#5: Is Fedor still worth $30?

I think it's been four weeks since I last wrote in the blog, and I'm sorry to everyone that it has taken so long, but now I'm back with another something to say.

For anyone whose watched MMA for a little while now, you certainly know who Fedor Emelianenko is.  If not, you need to go back and watch Fedor's fights in PrideFC.  Fedor is best known for his ability to fight opponents at their own strengths and beating them, despite the weight differences.

What's also amazing about Fedor, was the fact that he was able to amass an amazing 32-1 record in MMA in the Heavyweight division being one of the smallest Heavyweights (around 215-220 lbs) and doing it all in stoic fashion.  It's no wonder that Emelianenko was considered the best Heavyweight on the planet and was also considered one of the sports pound-for-pound best fighters on the planet.

But this is either here, nor there.  Since his win over Brett Rogers in 2009, Emelianenko has gone 0-3 against opponents Fabricio Werdum, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, and now Dan Henderson.  The last fight being the one that apparently caused Dana White to announce that Emelianenko was being cut from the Strikeforce roster.

So what happened?  The man dominated the Heavyweight division for over eleven plus years and all of a sudden can't seem to find a win in the past two to three years.  Is Emelianenko "passed his prime" in the sport?  It eventually happens to everyone at some point but Emelianenko is only 35 years old.  Anderson Silva is almost 37 years old himself and seems to be unbeatable.

I believe the issue with Emelianenko isn't that he's passed his prime, it's a two-fold issue with Emelianenko fighting people who are more well-rounded in addition to his lack of game planning.  In a sport that has evolved so many times in the past five to six years alone, we are seeing a talented fighter struggling because of his inability to evolve with it.

Emelianenko's background is in a martial art known as Combat Sambo.  Sambo has roots that go back to Japanese Judo with traditional folk wrestling.  There are a few styles, but Combat Sambo is a form of Sambo used by the Russian military.  Because of his Sambo and Boxing background, Emelianenko was able to beat many of MMA's earliest Heavyweight fighters as most of them came from one style or another.  Emelianenko was one of the first Heavyweights to be more well-rounded than others.

Unfortunately, he hasn't continued this evolution.  He's relied on his Combat Sambo and boxing background too much and not stepped up his game in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or other fighting styles.  What we have now is BJJ black belts submitting him in sixty seconds, we have fighters that are forty pounds heavier than him that have both boxing and BJJ skills sitting on top of him and pounding him into the mat, and we even had a Light Heavyweight fighter with great wrestling and one punch knockout power take Emelianenko out with a punch.

So, is it Emelianenko to blame?  All things considered, I haven't seen much change in Emelianenko's talent, speed, or abilities.  It's hard to gauge Emelianenko's "hunger" or "drive" to win fights with the stoicism he constantly displays.  It's clear to me he wants to continue to win fights, but he isn't.  I believe the issue here is his training camp and his trainers.  As stated earlier, the issue I believe is two-fold and it starts with his trainers.

One, they never bring in anyone to help step Emelianenko's game up.  If it's one thing about this sport, it's that you have to constantly be training with people who are better than you in different aspects.  You may be a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but there's always another black belt who can catch you in a submission, and you need to constantly be rolling with people like this in order to keep your reflexes sharp and quick.  Twitch reflex is what I believe it's called, and it has to be constantly tested in order to keep it "inherent" in your body's muscles.  If your opponent grabs your leg to push it down to try and get the mount, you need to know exactly what to do and which way to move in order to stop it.

Two, his trainers are too complacent with Emelianenko's desires.  They don't seem to be pushing Emelianenko or driving him to be a better fighter.  They don't sit down and watch tapes of his opponents to decide what's the best way to attack them.  They simply train as they always have and then throw Emelianenko to the wolves and say, "Go get 'em tiger".  Then hope for the best.

Emelianenko remains stoic, however, he thanks God with every fight and says that if it's God's will that he wins again, he will win again.  Sorry, but if it's one thing I've learned with my 34 years on this planet, it's that you can't wait for someone to decide what to do for you, even if it's God.

So what's next for Emelianenko now?  Jeff Monson.  Yep, the "Snowman" himself.  What's even worse about this, is that Emelianenko won't even be fighting for Strikeforce on Showtime.  Instead, we're told that M-1 Global is going to make Emelianenko/Monson a thirty dollar Pay-Per-View event.  Jeff Monson is a good fighter with an very good record of his own, but Monson is also over 40 years old and in the twilight of his MMA career.

Would you pay thirty dollars to see a 40 year old man take on a Heavyweight legend that's lost every single fight in the last three years?  No.  We're waiting for Emelianenko to take on and win against fighters that are relevant to today.  No offense to Monson, but he's simply not relevant in the sport today and people aren't excited to pay their hard earned cash to see Emelianenko fight him.  This is simply one more faux pas in the M-1 Global chain of horribly bad decisions, but that's another rant, for another time on this blog.

Fedor, there are millions of fans like myself that simply want to see you back to your winning ways.  They want to see you fight relevant fighters in the UFC HW division like Lesnar, Velasquez, dos Santos, and even Overeem.  Maybe it's time you stopped worrying about what God is going to grant you, and start worrying about how you can win fights on your own.

MMA fans won't be buying the PPV in droves.  The only fight worth watching is the main event, and it's simply not worth $30.  Emelianenko simply needs to start winning, he needs to start training with fighters and trainers who specialize in martial arts that are winning fights today.  He needs to push himself, he needs to evolve, and he needs to surround himself with trainers and fighters that are willing to push him harder.  Until that time, Emelianenko may remain irrelevant to the Heavyweight division, and with little time left considering his age.

--Andy