Fedor Emelianenko is in a weird position. He's the number one heavyweight in the world, and is rapidly running out of worthy challengers. He's already beaten UFC Interim Heavyweight Champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who is widely considered his number one contender. His next ranked potential challenger, Randy Couture, is in contract limbo and currently involved in litigation with the UFC. Enter Tim Sylvia.
Sylvia is a former UFC Heavyweight champion, and is currently ranked number four in the WAMMA rankings behind Nogueira and Couture. He holds notable wins over Ben Rothwell and Andrei Arlovski. He will face Fedor for the WAMMA Heavyweight title on Affliction's first PPV card, on July 19.
Breaking down the fight, look for Sylvia to have the advantage in the standup. He holds a notable size advantage, being 6"8. Sylvia should work behind that long jab, and keep his distance to avoid Fedor's takedown attempts, similar to his gameplan against Nogueira.
Fedor has the firepower to stand with Sylvia, but that's not his strongest suit. He needs to find a way to get inside of Sylvia's range, and get the fight to the ground. Fedor has awesome ground n' pound, and a good submission game. Should the fight hit the mat, Sylvia could be in trouble.
Prediction
Looking at their respective fights against Nogueira as a gauge, Fedor should hold an advantage. He holds two wins in three fights with Nogueira, with one being declared a no contest. Sylvia was submitted in his last fight against Nogueira, after dominating most of the fight.
Barring Sylvia landing something big, Fedor should be able to find a way to get the fight to the ground. Once he does, look for him to pound Sylvia en route to a unanimous decision win or late submission.
With this fight, Fedor will get a chance to show MMA fans who think his number one ranking is suspect where his game is right now. He hasn't lost since his T.K.O. defeat due to a cut eight years ago, and a win could help cement his place as the number one heavyweight fighter in MMA history.
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