We talk a lot at Bloody Elbow about whether Fedor is marketable or not. Sometimes readers object that they only care about the fights and don't want to hear about what goes on backstage and want to hear informed speculation about marketability even less. The reason we write about this aspect of MMA is this -- MMA is a fringe sport emerging into the mainstream and its success in the sports and entertainment marketplace determines the quality of athletes entering the sport, the quality of match-ups promoters present and even the larger cultural relevance (if any) of the sport.
With that introductory note out of the way, let's get to some breathless speculation about whether or not Fedor is going to be a marketable star in the States.
BE commenter MMALogic did a very capable job of describing how a fighter, even a seemingly non-charismatic fighter like Fedor can become a star:
When you look at fighters and experience who they are you have to look at them like a casting agent to see the potential. Since everyone has been brought up and raised by TV we look at people and categorize them if they were in a movie or show.
GSP is a Van Damme
Lyoto is a Ryu or the lead martial artist in the karate movies we used to see.
Anderson (Silva) comes off as an extra henchmen type or the bad guy the hero has to beat at the end of the movie.
Fedor looks like the fat guy behind the counter where the lead actor is buying a pretzel.The closer a fighter can get to being viewed as a "lead" character in a movie the more potential they have.
Without talking about acting skills and just looking at their character can you see them as a "lead" in a movie? Can they be a supporting character? or just an extra? Those are the most important questions in regards to potential (besides the physical abilities).
What trumps all of this though is what experience the fighter actually gives the viewer plus REPETITION. Any lack of star potential can be overcome with these 2 factors (quality of experience delivered and repetition of delivery)
The hard core fans have had many "experiences" with fedor. They go way back. To ask or to expect some new fan to view Fedor in the same or similar light just doesnt work.
And if the experience and repetition occurs in big fights (where endorphins of the viewer are most released) you multiply the effect of that "experience".
The thing is ANYONE can end up being a star... it's just a matter of how much quality of "experience" that needs to be delivered and the repetition (how many times it needs to be delivered)... this differs from fighter to fighter and what usually determines it is the potential (the answers to the questions I posed above regarding the "casting" of a fighter).
With that in mind, how did Fedor do at delivering that quality of "experience" Saturday night.
Kevin Iole tells the story how Fedor Emelianenko introduced himself to a mass American audience on Saturday:
The crowd was booing and not in a good mood as Shields and Miller exited the cage.
But as soon as Emelianenko's image appeared on the video boards, it was as if a switch was flipped and the crowd erupted in cheers. Emelianenko, staring straight ahead with a blank expression, walked to the cage and quietly awaited the bell.
...
..it's pretty clear that Emelianenko's next fight will be a much bigger deal. He's never been a big ticket seller before and his pay-per-view numbers were atrocious, but the crowd Saturday was clearly into it and the fight had to have been well-received by those who didn't walk away from their TVs after the dreadful Shields-Miller match.
...
One more fight like that on network television and Emelianenko will be able to carry a show by himself.
I have to agree whole-heartedly with Iole's assessment. I enjoyed the rare treat (for me) of getting to watch the fight with a room full of first time MMA watchers, a couple of skeptical boxing fans who've seen a few MMA fights and our host, one of my long-time MMA watching buds. It was very telling to gauge the reactions. The Shields-Miller fight was more an occasion for discussion of Mayhem's pre-fight antics and a lot of remarks about the sexual connotations of the guard and back-mount positions.
But as soon as Fedor-Rogers began everyone was into the fight. And once Rogers, whose Sam's Club background made a big impression on everyone, scored first and bloodied Fedor the excitement and tension in the room was palpable. When Fedor answered the challenge with his trademark looping bombs, the room was abuzz.
Everyone happily watched the fight a second and then a third time amidst much spirited discussion of whether or not it was an early stoppage, whether there was anything Rogers could have done differently to secure the win and most of all about this mysterious, odd-looking chubby Russian who had such an impassive but implacable aura and an amazing ability to fight.
I have no doubt that most of the first time MMA watchers that I saw the fight with will be back for more the next time they hear Fedor will be fighting.