Unfortunately being in Canada where most of us do not subscribe or access Showtime, watching the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum card meant being confined to a 15" inch monitor witnessing history in the making. If you haven't heard by now, or if you heard small grumbling's on the internet, the news is true... the Legendary Last Emperor Fedor Emelianenko arguably pound for pound king, greatest MMA fighter ever has been dethroned as top dog in the mma world's heavyweight class.
As a long-time Fedor fan, it was by far one of the biggest pills to swallow. It was one that definitely hurt the ego especially being a staunch defender of Fedor's legacy in the MMA scene.
Congratulations and hats off to Fabricio Werdum for pulling off what no one thought was possible, a legitimate win over the Last Emperor. It was done in such spectacular fashion with Fedor pounding away at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert, Werdum then pulls in Fedor's head and arm for a triangle armbar and submits the Russian Cyborg at 1:09 in the first round. Too bad... as I was looking forward to an Overeem vs. Fedor fight, but hey Werdum deserves it.
Given this win I would now rank the top 5 heavyweights in the following order:
1. Brock Lesnar
2. Shane Carwin
3. Alistair Overeem
4. Fabricio Werdum
5. Fedor Emelianenko
Analyzing the repercussions of the loss:I always saw this fight with Fabricio Werdum a lose-lose situation, Fedor heavily outranked Werdum. If Fedor won it wouldn't mean much, if he lost (which he did) it plays right into the arguments of those who question the fedor legacy and hope to destroy it ie. ... cough... cough Dana White as seen on Dana White's twitter ":D". I could only imagine the amount of smack talk against Fedor after this, which is totally unprofessional and uncalled for especially with someone who represents the sport so well. He's humble, they guy never looks like he's on speed or juice running all over the cage after winning a fight he just solemnly raises his fist of might in victory, he fights for his family, for his country and for God.
That's a role model and even in defeat he was gracious. Bringing Dana White back into the picture (love the guy though annoys me when he goes back on his words or downplays fighters or other organizations or the fact he always has to be on tv), I think this Fedor loss really reflects Strikeforce, M-1 and Fedor getting kicked three times in the balls by Dana, Zuffa and Co. whether directly or indirectly. Number one, Dana and the Fertitta's at Zuffa always, always counter program against all competitor events, and when done they usually win viewership war. If it's true what was allegedly said that UFC threatened to cut Tapout should they have gone through with sponsoring Fedor according Vadim Finkelstein (sources: www.bloodyelbow.com, www.mmanews.com) that's kick in the balls number two, cutting possible sponsorship income going to the Fedor's camp. Number three obviously the loss itself, which completely shifts the entire balance in favour of UFC's heavyweight stable of fighters and their HW division. Kick in the balls four as a bonus, Fabricio Werdum lost to heavyweight prospect Junior Dos Santos in his last match in the UFC and I know for sure the Dana camp will be all over this in upcoming interviews.
Next for Fedor:Personally I'm an optimist. I think in a way it's a good thing he lost, relieves all the pressure on maintaining his almost spotless record. I think we'll see a stronger Fedor, and keep in mind no matter who you are in MMA there's just too many variables in a match, so many ways to lose, so many ways to win. If they grant a rematch, Fedor would for sure win I believe 9 times out of 10. Next for Fedor on his last fight of his contract would be to face someone like Antonio Silva who lost to Werdum should they not grant a rematch and proceed with Werdum fighting Overeem.
Afterwards, Strikeforce could for sure try to renew Fedor's contract and if he defeats Silva have him face the winner of Werdum and Overeem. Other possibilities would be to have a long overdue fight with Josh Barnett over in Dream or Sengoku, though it would not have any significance on the world's heavyweight rankings.
However you never know. With Fedor losing, M-1 Global obviously loses some bargaining power not only in dealing with Strikeforce but even with the UFC. We could see Fedor if given on offer directly from the UFC possibly jumping ship, who knows. M-1 would not be able to ask for the same demands from the UFC second time around which may make his exodus to the UFC possible. A Brock vs. Fedor, Carwin vs. Fedor in my opinion is still relevant. At the end of the day, Fedor's loss to Fabricio Werdum was literally a one off loss (however hats off again to Werdum), anyone could get caught and it was not as if he was outclassed or dominated. Back to the drawing board for Fedor's camp, I just feel sorry for his next opponent.
By Richard Silang
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Kevin U
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