How Will Fedor Be Remembered?

Fedor Emelianenko is the best heavyweight fighter in the world and actually he has been since he defeated Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera back in early 2003.  He should go down as possibly the greatest fighter the modern world has ever seen, but without ever stepping foot inside the UFC's octagon, he may never be remembered appropriately.

With the exception of a single loss which was disgustingly attributed due to a terrible technicality, and later avenged, Emelianenko's career has been spotless.  He has fought the best of the best when it comes to strikers, wrestlers, and submission artists.  He has fought smaller quicker men and outmatched men who literally dwarf him in size.  The man has yet to encounter an obstacle he cannot overcome.

Yet despite his obvious caliber and reputation, Fedor's name could risk becoming a small anectode to MMA's history in the wake of a burgeoning UFC culture. 

Currently contracted to fight for California based fight promotion "StrikeForce", Fedor faces stiff competition ahead of him for at least the next year to year and a half.  With competition in the form of Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum, and Allistair Overeem, Fedor has the opportunity to continue building his legacy as the most dominant heavyweight fighter on earth.  If Emelianenko does indeed overcome the current stable of top StrikeForce heavyweights, where will that leave him?

Perhaps he could finally join the UFC and take on their current heavyweight champ.  Maybe he retires.  Maybe StrikeForce successfully markets him and, against all odds, becomes the first legitimate threat to the UFC's marketshare.

Any of these options could be speculated for days, but yet they still all run at the very least a small risk of Fedor not being written into the history books the way his fans know he deserves.  And the UFC is who holds the pen and paper.  Known occasionally for being historical revisionists and slanderous to competitors, the UFC management is currently the largest variable in terms of how the general population perceives and remembers MMA fighters. 

But the speculation of Fedor's legacy after a year from now does not change the fact that it is mostly under-appreciated for the time being.  While I agree that the top 3 pound-for-pound fighters are pretty interchangeable at present, Fedor is at a handicap without the UFC behind his name. Affliction tried to build their promotion around Fedor and now StrikeForce will probably be looking to grow theirs through him. 

He is just a man, and he could lose at any time, but I urge fight fans to sit up, take note, and most importantly remember:

If you watch Fedor Emelianenko fight, you are watching a genius.  Maybe the best you'll ever see.

**end note: 'Fedor Emelianenko' is not even available as an option to tag this article!