practice in combat sports in such situations. Since UFC will not do so, Fedor cannot fight for them. Now while many people hope he will join M-1 Global after his contract expires with them in 2 more fights, Dana's loud and obnoxious mouth makes it less and less likely every time he opens his mouth about him. Fedor is not an insecure competitor that worries about such things as legacies. MMA is a job to him that he pwns bitches at.

 

Right now the only fighters in the UFC he will be fighting are the ones that Lose and get booted from the UFC.

First off, Arlovski did not lose and get booted from the UFC. Dana tried to resign the man Sherdog had ranked as the #2 Heavyweight in MMA at the time as Arlovski had won his last 3 fights with the company, but he had other things in mind. Primarily, he knew to do what most of UFC fans can't seem to understand: You don't complain that the best fighter isn't where you are, you go to him.

[Guest]

I totally disagree with you. Fedor is probably the worst managed athlete in professional sports. I cannot think of a single other example where an athlete of his caliber, in a sport as popular as MMA, is not a household name. I have never watched a single NHL game in my life, but I know who Wayne Gretzky is. Millions of Americans who have never seen a single soccer match are at least aware of who Pele is. Yet all the time I talk with friends who are at least casual MMA fans (in that they watch a few UFC events every year or tune in to TUF) and they have no idea who Fedor is and only have a vague notion of PRIDE. He reminds me of Josh Gibson. Don't know who he is? He hit almost 800 homeruns and hardly anyone knows who he is because the color of his skin prevented him from playing in the Major Leagues. All that is holding back Fedor is the color of the money.

 

I understand your point about him being the champion and shouldn't have to chase challengers, but it's flawed in it's thinking because unlike Fedor, guys like Couture, Liddell and even Tito have already secured their legacy in the public mind. Fine. You say that this isn't about legacies (I don't know how you can possibly know that, but okay. IMHO, the guys who say they don't care about their legacy are probably most concerned with it), but even from a financial perspective, it makes no sense. He wasn't given that 20% stake to right some sort of past wrong. He was given it for the same reason all companies offer profit sharing initiatives, to entice top talent to stay somewhere that doesn't have the capital to pay them what they are worth on the market. Meanwhile, the UFC could sell millions of PPVs of Randy Couture beating up random audience members and M-1 is nothing more than a niche organization that only has a real appeal to geeks like us who argue about this sort of thing on messageboards, I am sure you know full well that he had every opportunity to sign to the UFC, at least to the point that he had Dana White saying at a UFC event that a deal should be reached soon. What he wouldn't have in the UFC that he has now is total control over who he fights. So you really can't make this about the UFC's refusal to co-promote, this has been going on since before he signed to M-1. Again, horrific management.

 

I make no bones about it, Fedor was the greatest HW and probably p4p for an amazing stretch, but I really can't make a case for the guy anymore. I am talking about today, and right now, his mgmt is ruining the last decade he spent. I am not the biggest Dana White fan, Zuffa has never been afraid to put together a fight and no one gets the chance to duck. Sure there are arguments to be made here and there about some things, but champions don't get many tune-up fights between big events, something that DID happen in Pride. If you look at the stream of opposition he has faced in recent years, it is still very respectable, but none of them are what I consider the fight the world wants to see.

 

I love Fedor, I really do. I think he is the best we have ever seen, but it really pisses me off that after all the years I spent trying to convince everyone who showed the remotest interest in MMA that he was the greatest of all time, he won't finally exploit the chance he didn't have for so long.

[Guest]

Him not being a favorite fighter of yours is irrelevant. The title says your favorite fighter's favorite fighter and when guys like GSP, Penn (who gives no one props unless he beats them), and Couture are calling you the best around, it's probably true. His inactivity resides in the fact that 3 of the Top 5 (excluding himself) are too scared to fuck with him.

 

The UFC is the biggest stage in MMA. However, it doesn't contain the best talent in the division because that the best is Fedor himself. Whether you love him, hate him, or don't care, he will have been ranked as the number 1 fighter at Heavyweight for 7 years coming this March. Brock? Penn? GSP? Silva? Machida? Shogun? Rampage? Not even fucking with half of that kind of longevity.

 

If people want to prove their the best, they need to go to him, not the other way around just as a champion doesn't call out a challenger to prove he's the champion. That's backwards thinking.

 

The misconception that biggest = best is pure ignorance. So is the idea that "Fedor's management" is the problem. Fedor Emelianenko is contracted to M-1 Global, a MMA organization based out of Russia that he provided him with a 20% stake of the company. This was done to provide him with cash they felt Pride cheated him out of, but does not give him input in the say of the company. As M-1 Global's fighter, he cannot accept any negotiations that they do not agree with. Expecting different would be like B.J. Penn competing in a Strikeforce event tomorrow without the UFC's permission.

 

In order for Fedor to fight in another company, they demand co-promotion. Regardless how you feel about the UFC's status in MMA and whether or not they should co-promote, it is a standard practice in combat sports in such situations. Since UFC will not do so, Fedor cannot fight for them. Now while many people hope he will join M-1 Global after his contract expires with them in 2 more fights, Dana's loud and obnoxious mouth makes it less and less likely every time he opens his mouth about him. Fedor is not an insecure competitor that worries about such things as legacies. MMA is a job to him that he pwns bitches at.

 

First off, Arlovski did not lose and get booted from the UFC. Dana tried to resign the man Sherdog had ranked as the #2 Heavyweight in MMA at the time as Arlovski had won his last 3 fights with the company, but he had other things in mind. Primarily, he knew to do what most of UFC fans can't seem to understand: You don't complain that the best fighter isn't where you are, you go to him.

 

So basically your a Fedor nuthugger?

You should twitter Dana to release Brock, Randy, Dos Santos, Carwin, and the rest of his HW's so they can fight Fedor, who knows he may agree with you.

 

as far as your Biggest = best blah blah blah. You may not think the UFC's HW div is the best in the world lol, but i dont see too many out there that can match them fighter for fighter. Overeem would probably love to fight for the UFC but he knows he would just get fined and suspended for roiding.

 

Hunt, Lindland, Choi, Coleman, Sylvia, Arlovski, Rogers. out of that group, Only AA and Rogers would probably be worth something in the UFC.

You can compare that group vs guys A. Silva, GSP, BJ, have fought and id give the edge to the latter 3 as far as quality opponents. So for the ufc being the Biggest but not the best, Fedor sure has fought some less than quality fighters.

 

As successful the UFC is w/o Fedor, they are not going to lose any momentum without him. UFC will get better with him on the roster, but they will do just fine w/o him. In the end this is all up to Fedor if he wants to join or not, he can listen to his management or he can finally think for himself and sign.

 

Fedor in the end will still be considered the best HW, one of the top 3 p4p ever, but unlike gsp, bj, a.silva, machida, rua, he will always have the cloud over his career of "what if's" by not being in the UFC. ( that is ofcourse pending the HW crop in the UFC dont leave the UFC for another promotion)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

I wouldn't put a single one of his last 4 opponents in the UFC top 5.

 

Hong Man Choi. This walking pituitary freak show (he got kicked out of the Korean military for partial blindness) has only beat one "fighter" in the past 2 years and that was Jose-fucking-Canseco, a 46 year old baseball player. But like most freak shows, he puts asses in the seats and the Japanese love weird shit.

 

Tim Sylvia. Another freak of nature who when he isn't taking 'roids manages to go 2-4 in his last 6 fights. Impressive stuff.

 

Arlovsky. Fantastic technique. Incredible skills. Jaw built like a Xmas ornament.

 

Brett Rogers. A hyped up over-marketed abortion of a fighter if I ever saw one. I keep trying to link him to Don King, these two have to be connected somehow. Up until his 2nd fight with EliteXC, most of his opponents HAD MORE LOSSES THAN WINS.

 

Yeah, Fedor has brilliant management.

[iloveme8]

Hong Man Choi. This walking pituitary freak show (he got kicked out of the Korean military for partial blindness) has only beat one "fighter" in the past 2 years and that was Jose-fucking-Canseco, a 46 year old baseball player. But like most freak shows, he puts asses in the seats and the Japanese love weird shit.

 

He's just a Korean Kimbo anyway. It's not like that fight meant anything.

 

Tim Sylvia. Another freak of nature who when he isn't taking 'roids manages to go 2-4 in his last 6 fights. Impressive stuff.

 

One of which was to Fedor, one to Nog, one to Couture, and one to an odd KO to Ray Mercer. You can say he hasn't been dominant, but it's not like he was floundering through it.

 

Arlovsky. Fantastic technique. Incredible skills. Jaw built like a Xmas ornament.

 

His chin isn't great, but it's not that awful. In the past seven years, he's been knocked out three times: once to Sylvia, once to Fedor, and once to Rogers

 

Brett Rogers. A hyped up over-marketed abortion of a fighter if I ever saw one. I keep trying to link him to Don King, these two have to be connected somehow. Up until his 2nd fight with EliteXC, most of his opponents HAD MORE LOSSES THAN WINS.

 

It's not like Carwin's opponents before he got in the UFC were all that great either. Rogers' competition wasn't all that great, but sustained victories over average competition means something.

 

 

 

Who should Fedor be fighting next, though, in your opinion, if you had it your way?

 

 

[Guest]

Who should Fedor be fighting next, though, in your opinion, if you had it your way?

 

I never thought I would say it, but probably Lesnar. This, of course, is a big hypothetical based on what happens with his surgery, etc. I think it would provide the most interesting matchup, anyway. I would say it would probably be closest to his fight with Randleman, in terms of style. Of course, that was over 4 years ago.

 

I also believe Freddy Roach when he says that he's got some serious gaps in his striking game. He has incredible power, but his technique isn't exactly world class. It gets the job done (especially when you leap into one of his overhand rights, ie Arlovsky), but I think it could possibly be exploited. I would say the most top notch striker right now in HW is probably Velasquez, but who knows, really?

 

Honestly, I don't want to pick one matchup for him, though. I want him to sign to the UFC and fight them all. Instead, we will sit around and hope that once a year he fights someone who is worth a damn. I think he is worried about his legacy and knows that if he does sign, he won't be able to control that legacy the way he wants to.

 

I think he is the greatest p4p of the decade, hands down. But of the last few years? No, not in the least. And that pisses me off because I think he could be and he only has his management to blame. As it stands, he has not fought a top contender since Cro Cop in 2005. Arlovsky is obviously not as legit as some thought, Rogers IS Kimbo (way worse competition than Carwin, if you look at the numbers.), and Sylvia's a whipped dog.

[Mentor]

lol, i happen to be living in Russia now for a few years and i can say that a lot of comments here are not true at all.

 

First of all Fedor is not worried about his legacy at all, he is VERY humble actually and just takes each fight as it comes. Secondly he is EXTREMELY religious, money was never his main concern, he has more than enough money to live like a King in Russia for all his life already, so him not fighting in the UFC has nothing to do with money.

 

I think Fedor already knows he is an icon in MMA, going to UFC proves absolutely nothing to him and there is nobody in the UFC which is really worth fighting anyway,

 

Fedor's #1 goal currently is to make MMA more popular in Russia, recently he even met Putin about health and sports in general and he has a certain level of responsibility towards this. M-1 is how they plan to promote the sport more, so a cross promotion is much more important than an extra $.

 

Personally though i would like to see him in the UFC, have those 3-4 fights everyone is talking about, kick their ass and retire with all the critics at peace

[iloveme8]

I think Rogers would KO Lesnar, but that's just me.

 

I would love to see Fedor fight Carwin. If Carwin beats Mir (and I think he'll KO him pretty quickly), and Brock is healthy, they'll go at it, and Carwin would get the win, IMO. Then maybe he fight Cain from there, I don't know. But if there would be some way to set up Fedor/Carwin for mid-2011, that would be awesome.

 

That's the purist in me. Hype-wise, Fedor/Lesnar will happen if and when someone gets off their high horse.

[Guest]

lol, i happen to be living in Russia now for a few years and i can say that a lot of comments here are not true at all.

 

I don't think living in a country of 140 million people gives you any incredible insight into someone. No offense and I do think it gives perspective, but I still say legacy means a lot to the guy. And as for a desire to increase the popularity of MMA in Russia, I think the fact that has only fought there once since 2001 makes that comment a little suspect.

 

Where we do agree is that I would love for him to go there, take a 4 fight contract (with an agreement to host an event in Russia) and annihilate everyone they throw at him. I also think that would be the biggest contribution he could give to the sport, and to his country.

[Guest]

fedor has already secured his legacy. he's been the best heavyweight for over five years. the end.

 

Fedor is not even remotely close to being a favorite fighter of mine. Is he good? Yes, is he the best? Most say yes. Best p4p? debatable largely because of his inactivity compared to some of the other top p4p fighters.

 

anderson silva fought twice in 2009. one of those fights was against the incredibly dangerous thales leites, heh. brock lesnar fought once against mir. GSP only fought twice this year. work on watching the fights and stop believing everything dana white says. he runs around and says fedor cant be considered #1 p4p because fedor doesnt fight enough. well...fedor has fought as much as his best two p4p fighters.

 

i personally dont know who the best is p4p. it's pretty much too close to call. pretty much whoever has the most recent win seems to be called the best everytime, heh. i'd give the edge to anderson right now, since he went up in weight and beat a top 10 guy.

 

i also love how everyone discredits his win over tim sylvia. randy took five rounds to beat him and everyone was in amazement by that accomplishment. people were asking for randy to fight fedor after the fight, but now the win is unimpressive. then brock goes and beats randy, who became champ by beating tim...and that's somehow more impressive. makes no sense if you really look at it. i think youre all capable of watching the fights and drawing your own conclusions. you shouldnt be at the level where you can be brainwashed by haterade, heh.

[Guest]

I think Rogers would KO Lesnar, but that's just me.

 

I just don't get the Rogers hype. He beat ONE (AA) guy. The rest were tomato cans.

 

 

[Guest]

I just don't get the Rogers hype. He beat ONE (AA) guy. The rest were tomato cans.

 

did you think carwin was a suitable opponent when he was supposed to fight lesnar? because carwin basically did the same thing....he only beat one guy in gonzaga. carwin and rogers basically did the same thing, but somehow it seems like carwin is believed to be so much more legit than rogers.

[Guest]

did you think carwin was a suitable opponent when he was supposed to fight lesnar? because carwin basically did the same thing....he only beat one guy in gonzaga. carwin and rogers basically did the same thing, but somehow it seems like carwin is believed to be so much more legit than rogers.

I think Carwin has a bit more to prove, to be honest. He seems a little more polished to me than Rogers, but who really knows what that means. I mean, Fedor is the most deceptive looking guy in the world.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

^^

 

dont get me wrong, like i stated before, Fedor is and will be considered the best once he hangs it up. But there will always be the what if's, if he does not fight UFC's top guys ( whether people/experts think they are top HW's)

as far as A. Silva fighting 2 times in 09 and it being vs Leites, who else would you have him fight? He cleared his division in the UFC already lol.. At best a re-match with Marquardt in the future, Maia i thought couldve gotten a title shot before he had to fight Nate. Silva moved up a weight class to fight Irvin ( not the most feared 05'er but defntly can finish a fight with a punch or a knee if you take him lightly) and Griffin ( as much as people love forrest, he is no where near the calibre of Silva). 205 would be a WC Silva could clear as well, but with Machida there, there is no realy benefit for him to Clear that division. Rua/Machida II could be the factor in Silva moving up FT there. If Rua wins the belt from Machida, look for Silva to go for that belt.

 

If Brock ends up clearing the UFC's Division, and Fedor continues to fight whoever is outside the UFC. You will be left with 2 top HW's but then you argue who they have fought, and i just feel the UFC has the deeper talent/names in MMA.

 

Fedor vs Henderson is intriguing, but i dont see Hendo manhandling Fedor.

 

Now about Fedor just wanting to make MMA popular in Russia, You dont think UFC can bring that popularity to russia? lol.. if they can bring buzz in the UK with Michael Bisping lol.. what do you think they can do with Fedor?

 

 

I think it really boils down to how people rank fighters. Some will rate them higher due to them liking the fighter, and some who rate them based off of their resume.

Fedor at the moment, has the better resume than Brock, but Brock moving forward ( pending his health) can really build up his resume in the UFC with fights vs Nog, JDS, Carwin, Mir again, even Randy or any other HW's they bring in. I think the talent pool in the UFC HW's will help any HW's resume. JDS is really starting to shine as one of the better HW's in mma, and he is a young dude.

[Guest]

i'm fine with anderson fighting thales leites, but it's funny how people try to criticize fedor's competition and the amount he fights when anderson si running around fighting guys like thales leites and patrick cote.

 

there's is' and what if's about everything. it goes both ways. you said it yourself...fedor will be considered the best no matter what, therefore no one in the ufc hw division can really be considered the best. maybe brock will run through everyone, but people will also question if he ever couldve beat fedor. fedor could easily be considered the best heavyweight just for his pride run. i would honestly say nogueira is probably the most accomplished heavyweight, and fedor took him out twice in his prime. that alone says enough to me.

 

the ufc has the deeper talesnts in other divisions. i dont agree that they have the better guys at heavyweight though. shane carwin was the #1 contender in the ufc...shane carwin has done no mroe than brett rogers. then you have guys like alistair overeem and fabricio werdum out there. werdum is still a good fighter no matter what people want to say. who else is in the ufc? cain velasquez? should he beat nog again? the heavyweight division inside and out the ufc arent too far as far as depth goes.

 

this is just a repeat of a few years ago when everyone said fedor should fight randy. in two years there's gonna be some other new guy that everyone says fedor is afraid of or whatever, heh.

 

and i dont have much interest in seeing henderson fight fedor. the only way i wanna see it is if henderson beats shields and mousasi. i dont wanna hear all the complaining we had to hear when fedor fought lindland, heh.

[Guest]

i'm fine with anderson fighting thales leites, but it's funny how people try to criticize fedor's competition and the amount he fights when anderson si running around fighting guys like thales leites and patrick cote.

 

there's is' and what if's about everything. it goes both ways. you said it yourself...fedor will be considered the best no matter what, therefore no one in the ufc hw division can really be considered the best. maybe brock will run through everyone, but people will also question if he ever couldve beat fedor. fedor could easily be considered the best heavyweight just for his pride run. i would honestly say nogueira is probably the most accomplished heavyweight, and fedor took him out twice in his prime. that alone says enough to me.

 

the ufc has the deeper talesnts in other divisions. i dont agree that they have the better guys at heavyweight though. shane carwin was the #1 contender in the ufc...shane carwin has done no mroe than brett rogers. then you have guys like alistair overeem and fabricio werdum out there. werdum is still a good fighter no matter what people want to say. who else is in the ufc? cain velasquez? should he beat nog again? the heavyweight division inside and out the ufc arent too far as far as depth goes.

 

this is just a repeat of a few years ago when everyone said fedor should fight randy. in two years there's gonna be some other new guy that everyone says fedor is afraid of or whatever, heh.

 

and i dont have much interest in seeing henderson fight fedor. the only way i wanna see it is if henderson beats shields and mousasi. i dont wanna hear all the complaining we had to hear when fedor fought lindland, heh.

 

Yeah the questions will be two ways. If Randy and Fedor did fight, as much as Randy proves a lot of us wrong in some of the fights he has been in, i just dont see him winning at all. But to have on your resume a win over Randy, goes a long way. Carwin may not be in the same league as the rest of the HW's he has done what Leites did and that is win fights he is put in and basically put him in contention. But you said Fedor will go down as the best so NO ONE in the UFC can be the best, that is where the argument is, people will argue that Brock could beat Fedor so he is the best, or Fedor would submit Brock if they fought so he is the best. People will consider who the best is based off of their resume b/c they have not fought each other. Brock's upside on the debate will be his resume as i think the names in the UFC are a tad better than the ones outside the organization.

 

Nog defntly has a resume not many can match no matter how you look at it, and another fight vs Fedor would be something id be interested in seeing although his speed is lacking now.

 

Junior Dos Santos is prolly my pick to take the belt and hold it than Cain Velasquez. Both are young and so much upside to both still.

[scabscar]

I would say the most top notch striker right now in HW is probably Velasquez, but who knows, really?

 

 

Oh dear. You were doing so well too. Two better strikers than Velasquez fought last night, in case you missed it.

[Guest]

brock has a lot to prove before people start saying he's #1. maybe the names on his resume are better, meaning more recognizable, but the opposition isnt much better. he's beaten two guys that are legit really. you cant compare a guy who is 4-1 to a guy that is like 31-1. maybe brock will keep winning and the argument will be able to be made in the future, but as of now...no comparison.

[Guest]

brock has a lot to prove before people start saying he's #1. maybe the names on his resume are better, meaning more recognizable, but the opposition isnt much better. he's beaten two guys that are legit really. you cant compare a guy who is 4-1 to a guy that is like 31-1. maybe brock will keep winning and the argument will be able to be made in the future, but as of now...no comparison.

 

 

+1 yeah im not saying its definite that Brock will even be in the debate when the dusk clears. But he does have a great upside to build a very notable resume, along with Cain and JDS. In the end i think people just dont want to have those questions, and would much rather see the names previously mentioned just fight. Trust me i wont turn down a Fedor vs Brock, Fedor vs JDS, Fedor vs Cain, Fedor vs Nog, Fedor vs Randy or any mix of those names fighting each other ever lol. Im a fan of mma, i want to see the best of the best fight. period.

[Guest]

Oh dear. You were doing so well too. Two better strikers than Velasquez fought last night, in case you missed it.

Hey, that's why I qualified the statement with the "who knows"!

 

That being said, Cain's hands have served him well, so far.

[scabscar]

True, true, but Cain lacks one-hit KO power and his biggest victory is over Ben Rothwell. Also, as was pointed out in the Countdown show before his last fight, his father has been deported more times than Cain has fought MMA. His striking *is* effective because there's a lot of it, but it's not technically great, and needs more testing. It won't get him very far against Nogueira, I think.

[Guest]

I totally disagree with you. Fedor is probably the worst managed athlete in professional sports. I cannot think of a single other example where an athlete of his caliber, in a sport as popular as MMA, is not a household name.

GSP, Anderson Silva, and Penn are not household names. I heard more people (and casuals at that) talking about Fedor after the fight with Rogers than I did people discussing GSP after UFC 100.

 

I understand your point about him being the champion and shouldn't have to chase challengers, but it's flawed in it's thinking because unlike Fedor, guys like Couture, Liddell and even Tito have already secured their legacy in the public mind. Fine. You say that this isn't about legacies (I don't know how you can possibly know that, but okay...

I know its not about legacy because Fedor has gone on record to state so himself, it's just a job. You cannot apply the typical American/Dana White logic on this man. He is not American. He is Russian. It's a completely different mentality. This is a guy that under brutal GNP, swinging for the KO, or while taking the most brutal slam in MMA history, shows no facial expression. Strikeforce/M-1 Fedor vs. Rogers had better ratings in Russia than any UFC event has had in the U.S. so it's a lot more than a niche organization with real appeal only to MMA geeks (M-1 also set up those television deals, not Strikeforce). They get him incredible deals. Every blogger that's analyzed the deal they got him with Affliction has called it the most lucrative offer they've seen in the sport.

 

You call his management horrific, but state no reason for it. After UFC first brought Pride, they offered Fedor a contract. He publicly scoffed at it. The reason he shot down their initial offers were for the following reasons: 1) Not allowed to compete in Sambo, 2) The UFC Championship clause that makes the contract length indefinite while you're the champion, and 3) If he lost, they could just fire him. - These are things he stated himself, not just his management. Fedor doesn't handpick his opponents. M-1 even had a fucking survey on Sherdog for which free agent people wanted see him fight after Barnett got busted. He fought Rogers because that was who the fans voted for.

 

So basically your a Fedor nuthugger?

You should twitter Dana to release Brock, Randy, Dos Santos, Carwin, and the rest of his HW's so they can fight Fedor, who knows he may agree with you.

 

as far as your Biggest = best blah blah blah. You may not think the UFC's HW div is the best in the world lol, but i dont see too many out there that can match them fighter for fighter.

No, I'm a fan of both Fedor and the UFC that has read enough on the subject. I never said Dana had to release them. Couture bitched and moaned for a fight with Fedor. Once his contract began to expire this last time, he opted to resign with the UFC prior to his fight with Nog, after Fedor was already signed to Strikeforce. Simply finish the contract and don't re-sign if it's a fight they really want as much as they claim to. Also, quantity is not the same as quality.

 

Hunt, Lindland, Choi, Coleman, Sylvia, Arlovski, Rogers. out of that group, Only AA and Rogers would probably be worth something in the UFC.

I'm fairly certain 6 UFC Championships and 1 Hall of Fame award is worth something. Also, please keep in mind that no one in UFC history has successfully defended the Heavyweight Championship more than Tim Sylvia. Even the legendary Randy Couture is just tied with him, at 3. Against former UFC Champions, Fedor holds a record of 7-0. No one in UFC itself can even claim that.

 

As successful the UFC is w/o Fedor, they are not going to lose any momentum without him. UFC will get better with him on the roster, but they will do just fine w/o him. In the end this is all up to Fedor if he wants to join or not, he can listen to his management or he can finally think for himself and sign.

I never said the UFC would lose momentum without him. I often find that's a statement many often make to validate the decision despite no one ever mentioning it. Anything that is sure-fire and obvious gain is always more important that something you can't lose. By the time Dana offered him the contract he originally wanted, it was too late because he had already signed to M-1. Fedor's management has nothing to do with Dana's bad timing and his perception of M-1 as just some crazy Russians.

 

I'll break this down Tycoon style:

 

Your 18 year old fighter becomes the #1 HW in the game between 20-21. He is now 27. He has never, ever fallen from that spot and has bounced between the top 3 spots during that time. You purchase Russian Mob Fighting, located in St. Petes and get it out of the Top 10 and into the Top 5. Shortly afterward, the org your fighter is in closes, which had been #1 in the game. The top bidder and new #1 org, Synchronicity offers you a deal that find to be terrible, but it's their standard contract.

 

Unhappy, you sign him to a 5 fight deal with your own org instead, seeing the chance to really elevate your org. Frustrated at your rejection, Franky (Syn's owner) tells you off on the forums, turning nearly everyone against you because he runs the most popular org in the game and to many people, St. Petes sucks and Syn has the higher ranked opposition now with your former employer closing down. You manage to work out some deals with CFC to get some of their fighters to face you, including the #2 ranked HW (Sherdog had Arlovski at #2 prior to the fight) which you win.

 

After two fights, that org closes and The Syndicate nabs most of them. Synchronicity tells you they want your fighter and sends you a message detailing the offer which contains everything you wanted before. They want him right now, screw your plans, and other 3 fights. In the meantime, you tell him to keep the contract discussions private, not wanting to have your rep tarnished again and even further than before. As a manager, this is what you wanted, but as an org owner, you know it would cripple you. Your fighter is a major focal point of your org.

 

Believing Syn shouldn't be able to take advantage of the fact that you're both org owner and manager, you demand compensation for your org. Franky tells you he'll let you wear the clothing that you paid for with your org's logo and nothing more. He will compromise nothing else. You tell him you don't really like the deal, but you'll think about it. Irate, Franky trashes the hell out of you on the forums again, even spreading what you to believe are lies about the offer, but no one believes you from you already tarnished rep. Wanting to overthrow Synchronicity, Adam Knight (Syndicate's owner) who treats you well, offers you the same side-deal you had with CFC.

 

Do you join Synchronicity or take The Syndicate's side-deal?

[Guest]

I don't think living in a country of 140 million people gives you any incredible insight into someone. No offense and I do think it gives perspective, but I still say legacy means a lot to the guy. And as for a desire to increase the popularity of MMA in Russia, I think the fact that has only fought there once since 2001 makes that comment a little suspect.

I'm gonna have to take Fedor's own words concerning his legacy over yours.

 

A little suspect? http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/M-1-Fedor...5-Million-21214

 

I just don't get the Rogers hype. He beat ONE (AA) guy. The rest were tomato cans.

That one guy left the UFC instead of getting sacked. He had won his last 2 fights with the company then delivered the first KO loss to the guy UFC just crowned it's Ultimate Fighter winner for 3 in a row before losing to the guy that will have been #1 at HW for 7 years come this March.

 

Meanwhile, Carwin beat... Gonzaga: The guy got beat by the Fabricio Werdum who hardly anyone thinks is worthy to even face Fedor, KOed a washed up Cro Cop, then got beat by a Randy Couture that had a broken arm.

 

 

I would say the most top notch striker right now in HW is probably Velasquez, but who knows, really?

Arlovski, who was ranked #2 at the time he faced Fedor by Sherdog isn't legit, but the guy that guy rocked 2-3 times on his feet by Kongo is the best striker in the division... WTF?!

 

That being said, Cain's hands have served him well, so far.

On the ground, not standing.