Fedor Emelianenko Plans to Continue Fighting for Strikeforce
Days after his second-straight loss left him considering retirement, Fedor Emelianenko said he plans to continue his fighting career in Strikeforce, who expect to have him face the loser of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum.
“I rushed to declare my retirement. I will fight more,” Emelianenko told reporters after returning to his native Russia. “Possibly, I will return to the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix. I haven’t analyzed why I lost. I need to recover first.”
After a second-round TKO to Antonio Silva on Saturday eliminated Emelianenko from Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix, CEO Scott Coker said a return to the tournament was possible, but told MMA Fighting on Monday that Fedor will likely face the loser of April’s quarterfinal between Overeem and Werdum in his expected return.
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I wonder if this is Fedor or M1-Global talking…
We’ll never know if he personally rushed into retirement talk or if M-1 talked him out of it, but Fedor himself provided the quotes to the media and was shown smiling in the airport if that means anything.
My first thought exactly…
apparently alot of people wonder the same, is this fedor or m-1 talking. i love watching him fight, but i would like to seehim retire… even if its just to get away from m-1. then regroup and see what you feel like doing. i would also have to assume strike force wants him to fight. after all, anyone not watching him to win is watching him to loose, thats a money maker
Um, here let me analyze it for you.
You got taken down just seconds into the 2nd round, where you were controlled, dominated, mounted and pummeled for 5 minutes straight. You gave up your back on occasions nearly getting choked out only to roll back into your opponents mount to get your eye smashed and sealed shut forcing them to stop the fight by doctor stoppage after the 2nd round beating was over.
Why did this happen? Probably because your MMA skill set has not improved with the sport over the past 10 years. Also, you are just too small for your weight-class and these 280lb behemoths are simply too big. But it could also be the fact you only fight once a year and that your past few opponents prior to Werdum were all fairly weak opponents. (Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers). You really haven’t fought anyone with talent or a chin in YEARS…. and on top of all of it, I am sure M1 Global has something to do with it too, just because I can’t stand them and think they suck.
That’s my analysis of your past performance and why your career is rapidly declining just like to many once famous and dominant PRIDE stars.
Yeah, I agree. Look at Shogun, he’s doing terrible.
@lex415
Shogun will look just awful in his next fight, trust me…
;-)
@Jcohl Why do you have to take it there?!
He’s really not exactly doing fantastic though. Is he the LHW champ? yes. But he lost to Forrest, beat an overly hyped Mark Coleman and then Chuck (who also had seen better days). He lost a close call to Machida then came back to KO him. So over all he is 3-2 in the UFC which isn’t spectacular. If he wasn’t Shogun he would not have been fighting for a title that soon. If he is able to handle Jon Jones then we can discuss his dominance but I think it’s FAR to soon.
That said I agree that Fedor is too small for HW division, but I don’t really think his skills aren’t up to par. Yes he keeps his hands VERY low, but he’s extremely quick with them so he is able to react fairly fast. His ground skills we know are generally fantastic, but Silva was just way too big and well versed to do anything with. I think Fedor could very well make 205 and if he did we could possibly see an extremely dominant Fedor back in action. That being said his physic doesn’t look like he has any desire to lose any weight anytime soon, and a lot of heavyweights who could make 205 seem to prefer not making that move for whatever reason, so I’m sure we’ll see Fedor face a few more up and comers before finally retiring.
Shogun is one of the few exceptions and he is young.
Crocop, Wanderlei, and Herring would be 3 prime examples of fighters well known in Japan who’s fight game was never the same or close to as dominant as they once were in PRIDE when they came over.
Rampage and Shogun are two of the few that made the transition successfully and even then it took Shogun a big loss at his debut and a long recovery from surgery before he emerged at the top of his game.
Had Fedor signed with the UFC, I am pretty confident he would have been a fairly large disappointment just like Cro-cop was. Yeah, he’d get a win here and there vs lesser guys like he did with Arlovski and Sylvia, but the top of the food chain in the UFC heavyweight division, (Valsquez, JDS, Lesnar, Carwin, Mir, etc.) would have exposed him much sooner. His game just hasn’t evolved with the sport.
So yes, I stand by my statement. Fedor is falling to PRIDE syndrome just like so many others before him.
@lex414
Sorry amigo, I couldn’t resist!
;-)
Back on-topic, its pretty obvious that some PRIDE fighters are exhibiting PRIDE syndrome.
IMO PRIDE syndrome is more clearly evident when said PRIDE fighter steps into a North American cage.
Some guys like Shogun and Rampage are doing ok, so far, and some PRIDE guys are not.
Fedor looks to be sliding from the ranks of the former and down into the ranks of the latter…
@Muaythai4life
Maybe Shogun isn’t the one who should be talked about when mentioning successful transitions from PRIDE to the UFC but he is the current LHW champ so he’s not doing exactly terrible.
His fights with Forrest & Coleman didn’t go well, agreed, but consider the fact that alot of former PRIDE stars had around 2 years without fighting. Not to mention the different rules, the cage, blah-blah-blah.
His fights with Liddell and Machida DID show a different fighter, the one most remember from Japan, the reason behind his initial hype.
Now if you look at his first three fights and judge him by that, than you have completely glanced over his two fights with Machida. In both fights Machida was heavily favored to win and most thought it wasn’t going to go to decision, which it did, having Machida as the winner via a controversial decision. Before their first fight, no one was able to land any significant strikes to Machida, let alone win a round against him. Shogun did both, which IMO was a great accomplishment. He than won their rematch with a KO, which no one has done. So far, he’s doing great.
^After shogun’s next fight he will have officially earned a new nickname like MK4 said “the hype murderer”
@jazz
@marvelknight4
Using mk4′s “logic”, if a Sith like “Darth Bader” couldn’t beat Jon “Martian Manhunter” Jones, how the He11 is a mere mortal Shogun supposed to do it?
Especially s Shogun coming off months of medical leave?
;-)
@Jazz Somehow Mauricio “The Hype Murderer” Rua doesn’t have the same ring to it. :D
@Jcohl The only thing I can think about when someone mentions Shoguns unfortunate medical leave, is the fact the Jones also only has a month to prepare. Both have similar & unfortunate situations.
Dana White couldn’t have said it better himself.
There’s quotes floating around from M-1 saying Fedor will be traveling more for his next camp to train with more coaches and teams to eliminate some of the problems with his skills not evolving.
I know in golf for instance, if you’re a 35 year old who’s golf’d for 25 years and your swing/mechanics have always been the same, it is nearly impossible to make even the slightest adjustment due to your swing becoming second nature. It is extremely difficult to overturn those mechanics which have become entrenched as natural reactions. I could see the same happening in fighting, especially after getting hit a couple times and having to rely on instincts.
@MT4L
I don’t think we will ever see Fedor fight at 205. He sure would be ripped though if he ever did make the cut. Would be great to see, if he were with the UFC. Noone I’d care to see him fight in Strikeforce at light heavy though.
I also agree, I don’t think he has the mental willingness to cut weight and drop a weight-class.
If…and its a huge “IF”, but if Fedor was willing at this stage of his career to drop to 205, imagine the promotional traction a Fedor-Dan Henderson 205 fight could grab for Strikeforce?
Of the reasons you mentioned, the most likely one is that 230lb competitive heavyweights are few and far between. And they all are overwhelming strikers. Fedor is a SAMBO fighter, with its emphasis on throws, wrestling, and submissions (over half of his wins are by submission).
With that having been said, the biggest reason isn’t one that you mentioned: The heavyweight talent pool is no longer a wading pool, but more of an Olympic swimming sized (and depth) one. There are many more talented heavyweight fighters, many to most of whom are much bigger than he is. That’s not something he has any control over.
@bsbiz
So, just curious here, do you think Fedor should:
A) retire
B) drop to 205 and cross-train with new coaches and better training talent
C) chalk his last 2 fights up 2 “exceptions to the rule” and step back in at Hw against whoever Scott Coker will give him?
C) is the easiest to talk about and speculate about so I’ll do that one first. I actually think the last three fights are the relevant ones. Fedor struggled a bit with Brett Rogers in the first round, to put it mildly. That fight showed that the biggest of the big guys are much better now than they were ten years ago. Yes, he knocked Rogers out, but that first round, Fedor looked eminently beatable, especially if Rogers knew how to lock that kimura down a little better. The Werdum fight didn’t really tell me anything with respect to Fedor’s skill. Remember that the only reason he ended up in the choke was because he knocked Werdum down with really the first punch he threw, then get a little hasty and over-eager to get into Werdum’s guard. If anything, it says more about Werdum’s submission game than Fedor’s skill. Many great fighters have gotten caught in a triangle choke before, many great fighters will in the future. Silva may be the most damaging (figuratively) figure on his record. He did alright standing with Silva, and arguably won the first round. It was Silva’s inability to strike with Fedor that drove his decision to tackle Fedor. From there, the ending took on an air of inevitability with respect to Fedor losing the round and losing it badly. And while it was Silva’s hammerfists (although fist may be a bit of an understatement) that caused the damage that ended the fight, it was partly his grappling skill that allowed him to ride out Fedor’s escape attempts, but mostly it was the 50lbs that he outweighed Fedor by. So that’s two data points that suggest that Fedor will continue to struggle with skilled very big men and it only takes two points to make a line, but I am a scientist therefore I crave data. I would like one more data point to see if a true trend line forms, but the data are pointing to “he will struggle against skilled big fighters”. The important word there is “struggle” because he can beat big guys (Rogers), but can also be worked over (Silva).
A) and B) would be better answered by resolving C) a little better in my opinion. Either one could be an option, although I see A) more likely than B). It would be very interesting to see who Strikeforce will put him up against in his next fight. Will it be a striker about his size? Will it be an up and comer like Del Rosario (who would be a fantastic data point for premise C)? Will it be a big striker? Little grappler?
In the end, I guess my answer is D) None of the Above.
IMO in the 2nd round there is nothing you can do when a guy like silva is just seating on your chest. I am amazed that fedor was able to roll back and forth on his will then survived the whole time and a triangle choke. Finally he got rid of that position and at last was trying to pull a submission on Silva.
Technically, it wasn’t a classic triangle. It was a sloppy arm triangle and almost more of a smothering choke than a true choke. And sometimes as a grappler, it’s in your best interests to let a guy squirm around. If he’s squirming, he’s more likely to leave a limb or his neck undefended. If a guy gets into a defensive position he likes, you have to “convince” him to get out of it.
“…it was partly his grappling skill that allowed him to ride out Fedor’s escape attempts, but mostly it was the 50lbs that he outweighed Fedor by”
That was the best d@mn analysis of Fedor’s last performance i’ve seen anywhere. Coincidentally enough, I felt the same way.
That also makes me think that Fedor had more of a chance at beating Brock than he would Silva. Now, Brock is a big dude as is Silva, but what changes things is Silva’s grappling skills. Im sure Brock could of smothered him and used his weight similarly, but it was Silva’s Jiu-Jitsu that got Fedor into all of the precarious situations.
Im not going to say Brock would lose, but I think Jiu-Jitsu compared to wrestling would play a higher factor. @Chrisl won’t like this! ;)
it would be different if fedor was cut for his weight… if he cut to 8% bodyfat he would be a lhw
look at dos santos; hes CUT and he weighs in as a heavyweight.
good call brother
and anderson silva…
i wouild say fedores mma skillset is actually pretty well rounded… hence a 10 year run. when fedore was beating those people they were the cream of the crop, so stop judging peoples past preformences by how they are ranked today. OR, go back and compare your fave fighters that have fallen by the wayside the same way. fedors standup might be unorthodox, but it is effective, and he can adapt while fighting. his sambo is top notch. his submissions are game. what else would you like to see from a fighter? you think he needs to be able to pull a doubleleg to be complete? whats missing?
If Fedor in fact makes the decision that he wants to keep fighting, I’m fine with that.
He has done MORE than enough to determine his own fate by anyone’s MMA metric.
Unfortunately his murky relationship with the shady M-1 Global folk makes it hard to accept who exactly is in the driver’s seat here.
Ideally Fedor will realize that what worked in a PRIDE ring 5 years ago won’t work today, or tomorrow if he does in fact fight again, clearly isn’t working in a cage.
Fedor’s in-cage shortcomings have been debated endlessly on dozens of threads, but what he discovers outside the cage might be the most important factor for continuing his stellar career…
At this point he must evolve or retire! and stop saying stupid sh*t like sambo is superior to BJJ especially since he lost to 2 BJJ black belt practitioners!!! Fedor should consider the 205 class!!! I think in Strikeforce he could be very dominant and pose a more dangerous threat than a one punch knockout!!! And Strikeforce should stay his home because UFC top fighters would murder & outclass him!!!
Fedor has never had to cut, likely doesn’t know how to cut, and is too damn old to start trying to cut for the first time.
This LHW talk needs to stop because I really don’t see any way for it to happen.
*thumbs up
@dbiz
I think a lot of posters, primarily Fedor supporters, like to suggest a drop to 205 probably because the thought of a Fedor-less MMA is too horrible for some to contemplate…
If overeem loses his next fight (did I really just say that?) Fedor is gonna be in some big trouble taking that fight. Just don’t see him winning that one. All u fedor fans better start praying for overeem to win cause if he doesn’t then I see fedor going 0-3. Fedor should see if he can make the cut down to 205. Heavyweights are just to big for him now a days.
Scott Coker was correct..My first thoughts were “wow..that was quick”
After giving it more thought, I realize how crucial it is for SF & M-done to have Fedor announce that he is not retiring
So here we go..Fedor vs loser of Overeem/Werdum..there could be worse things
U guys are talking like fedor and other small heavyweights cant compete in the division. Right now there are 2 kinds of top level heavyweights, super heavyweights with mediocre skills that hsve bad cardio and win mainly by size and strength(lesnar,bigfoot,carwin) and super skilled smaller hw guys(velasquez,dos santos). right now these smaller more skilled guys rule the division and fedor was the pioneer of this class so to say he cant compete with thebig guys is ridiculous imo. if fedor can get abetter camp and stay motivated i think he can still be relevant in this post pride era.
How does Bigfoot have mediocre skills, maybe Fedor thought the same thing going into the fight. He holds 3 black belts in different disciplines and his improvement over the years has been obvious.
He seemed to pace his gas very well also, takes alot to fuel a big guy though.
Sorry I didn’t mean all small heavyweights just fedor. I just think the heavyweights of today are to much for decor with the size and strength. And cain took lesnar down so I don’t think fedor would be a problem. Dos santos would give him a good fight on the feet tho. (I would give the edge to santos). Just saying I think fedor is more of a threat at 205 then heavyweight.
Yeah i definetly agree with u that fedor would do better at lhw but i really think the root of his problem is his training and motivation. saying fedor comes in looking in spectacular shape would be the biggest lie since dw said chuck was fighting tito still when even the poster said he was fightin franklin in vancouver, but i digress. if fedor wants to compete at either lhw or hw he has to get stronger, in better shape, and improve his skills by working with better guys and want to win to prove his legacy or he may aswell retire cause it hurts me and every fedor fan when he loses like that.
I agree with the overeem comment though because i specified 2 kinds of hw but left out the super anomaly that is the reem. super heavyweight size mixed with speed cardio and k1 champion level skill. He has the 3 major heavyweight titles outside the ufc for a reason. Dana is only discrediting him because he realizes possibly the worlds best heavyweight is not hid guy. ;)
top 5 HW rankings anyone??
1-Cain
2-Overeem
3-JDS
4-Carwin
5-Fedor
Yea those r my picks to I would just switch overeem with cain. Only because cain will be out for a while and overeem will more then likely win the tournament.
After 2 losses, I can’t put Fedor at 5. 7 or 8 maybe, but not in the top 5. It’s an insult to Werdum and to Bigfoot, who handed him those 2 losses.
Rankings are based on what you do now, not what you did over 10 years. Hall of Fame and G.O.A.T. is where that kind of talk belongs.
I’d say:
1. Cain
2. Reem
3. JDS
4. Lesner
5. Carwin
6. Werdum
7. Fedor
8. Mir
9. Bigfoot
10. Nelson
10 is hard to rank…but I like Nelson, and he went 3 with JDS and lost a decision.
to not have lesnar in your top 5 ATLEAST?!?!!?? no offense but, smoke another one!
Well let’s se how he comes back from his first bad defeat from cain before he gets in my top 5. Dos santos is gonna be tuff.
I pretty much agree with those rankingsbut with an * on overeem because imo he is the best but due to inactivity in mma he cant be 1 but if he wins this tourney you gotta put him there. Fedor another* cause he is a legend so he should be top10 but it depends now all on his next match.now that he lost his last 2 and decided to continue he is really in a live or die scenario.
I just hope his to loss are just bad fight mistakes and not a decline in ability…. Don’t want to see his legend tainted by past prime fighting since being a smaller heavyweight he did good, but being undersized will show even a slight decline in ability real quick. But I am happy to see hes not done yet.
two losses**
IGNORANT!!!! “Possibly, I will return to the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix. I haven’t analyzed why I lost. I need to recover first.” This would rape the integrity of the entire tournament, and Strikeforce. Why should he be allowed to get back in? And what’s worse Scott Coker mentioned the very same thing. What about the guys who competed to be alternates? Such hogwash
The comment made about pride syndrome was perfect. There was a core group of about 8 or 9 non asian fighters in pride who seemingly dominated for quite a while, fedor, mirko, shogun, hendo, overeem,rampage, etc. On any given day, any of them might possibly beat any other..but the one thing they almost all had in common is that they would beat the smaller, more slight and usually less skilled in striking asian opponents. This is what seemed to make them so good. They would fight one of the others every now and then..but in between would fight several japanese fighters who arent ussually known as strikers, and get 2 or 3 wins. Most of the guys i mentioned are good strikers..so japan was a good place for them to fight. Once they started fighting in other promotions, against other big, strong europeans or americans or brazillians, who could also throw a knockout punch or kick, then many of them fell from grace. But this is just my opinion…lol
I still think he should go to the UFC to fight “smaller” heavyweights like Couture ad Cro-Cop.
A lot of intelligent comments here, but for people saying Fedor “doesn’t have the skillset” or “Fedor can’t compete anymore” – after 2 losses? Werdum caught him, happens to the best, but everyone’s shocked. Why? Because he lost his FIRST FIGHT!
Then he takes on Silva, which is like Faber taking on Shogun – who thinks Faber has a snowball’s chance? Fedor gets laid on, pounded on, but survives the 2nd round – no tap, no TKO – still, the fight is called, Fedor’s too beat up. OK. So now “he can’t compete”?
Lesnar over Fedor? Lesnar v Fedor goes the same way Velasquez (and nearly Carwin) v Lesnar goes. I haven’t seen JDS fight enough to comment. Werdum v Fedor 2? Different day, whole different fight, potentially. Same with Silva v Fedor 2. In the 2nd, what happens if Fedor’s first punch is half a second quicker and lands? What if he stuffs Silva’s shot? What if he locks in that leg lock at the end of the round? Silva and Werdum won those two fights, yes, but do they win 9 out of 10? I don’t think so.
Alot of what ifs there…as for fedor being able to do what cain did, that’s highly arguable due to how Cain used his TOP level wrestling prowess and his wrestling strength to get brock off of him. Fedor I don’t think has that ability to move a 280lb plus athletic freak of a human off of him. don’t get me wrong, I do see your argument.
I also agree that Fedor should not be returning to the tourney, but I think that the only way he could is if another alternate gets injured and they just NEED a body, training accidents happen a lot.
Lesnar v. Fedor is a never will happen fight so I can safely say that Lesnar would win that fight =). Lesnar lost to Cain entirely because Cain has good wrestling. If Lesnar shoots on a guy like Fedor or a guy like JDS or many others (Herring, Mir) he is likely to take them down and then use his weight and extremely versed wrestling ability to hold them down. To say BJJ is different from wrestling in maintaining top position is incorrect. Both BJJ and wrestling utilize hooks from the mount, shifting hips to not allow wiggle room, it’s the same technique. Wrestlers entire purpose and goal is to keep themselves on top of you with your back to the mat, so I think Lesnar would do just fine with that.
Personally I think Fedor should keep fighting because who ever he faces for quite a while wont matter, it’ll sell shows. Take Tito Ortiz for example, hasn’t won in like 5 years, but any ticket he is on will sell seats because it’s Tito Ortiz, this is why Dana gave him another chance when he brought him back and why he’s giving him another change with his next fight. Because no matter where Tito ends up he will sell shows. Fedor is good for the sport, it’s just good to no longer have the ‘Fedor could beat Chuck Norris while blocking out the sun with his mind’ ideology out there.
I agree with this, and with Chromie. Yes, he should keep fighting – no, he is not invincible (at least not anymore). It is a lot of what-ifs to say on a different day maybe he beats Silva (or any other HW out there), but that just means the fights are fights, not foregone conclusions.
What I can’t get with is this whole “he should quit” mentality. Like he lost to Mark Coleman or something. Or, worse, to see him keep winning by dancing around guys a la Anderson Silva (versus Belfort notwithstanding). What, Fedor v Bigfoot was boring? I’ll watch Fedor over any HWs out there any day.
P.S. Maybe its time for a Super HW division? 235?