Fedor’s Fall Opens The Way For Rebirth

By William Gray

Through the history of the world, empires fall. A nation or tribe will arise from obscurity to take the place of the giant before them, live their reign and begin the demise; it is a circle of life scenario and the same can be said for fighters today. Chuck Liddell ruled the light heavyweight division for years, finishing every opponent who challenged him for the belt, until Quinton Jackson came and interrupted his streak and things began to fall apart from there.

Dan Henderson delivered the short uppercut Saturday night to Fedor Emelianenko, which has signaled the end of a dynasty. Being unbeaten for nine years, fighting for numerous organizations and beating challengers via submission, KO/TKO or decision – Fedor was unbeatable. Many questioned his capability and some columnists even suggested he was not of this world. June 2010 was the first shot fired to defeat the Russian.

Submitted for the first time in his career, Fedor succumbed to a triangle choke after chasing the win into Werdum’s guard and was finally proven human. Feb 2011, Antonio Silva would be the next to defeat the Sambo champion but in a devastating and deciding fashion, beating up the smaller man for two rounds before doctor stoppage. With back to back losses, many thought it was the end of the road.

The TKO loss to Henderson is not as horrible as some might think; Fedor came into the fight in phenomenal shape, aggressive and engaging Henderson the entire time. Setting up what looked like to be a TKO victory with a left hook, Hendo was dropped and Fedor swarmed in, only to have the Olympic wrestler scramble and land the uppercut, en route to referee stoppage in the favor of Henderson.

Sitting 0-3 for the first time in his career, it can be an un-nerving situation for any fighter, although the humble and divine mindset of Fedor is something to recognize. “I cannot say if it is my time to quit, it is God’s will” – Fedor
Right now is the time to save remnants of “The Last Emperor’s” legacy and needs to be done first with switching camps. Always training with the same people, doing the same thing with small influences will not show new results.

Emelianenko has been exposed in his style the same way Liddell was. It is all about timing and he is looking for the same thing, a highlight reel finish; if the Russian were able to move stateside for his camps, he could enlist the help from a solid team such as Jackson’s MMA, AKA or any other prestigious MMA school. The trainers and fighters at any of them would all benefit from him coming and he from there being ready to work together as a team.

As well as changing the elements of training, Fedor needs to re-think his approach to fighting. His consecutive defeats make it almost impossible to get a fight against worthy opponents. Any bid for a title is out of question until proven victories are gathered. So, he is either going to be faced against off-ranked opponents in exhibition style matches or will risk being defeated by upcoming, younger fighters making their name by defeating the legend (similar to CroCop’s UFC career)

Time will tell how this story finishes. Although he appears not ready to hang up the gloves just yet, before any talk of a next opponent begins, the crew over at Stary Oskol need to sit with the former champion and discuss what is best for their fighter as a friend and competitor and not as an investment.