Fedor's Legacy: History is Written by The Victors
by pud333 on Feb 17, 2011 2:14 PM EST
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Yes, yet another fanpost about Fedor. Please bear with me. There has been a lot of talk lately about Fedor's legacy, and what it means. I'm going to keep this short and sweet. This is my take on Fedor's legacy and whether it will even last:
History is written by the victors. re: UFC.
This is Fedor's big problem. As of right now, most of the MMA dialogue is being written by Zuffa. If you're on bad terms with the UFC, your legacy is erased. At least that's what seems to be going on to past UFC castouts. Hardcores and sites like Bloody Elbow will always remember guys like Fedor, but most casual fans probably won't. So when you have a guy like Fedor who actually chose not to fight in the UFC, it should not come as a surprise when most new fans don't know or care about Fedor and what he has accomplished. Guys like Jonathan Snowden can write as many MMA history books as they want. As great as they are, in the end, in this day and age of the internet and new media, when you see so many news outlets already "co-opted" by Zuffa, I don't have much hope for someone like Fedor to retain his legacy. Once Fedor finally retires, in a year or two, you won't hear anyone but hardcores talking about Fedor. At least not like how they talk about Royce Gracie.
Is Fedor the greatest of all time? Is he even the greatest heavyweight to ever live? Not if the UFC has its way. If the UFC becomes the be-all, end-all of MMA like they are planning to, expect to see plenty of other fighters erased from the mainstream historical record. So much of this is not actually about what Fedor accomplished, but what the perception of him is. And the one thing the UFC does well, is control perception.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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We’ve seen this already with Frank Shamrock and Tito to an extent as well. It’s going to get worse. That’s why it’s so important for fans and media to rise above it and keep things in perspective.
by Jonathan Snowden on Feb 17, 2011 2:52 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
In Soviet Russia, history writes you
In Russia I am sure they will continue to remember Fedor as undefeated and will blame poisons of the mind, body and soul for his failures abroad
by Hashmo on Feb 17, 2011 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That’s why it’s so important for fans and media to rise above it and keep things in perspective.
Exactly. For me, it’s a constant education and re-education process when it comes to the people around me. Sometimes I feel like an old man screaming at those damned teenagers. “Get off my lawn!” “When I was your age…” and so on and so forth.
And the one thing the UFC does well, is control perception
Actually no, the one thing they do really well is make a shitload of money. Just sayin’
They do both very well.
I can’t count how many times I’ve come across people who think MMA is UFC. That’s the UFC’s doing. That’s their branding. A coworker told me he’d been training “UFC” for the past two years. Turns out he meant Jiu-Jitsu. I realize he’s an idiot, but that’s the power of the UFC. It’s quite amazing actually.
There are pleanty of people
still today who have been able to see first hand and decide for themselves on such things. Years and years down the line though it might be more difficult for those who did not see to read between the lines.
www.ninjasplace.com
So
who do we blame for any tarnish on Fedor’s legacy? Do we blame M1 for not getting him to the UFC, where you apparently must fight to be successful? Do we blame Zuffa for dismissing him and possibly burning any evidence he actually was great (the Pride footage)? Do we blame the fans for holding him to an impossibly high standard? To the point of turning other fans against Fedor, just so they can be on the opposite side of those ridiculous fanatics? How about Affliction? Maybe Strikeforce? Osama Bin Laden? Barrack Hussein Obama?
Or do we realize that he was an amazing fighter whose best days may be behind him and that the sport, to an extent, has passed by him and his sledgehammer?
I’m so confused. maybe I should just judge him by my personal standards and give thanks that I was lucky enough to get to watch him and appreciate the amazing things he did.
by BJJDenver on Feb 17, 2011 4:37 PM EST reply actions 5 recs
I’m so confused. maybe I should just judge him by my personal standards and give thanks that I was lucky enough to get to watch him and appreciate the amazing things he did.
This is the only thing you have control over, so there’s no point in sweating the other BS you don’t have control over. Nice comment.
Good Point pud333
The ufc also seems to want to erase the history of the pre Zuffa company. Can’t remember the last time that Dan Seven, Don Frye or Big John McCarthy got mentioned by the ufc. I am surprised you can still watch Fedors Pride fights on Youtube as I believe Zuffa owns the rights. It seems that if you don’t play ball with Zuffa the best you can hope for is a footnote. I am surprised you can still watch Fedors Pride fights on Youtube as I believe Zuffa owns the rights. If those get pulled it will pretty much just be us old guys telling “once upon a time” stories.
"This fight will be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I've been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious." Randall "Tex" Cobb
by Craven Moorehead on Feb 17, 2011 6:36 PM EST reply actions
Perhaps one day in the future
UFC fans (MMA being a forgotten acronym) will whisper of a forgotten legend, the man who defied the now immortal and part-cyborg DANAWHITE… and the story would be even sweeter if he would have stood strong after doing so. But, such is the power of cyborg White and his ability to poison one’s mental energy.
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