How Long Will Fedor Fight?
by Michael Rome on Jan 23, 2009 10:27 PM EST
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Fedor Emelianenko, the greatest mixed martial artist to ever live, is set to fight tomorrow night once again. I've had a good time today just going back and rewatching a number of his old fights just to see what makes him so great. I fully expect him to win tomorrow night in dominant fashion, and after that a fight with Josh Barnett appears to be on the horizon. But after that, is there anything left for Fedor?
Obviously he could go to the UFC to fight Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, Cain Velasquez, and all of their heavyweights. At this point though, you have to wonder what the motivation for him really would be. So far he has turned down larger money to keep his independence, and outside of making himself into a superstar, it's hard to see what the incentive would be for him to join the UFC. It's not like he needs to beat Brock Lesnar to prove he is the greatest heavyweight ever.
I've said before and still believe Affliction will not last the year. At that point, the question becomes what happens to the talent. Most will need to continue fighting for a living, but that is not the case for Fedor. He has the money and name to do things his way.
I am not among those that thinks the UFC's dominance is bad for MMA, but it's hard to deny that Fedor's obscurity is a tragic consequence of that dominance. One of the best heavyweight fights in MMA history is happening in just a few hours, and most fans of the sport will never see it. People within the industry give me the impression that Affliction believes that the UFC 91 and 92 numbers provide a new opening to get a capital infusion to continue operations. All MMA fans should hope it is the case, because if Fedor is unwilling to fight in the UFC, Affliction is probably the only promotion that will bring us fights like this one.
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That’s the great thing about Fedor though. His style isn’t what I would compare to the “Marion Barber of the NFL”. The metaphor would pertain to the fact that Barber is an unbelievable athlete, but he’s so smashmouth, in your face, that his career will be shortened.
Fedor, on the other hand, isn’t that type of fighter. He looks to finish quickly if he can. We don’t hear statements from him that suggest, “Hey, I never go three rounds, I’m gonna go three rounds this time” ala Anderson Silva.
I think Fedor could be one of those guys who hangs around and is still great in a few years for the mere fact he has perfected the transition game. His speed in the transition game is unmatched.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
he doesn't want to be Archie Moore
90% of the people who watch that sport don’t know that guy either, so if he wants people to remember him (beyond the net crowd) then he has no choice but to go to UFC
Believe it or not, there's the world outside America
You mean 90% of Americans don’t know who Fedor is? Fedor has millions of fans from all around the globe (Asia, Europe, etc.), but from your post it seems you think that America is the whole world.
by M.Filipovic on Jan 24, 2009 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
America isn't the whole world...
….in MMA. UFC is the whole world. Plain and Simple.
Like Warren Moon’s yards from the CFL…no one really gives a shit. It sucks but it’s the truth.
Two Things
1. The Fedor Farewell Tour (which I no have no reason to FanPost, thank you very much) is reaching its final stops, with AA, Barnett, Overeem (if still not in the UFC), Kharitonov (if he can be found) and maybe Bigfoot Silva. And that’s about it. It would be a fine way to end your career were it not for…
2. Brock Lesnar. I vehemently disagree with your contention that Fedor does not ‘need’ to beat Brock. Few will question Fedor’s greatness, but leaving the sport in your mid 30’s when a guy two years younger than you is the Undisputed UFC Champ will always leave a great unanswered question – who would’ve won? The fault will lay with Fedor, for turning down the most lucrative MMA contracts ever offered while Brock is unable to fight anywhere else.
How can one say Brock v Fedor isn’t important when Randy v Fedor was the be-all end-all of the universe when it looked possible? Brock dispatched of Randy in a fairly succinct manner, and Randy was supposed to be the only HW on Earth that would derail Fedor. Now you’ve got a physical specimen, also All-American, also a great wrestler, who just started doing this LESS THAN TWO YEARS AGO and beat the guy who was said to be humanity’s last hope against the Russian cyborg – and HE doesn’t need to be taken into account when discussing the world’s best Heavyweight? I beg to differ.
by Derek Suboticki on Jan 23, 2009 10:27 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
i agree when it comes to brock. if fedor does steamrol through a.a, barnett and an overeem or sergei. k he could easily retire as the greatest hw of all -time, but if brock dispatches of frank mir and the winner of gonzaga/carwin then the winner of nog/kongo, all in less than his 1rst 10 fights,then brock will have a legitimate argument and there will be alot of people clamoring for fedor/brock and with good reason.
no.
if mir beats lesnar for a second time, the that takes brock out of the equation. but do you think if fedor would have retired after pride folded, his legacy would have been cemented?
Well, originally yes, but the disasters for Mirko, Nogueira, Shogun, and Wanderlei in America would have led to people raising all sorts of questions.
by Michael Rome on Jan 23, 2009 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
I knew you’d troll that as soon as I put Nogueira down, so I’m not going to engage. He beat Sylvia, but he never looked like he did in the past. Neither did Shogun or others. The point is, when Mirko and Shogun flopped so bad, and Nog looked slow, people started raising questions, legitimate or not.
by Michael Rome on Jan 23, 2009 11:06 PM EST up reply actions
I agree – Nog’s a helluva fighter. That’s what makes Mir finishing him – which Fedor couldn’t do in three tries (one a NC) – all the more impressive. And yes, with all the questions about Japanese MMA, I’m always going to wonder what Fedor would’ve done in the UFC.
by Derek Suboticki on Jan 23, 2009 11:37 PM EST up reply actions
exactly. the title of “greatest of all time” has not yet been determined imo. fedor is definetly in the lead, but his last few years of competiton have not been impressive. (until tim). i look at it this way, what fighter is often referred to as the “greastest of all time”. Muhammed Ali. he was undefeated and like like 24-0? and was considered unbeatable, and quite frankly he was, until the vietnam incidedent. if he had chose to stay retired and not come back his whole career would have been what if and what might have been. instead he HAD to come back and beat the likes of frazier,norton,foreman and ernie shavers before he was considered the “greatest”. i think fedor has to finish it out.
The disasters you just spoke of have everything to do with why Fedor will not go compete in the UFC. (where he was offered crazy money to back up what has been said about him) He has everything to lose.
by Wookalarman on Jan 23, 2009 11:40 PM EST up reply actions
Yes. The man went undefeated for six years and beat the majority of the top heavyweights during that time period. I would say that’s a pretty well cemented legacy.
I’ll give him credit for beating the top heavyweights in that era. However, looking at his greatest wins in CroCop and Nogueira, and with the former #1 ranked Shogun flopping so badly in the UFC, I think we need to put an asterisk next to greatest of all time.
How good were the competition? Is it a coincidence that both CroCop and Nogueira flopped so spectacularly in the UFC? I want him to prove that he’s the best in the world. But he won’t prove it by having a legacy of destroying cans and the inability to finish the two top heavyweights, ones who just happened to be finished in the UFC. I’m not saying he’s not the greatest; I’m just demanding proof of it.
I’d say that depends on how Mir looks in his defences. If he pulverizes every last comer for 2 years, I think people would start talking. Same goes for Brock, I might add. I don’t feel he’s done enough yet to plausibly call out Fedor.
by ununkvadrium on Jan 24, 2009 11:07 AM EST up reply actions
Fedor is the one who has expressed interest in fighting Brock actually, though not calling him out. Brock’s comments on Fedor essentially break down into “I don’t care about anyone except who I am scheduled to fight. Oh and Mir, I want to avenge that loss.”
Oh, I wasn’t implying that he had. I’m just saying…
by ununkvadrium on Jan 24, 2009 5:31 PM EST up reply actions
Because this is just MMA Math you’re doing. Similarly, Fedor doesn’t need to beat Chuck to be the best.
Randy is an interesting fighter. Nobody would claim he is the greatest of all time, but when he is “on” and the stylistic matchup isn’t a nightmare, he can beat anyone on a given night. He has to fight the perfect fight to do it, but he’s done it before. The thought was: Fedor’s takedowns come out of the clinch, an area where he will not be on Randy’s level. If Randy can bully him against the fence a la Gonzaga and wear him down over a number of rounds, it might be the stylistic match to beat Fedor. Brock, on the other hand…well, I see him being submitted rather quickly or overwhelmed on his feet.
The appeal of Randy/Fedor is Randy’s ability to win fights he would lose 7 or 8/10 times. On that one night, if the right guy shows up, he can pull off the impossible. The inherent appeal of him v. Fedor is obvious. With Brock, not so much. Fedor’s legacy is set, he does not need to beat Brock.
by Michael Rome on Jan 23, 2009 10:49 PM EST up reply actions
I, for one, will always wonder what Brock could’ve done if a)Fedor retires after the fights I mentioned and b) Brock keeps on winning. And there will only be one guy to blame if the fight doesn’t then happen, and it’s not Dana, nor Brock, nor even Vadim. It’s Fedor.
You really don’t even give Brock a chance? I do after the Randy fight – after he neutralized everything you mentioned with superior strength, size, great wrestling and powerful, long-ranged hands. I think Brock could win that fight. Fedor’s legacy remains awesome: but it’s missing the UFC title, imo the most coveted belt in the sport.
by Derek Suboticki on Jan 23, 2009 11:20 PM EST up reply actions
Actually, I’ve always thought that Fedor’s biggest weakness was a good top position grappler. His guard isn’t stupendous and he keeps it fairly loose. It’s hard to exploit due to his speed and excellent hips, but look at how far Arona took him. Arona is one of the few to really put up much of a fight without getting a lucky punch in, a la Fujita. Brock is the perfect opponent to test if Fedor can overcome all comers. I don’t think that Brock would be able to do it right now, he’s too green. But with a year or two of work, on top of his natural physical gifts, I would bet on Brock.
by Rundownloser on Jan 24, 2009 1:27 AM EST up reply actions
Something being floated as a potential...
fight in the future between two active fighters isn’t exactly “revisionist”
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 23, 2009 10:57 PM EST up reply actions
haha...
i like you man. I’m just saying it’s not revisionist ;). it isn’t historically necessary…I agree with you there. Even if Lesnar were to somehow beat Fedor it wouldn’t erase Fedor’s place as the greatest heavyweight of all time without a full career (ala Fedor) to back it up.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jan 23, 2009 11:29 PM EST up reply actions
You assume Brock can continue to win. High praise for a guy who hasn’t beat a submission artists and hasn’t faced a striker.
You give Brock and his learning curve way too much credit. Were you the biggest Vitor Belfort fan in 2000?
Personally I would have thought Randy’s chances at beating Fedor are much slimmer than AA’s at any point in his career. Randy doesn’t have the tools to beat Fedor.
As for the post above:
1. I think if Fedor beats Arlovski and Barnett then there will definitely be a dearth of worthy challenges. Even though Overeem has done well this year I don’t know if he should fight Fedor. I wouldn’t mind watchign that fight but it would have much less significance then the AA fight. I have absolutely no interest in watching Fedor fight Kharatinov.
2. Brock Lesnar – would be an amazing fight. If Brock beats Mir and then a few challengers then it could well become the most anticipated fight of all time. But Fedor could still retire as (at this point in time) the greatest HW of all time. Maybe if Brock kept fighting and winning for the next 10 years then he would perhaps displace Fedor as the top HW of all time but only history can judge that.
3. these things DON’T MATTER TO FEDOR. He’s not concerned about his legacy, or money or any of the usual trappings of superstardom. He’s content to just go back to his little mining town and his steambath and chill with his mates.
4. Agree with Rome, unless he loses to AA tomorrow Fedor’s legacy is pretty set.
Your third point is interesting. Fedor may well not be concerned with his legacy or increasing his stardom, but I would contend that he’s a fierce competitor. Is it unreasonable to think that he may want to challenge himself in the world’s top MMA organization before he hangs it up? I don’t know the answer.
It’s not just Lesnar. The UFC may not have many of the big name heavyweights, but it does contain a lot of young talent.
by Cannon Jacques on Jan 23, 2009 10:58 PM EST up reply actions
I think its been said before
Fedor fights for a living. He actually believes that. Plus he likes fighting.
I think he would be interested in fighting Lesnar if it were on his terms. The guy is too principled to not do anything that he doesn’t particularly like.
Basically – Fedor will never budge because the other things that usually attract people (i.e. huge amounts of cash ans superstardom) aren’t attractive to him. He fights because he can make money and because he likes it. But he doens’t need loads of dosh.
So if he doesn’t want to fight on the UFC’s terms he won’t. Regardless of legacy.
How come Fedor has to face UFC’s young talent to prove a point. Randy has no plans for fighting any of those guys. It’s going to be awhile before Lesnar and Mir face any those guys. Nogueria isn’t even scheduled to face those guys.
He doesn’t have to prove anything. I’m pretty sure I never said that. I’m just floating the idea that Fedor may want to continue challenging himself should he decisively beat Arlovski and Barnett down the road. I don’t know his state of mind, so I have know idea whether he would be interested in fighting for many more years.
by Cannon Jacques on Jan 24, 2009 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
This:
“3. these things DON’T MATTER TO FEDOR. He’s not concerned about his legacy, or money or any of the usual trappings of superstardom. He’s content to just go back to his little mining town and his steambath and chill with his mates.”
This is the main reason why Fedor is probably as great as he is, and exactly why all of this talk would have no impact on his decision about when to retire.
and you know these things dont matter to Fedor how? if thats true, why come to america to fight, why have a huge marketing team make video blogs, documentaries on FSN, why the clothing with his likeness on it, why do commercials, i think your buying into the marketing hype.
As another note, the appeal of Couture vs. Fedor was never stylistic. I don’t know anyone that, looking at the reality of these two fighters, really believed Couture was better and would win.
The appeal of it was the appeal of all Couture fights. That he beat Liddell, Ortiz, Sylvia, and Gonzaga when he wasn’t supposed to. That he’s this old dude and american hero vs. russian killer. It’s kind of a classic story that is going to grab anyone, to see if the underdog can do it. From a sports perspective, Randy should lose it 9/10 times, or maybe 99/100 times. BUt the appeal of Randy Couture is to see if that 1 time happens when they fight. Who’d have thought Mir would beat Nogueira? If things like that happen, is there a reason to deny the world Randy v. Fedor if it becomes possible?
I still want that fight.
I think Brock-Fedor would be a good deal more competitive. Maybe not last year, but today and every day after it – Brock’s a greater threat to win. He might win 25/100.
by Derek Suboticki on Jan 23, 2009 11:22 PM EST up reply actions
Again your Brock curve is off the map. For a fighter to be great he has to mentally tough in order to push himself that far. You do realize Brock had trouble coping with the stresses of the WWE?
So I assume what we saw in November was mediocrity taking the UFC HW belt?
by Michaelthebox on Jan 24, 2009 7:06 AM EST up reply actions
I had doubts like that – then he beat Randy Couture.
by Derek Suboticki on Jan 24, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions
Fedor will retire at the end of 2009.
He fights for his family and for them, how much money does a man with simple goals need?
He has 2 daughters, he is a young man still, he is making over a million a fight.
His legacy is secured, he has nothing left to prove, and nobody is going to go to his village to bother him, throughout the fame he has kept his friends and his family and provided for them both.
With all the positives he has going on it is just the primitive nature of competition I’d imagine that keeps him going, and with a young child at home, I cannot imagine he enjoys the long trips away from his family.
As a person who appreciates simplicity I understand where he is coming from, but from a fans perspective, I hope he never retires, I just fail to see what more he can accomplish from his point of view.
Joining the UFC would be great for the fans, but he has done the things he wants to do, took care of his family and has had a great career.
That is why I think Fedor will retire at the end of the year.
Fedor doesn’t need to fight in the UFC he is already a legend in this sport. I don’t know for america, but in france FEDOR is more known than any fighter from the UFC (with maybe the exception of royce gracie). There is this question, “who is the strongest”, and the answer has remained unchanged for a long time now (even though things could change tomorrow).
Not KONGO
Only hardcore fans knows about kongo here. MMA was banned till last year, most people are really casual about MMA. With the exception of cage rage I hardly see any event on TV (we got K-1 though thanks to LEBANNER, ABIDI,etc..). Fedor is always the first name to pop up in discussion (with maybe the exception of kimbo slice…the youtube sensation, but as a brawler, not a fighter).
is it just me?
or does anyone else think that fedor’s biggest fans want him to retire asap, in fear of that dreaded 1rst loss. i dont think fedor fears any man, but why wouldn’t his fans want to see him fight for another 3-4 years , 7-8 more times while still in his prime against other top 10 fighters. they seemed to be happier when he was fighting less against lessser competiton.
Well, I don’t want him to retire, I think it’s unfortunate if it happens before we see him fight the next generation of huge heavyweights, Randy Couture, and maybe even some high end LHW that are about his size.
by Michael Rome on Jan 23, 2009 11:41 PM EST up reply actions
I'm a huge Fedor fan
Cus he’s such a badass – and I want to see him fight every great fighter that’s out there. To be fair – the only person right now I see having a chance against Fedor would be Brock Lesnar (AA aside).
Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin etc….lol at that.
I’m sorry but I have to laugh everytime someone tries to tell me that Fedor a guy who took off almost 4 years from fighting top competition is the greatest HW ever. Keep drinking the kool-aid but for your sakes I really hope that Fedor wins because i’d hate to wonder what some of you would do if he got KTFO. I’ll say it till i’m blue in the face but Fedor is irrelevant to most MMA fans, they don’t know who he is and considering his counterparts performances in the UFC becomes more myth that fact everyday.
wut?
“I’ll say it till i’m blue in the face but Fedor is irrelevant to most MMA fans, they don’t know who he is and considering his counterparts performances in the UFC becomes more myth that fact everyday.”
You must be some of those guy coming at the gym saying “I want to train UFC”, cause mma fans knows fedor and he is really relevant to them.
That is total bullshit
The 4 years before the Tim fight he fought Coleman twice (once when he was certainly top ten, the other when he was certainly top 20), Nog when he was number 2, crocop when he was number 2, Hunt when he was top 10, then he took 2 crap fights when he was in limbo and there was no organisation to fight with other then the UFC. Also, he would have competed in the OW GP in 2006 if he had not broken his hand also.
Once again total bullshit
But maybe this discussion becomes irrelevant after tomorrows fight..
everyone is sleeping on arlovski and its been all fedor fedor fedor.. I just hope fedor isnt taking AA lightly.. This could be AA’s chance for greatness and if he stays away from the clinch he has a pretty good chance..
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
actually it isnt tomorrow... its in a few hours for you guys, and tomorrow morning for me haha.
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 24, 2009 2:07 AM EST up reply actions
I dont believe Fedor has proven that he is the greatest MMA fighter ever…
He may very well be but he hasn’t proven it.
He has a very strong case for being the best heavyweight and the best heavyweight of all time as of now.
Here is a very good breakdown and statistics on Fedor and other MMA fighters which is VERY telling (this was done by an underground member which I am ripping off):
Fedor has beaten 7 top 10 opponents:
Tim Sylvia
Cro-Cop
Nog
Randleman
Coleman
Nog
Herring
GSP has beaten 8 top 10 opponents:
Fitch
Serra
Hughes
Koscheck
Hughes
Penn
Sherk
Parisyan
Anderson has beaten 7 top 10 opponents:
Cote
Hendo
Franklin
Marquardt
Franklin
Leben
Newton
Randy has beaten 8 top 10 opponents:
Gonzaga
Sylvia
Ortiz
Liddell
Rizzo
Randleman
Mo Smith
Belfort
*****************************
Pay very close attention to this.
Just a cursory look shows Fedor has not beaten the best fighters – in fact every one of his opponents are one dimensional fighters.
The only thing is Fedor has no losses – but you can make a counter argument that he hasn’t fought good competition consistently.
I think from this you can pretty much objectively conclude that Anderson or GSP is the Best P4P fighter today… and arguably a better legacy so far than Fedor.
Mark Hunt was top 10, due to the win over crocop
Schilt could well have been top ten when they fought (14-1, in the 15 fights preceding that bout)
Babalu could have been considered top ten (was 15-2 when they fought and had reached a RINGS final 2 years previous).
Coleman had only lost to Fedor and Crocop when before he faught Fedor the second time, I’m not sure those losses would have been enough to push him out of the top ten considering he would have been top 5 when they fought the first time.
So I would say he was has at least 8, and probably 9 top ten victories, maybe even 10 or 11 if you want to be generous.
That, a win over a handful of top 20 opponents, the HW PRIDE belt, an open weight PRIDE GP, a RINGS GP and that fact he is undefeated puts him at the top of every one.
I disagree with your contention that he has not fought top competition.
In my view the only people who have been as consistent and dominant as Fedor are Vovchanchyn and Matt Hughes, both didn’t retire in time and have slipped behind him due to the losses they have taken.
i really dont agree with mmalogic,
but babalu is a LHW.. and could be considered top 10 and top 10 is different.. Coleman is old..
but mmalogics argument is weak. Fedor faced top competition, but the only knock on him is WHEN he fought those top opponents. There’s to many irrelevant fights in between. And if legacy in concerned, IMO GSP isnt there yet, but he may very well be on his way (maybe IF he beats bj and alves, a loss there will derail the whole gsp legacy arguement).. hughes, chuck in their prime, sure, and maybe silva (since i dont think theres anyone at MW that can beat him now)..
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Jan 24, 2009 9:52 AM EST up reply actions
Babalu was fighting at HW in RINGS
Randy Couture was older and made top ten lists comfortably
True, could be considered top ten and is top ten are different, but one out of the 3 fighters on the cusp of the top 10 could easily have been top ten, and really is there a massive difference between one persons subjective view of a fighter as number 11 and another persons view that they are number 10.
since when are kickboxers top 10 in MMA?
That’s my point… the majority of his wins are against one dimensional fighters.
Its not entirely his fault because the HW division has been lagging in development.
since when are kickboxers top 10 in MMA?
Right now, you ought to have one, if not two.
by D.Capitated on Jan 24, 2009 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
Mark Hunt was top 10, due to the win over crocop
Mark Hunt was way overvalued there. He beat Wanderlei and Cro Cop, though the weight difference alone calls those victories into question. All his other wins came against nobodies, and he got blown out of the water by everybody else (aside from Fedor, who he almost got in a kimura interestingly enough). Hunt is essentially a heavyweight Houston Alexander or Sokoudjou: overvalued due to a couple of performances that are statistical outliers (though in this case for different reasons).
I don’t disagree with your point in principle nidge, but Hunt should be kept out of the discussion.
by Rundownloser on Jan 24, 2009 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
Actually, Hunt put together the best performance against Fedor I’ve seen. He held top position for longer and came closer to finishing him then I’ve seen anyone this side of Fujita do.
by Derek Suboticki on Jan 24, 2009 3:24 PM EST up reply actions
Yep, and I think that’s more a knock against Fedor than an endorsement of Hunt. It’s another reason why I think that a good top-position grappler would be Fedor’s biggest test: Hunt is a good kickboxer with a rock solid chin (even with the Manhoef knockout), but he is hardly known for his ground game. Think about what a good top-position guy would do in that situation. Fedor was stuck in Hunt’s side control and Hunt was able to go to mount by just stepping over. No knee sneak or anything very technically masterful. If an Arona or Brock Lesnar (in a year or two) found themselves in that position, that fight would be over.
Hunt’s size advantage is a mitigating factor; however, it does not absolve Fedor of the position he was in or his inability to deal with somebody effectively on top with the same sort of dominance that he does in every other position.
And I was wrong in my original post – it was an americana, not a kimura.
by Rundownloser on Jan 24, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
Gonzaga no. He hasn’t fought that many top ten guys to prove his dominance, but he has a quality well-rounded skillset.
Cote is not and has never been top 10.
by Michaelthebox on Jan 24, 2009 4:57 PM EST up reply actions
But top 10 has nothing to do with skillset, it has to do with wins and losses. Guys get overvalued by getting a big win and jumping into the top ten, like both Hunt and Gonzaga did against Mirko.
In this discussion of “value”, people are talking about fighter quality in relation to ranking.
Hunt was overvalued due to his wins because his wins were unique to his skillset: pure standup and very difficult to KO. As such, his skillset enabled him to beat Wanderlei and CroCop, and obtain a top-10 ranking, even though his skillset was not top-10 caliber.
Gonzaga, on the other hand, was simply a superior fighter in his fight with CroCop. His top-10 ranking is better indicative of his skillset than Hunt’s ranking was.
by Michaelthebox on Jan 24, 2009 5:17 PM EST up reply actions
Coleman had lost to Maurice Smith and Pete Williams in the UFC but came back to win the first PRIDE OWGP in 2000. He was probably top 5 the first time Fedor beat him.
by Nate Wilcox on Jan 24, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions
Fedor isnt retiring…
Finky needs a pair of shoes and that’s his only meal ticket.
He’s gonna ride that shit like Don King Rode Ali to the neurosurgeon.
You think Fedor will end up in the UFC? I can’t imagine there are too many meal tickets remaining for Fedor outside the UFC.
by Michaelthebox on Jan 24, 2009 4:24 PM EST up reply actions
I’m unconvinced that Dream and Sengoku will ever be able able to cover Fedor’s pay more than once a year, if even that.
by Michaelthebox on Jan 24, 2009 5:54 PM EST up reply actions
Here’s afflictions next moves:
Atencio said they will not be having an event for another 6 months…
This is code for:
We need time to hopefully exercise an exit strategy.
What they will try to do is either a public offering in the hopes of trying to raise the capital that the IFL and Elite XC did or sell Affliction entertainment to recoup their monies.
Now the way they see it’s 2 orgs who raised 40m plus with a few insider names on the board and a business plan.
They think because they have the Golden boy and trump names attached and 2 shows they will be able to do the same thing or close.
Unfortunately that game has dried up… and private investors aren’t looking to speculate on vanity businesses.
Affliction is going to try and recoup their investment and hand over their liabilities so they don’t have to file bankruptcy
Be on the look out for more press conferences :)
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