Fedor Emelianenko vs. the UFC's Top 10 Heavyweights: How Would He Fare?
For the better part of a decade, the baddest man on the planet wasn't an angry ex-street fighter with a grudge against the world, or a collegiate wrestling star groomed for athletic glory. He was an ice cream eating, sweater wearing, duck-loving savage from tiny Stary Oskol in Russia.ย
Though he never once stepped inside the UFC's Octagon, among serious fans there was no real doubtโFedor Emelianenko (34-4-1) was the best heavyweight MMA had ever seen.
The lists, both of Fedor's victims and his must-see exploits, are legend. Five former UFC heavyweight champions fell at his hands, as did kickboxing stalwarts Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt and Semmy Schilt. He survived a Kevin Randleman suplex, caught Andrei Arlovski in midair with a knockout blow and exuded awesomeness at every turn.
In 2010, his 34th birthday looming as he entered his 34th professional prizefight, Emelianenko showed the first chinks in his formidable armor. One loss, the first legitimate failure of his career, became three in a row in what felt like the blink of an eye. The king was toppled from his throne and Emelianenko faded into memory.
Now, three years after he last entered the ring, Emelianenko is considering a return to action. With Bellator all but bowing out of the bidding, the UFC has emerged as his likely destination.ย
How would the "Last Emperor," now 38, fare against today's best big men? Has Father Time been kind, healing old wounds and providing new-found vigor? Or will the once-great warrior simply be older, slower and punchier than ever before?
Bleacher Report's crack team came together to provide our best guesses. Have some thoughts of your own? Share them in the comments.
10. Alistair Overeem
1 of 10
Name
Alistair Overeem
Height
Weight
Age
Record
39-14(1)
Last Five
3-2
Result
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Alistair Overeem (4-2)
Analysis
Ah, what might have been.
Longtime observers of the heavyweight division will recall 2010, when Strikeforce dreamed of booking a bout between Emelianenko and Overeem as its first-ever pay-per-view event. Even after Fedor lost to Fabricio Werdum in June of that year, the fight company put Emelianenko and Overeem on opposing sides of its heavyweight grand prix bracket.ย
You know, just in case.
Unfortunately, it was not to be. Emelianenko lost three fights in a row in Strikeforce, the company sold out to the UFC and Overeem promptly tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone.ย
If the two men met today, it would be as declining heavyweights well into their 30s.ย
Still, it would be pretty big news.ย
Our panel is a bit split on who would walk away victorious, though the majority give the nod to Emelianenko. Thatโs understandable. Overeem is just 3-3 in the wake of his failed PEDs test and has looked a far cry from the fearsome striker who went 11-0-1 from 2007-11. ย ย
9. Josh Barnett
2 of 10
Name
Josh Barnett
Height
6'3"
Weight
252 pounds
Age
Record
33-7
Last Five
3-2
Result
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Josh Barnett (6-0)
Analysis
This was the Pride heavyweight tilt we never got to see. It was even supposed to happen in Affliction, but Barnett tested positive once again, so the fight was scrapped 10 days prior to going down. Fedor would have beaten Barnett back then, and he would beat him today.
Barnett talks a lot of smack, but ultimately he has failed to back it up inside the UFC since returning. When you take a look at how they match up, there are not many paths to victory for Barnett. Fedor is just a much better fighter, and all six of us agree that โThe Last Emperorโ comes out on top. I wouldnโt expect this fight to be very competitive, but Iโm sure we would all still tune in.
8. Mark Hunt
3 of 10
Name
Mark Hunt
Height
5'10"ย
Weight
265 pounds
Age
Record
10-10-1
Last Five
1-3-1
Result
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Mark Hunt (6-0)
Analysis
Back in 2006, Mark Hunt nearly surviving an entire round with the great Fedor was considered a minor miracle. The former kickboxing champion was in the midst of a six-fight losing streak, and his MMA career looked to be over before it really ever got started.
Hunt has made incredible progress in the last nine years. In fact, if we'd taken this poll a couple of years ago, the result may have been quite different. Hunt has shored up his takedown and submission defense and can still take a punch with the best of them.ย
But time takes its toll on all men. Now past 40, Hunt seems to be approaching the end quickly. The window in which he could conceivably beat Fedor, unfortunately, has closed.
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7. Ben Rothwell
4 of 10
Name
Ben Rothwell
Height
6'4"
Weight
265 pounds
Age
Record
35-9
Last Five
4-1
Result
Ben Rothwell defeats Fedor Emelianenko (3-3)
Analysis
Ben Rothwell is the Tim Tebow of MMA. All the tape and all the stats say that he's a B-level talent, incapable of succeeding against serious competition. The scoreboard, however, says differently.ย
Big Ben isn't as technically sound as Fedor Emelianenko. He doesn't have the elegant, well-rounded game of the Last Emperorโbut that doesn't matter. Rothwell would go out there, grit his teeth, will himself to victory and then bust a move over Emeliananko's semi-conscious body after an ugly, dirty fight.
6. Travis Browne
5 of 10
Name
Travis Browne
Height
Weight
Age
Record
17-3-1
Last Five
3-2
Result
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Travis Browne (5-1)
Analysis
On the surface, Browne seems like exactly the kind of fighter who could give Emelianenko trouble. Heโs enormous, athletic, hits like a truck and is younger than the former Pride champ by some five years. Still, our panel of voters overwhelmingly supports Fedor here.
Perhaps it was Browneโs recent struggles that turned their heads. A few years ago, the Hawaii-native was undefeated at 13-0-1 (including 11 stoppages) and cruising. Since the fall of 2013, however, heโs put up a more middling 4-3 record, including losses Antonio โBigfootโ Silva, current champ Fabricio Werdum and the resurgent Andrei Arlovski.
Things have been even more miserable for Browne in his personal life. He was recently pulled from UFC events after his wife accused him of domestic violence, per Karim Zidan of SB Nation. This week, rumors surfaced the still-married Browne could be in a relationship with UFC womenโs bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, per Zane Simon of SB Nation.
Maybe our voters think Emelianenko catches Browne at a low ebb? Call this one a win for The Last Emperor.
5. Andrei Arlovski
6 of 10
Name
Andrei Arlovski
Height
6'4"ย
Weight
241 pounds
Age
Record
24-10-1
Last Five
5-0
Result
Fedor Emelianenko defeats Andrei Arlovski (5-1)
Analysis
Maybe it's because we've seen this one before, but our panel had little disagreement about an Arlovski versus Fedor rematch. While the big Belarusian has had serious success in his last five fights, it feels like a bubble waiting to be popped.ย
Even in his moments of great triumph, like his exceptional fight with Travis Browne earlier this year, Arlovski has felt vulnerable. He gets rocked in most of his fightsโbut Emelianenko is not most fighters. He makes an opponent pay for their mistakes. When Arlovski falters, he'll be there in "seek and destroy" mode, partying like it's 2009.
4. Stipe Miocic
7 of 10
Name
Stipe Miocic
Height
6'4"
Weight
243 pounds
Age
Record
13-2
Last Five
4-1
Result
Stipe Miocic defeats Fedor Emelianenko (3-3)
Analysis
Stipe Miocic is an easy fighter to sleep on. He's not the best striker in the heavyweight division. He's not the best wrestler, either. He most certainly isn't the greatest submission artist. What he is, though, is a versatile, athletic threat capable of honing in on an opponent's weaknesses and exploiting it for an indefinite length of time.ย
At 38 years old and angling for his 40th fight, the Last Emperor won't be the unstoppable force he was in 2005. Miocic would make the most of the likely speed and strength discrepancies en route to a fairly decisive win.
3. Junior Dos Santos
8 of 10
Name
Juniorย dosย Santos
Height
6'4"ย
Weight
242 pounds
Age
Record
17-3
Last Five
3-2
Result
Juniorย dosย Santosย defeatsย Fedor Emelianenko (1-5)
Analysis
The former UFC champion is still one of the absolute best heavyweights on the planet. It would be difficult to imagine anyone not named Cain Velasquez having an easy time beating him.ย
He's big, he's strong and he has excellent boxing and takedown defense. His Achilles' heel has historically been someone who can use spectacular cardio and pressure to keep him on his heels, where he cannot establish a punching game. That would spell trouble for Emelianenko, who simply is not that kind of fighter. This is a bad stylistic matchup for the Russian, and our panel's 1-5 vote against him shows why.
2. Cain Velasquez
9 of 10
Name
Cainย Velasquez
Height
6'2"
Weight
242 pounds
Age
Record
13-2
Last Five
4-1
Result
Cainย Velasquezย defeats Fedor Emelianenko (6-0)
Analysis
The voting should tell you everything you need to know.ย Velasquezย is MMA Heavyweight 2.0, and he would render Fedor obsolete.ย
Sometimes it seemed like Fedor could fight forever.ย Velasquezย could match him on that front, minute for minute, and perhaps then some. Velasquez's demonic takedowns and heavy clinch work would tenderize the smaller Emelianenko, setting up Fedor for a finish on the ground. Altitude wouldn't factor into this one. Neither would elite jiu-jitsu. It'sย Cain's battle to lose.
1. Fabricio Werdum
10 of 10
Name
Fabricio Werdum
Height
6'4"
Weight
238 pounds
Age
Record
20-5-1
Last Five
5-0
Result
Fabricio Werdum defeats Fedor Emelianenko (5-1)
Analysis
In 2010, Werdum shocked the world with his upset over Fedor. When they met in San Jose, next to no one gave Werdum a shot, but fast-forward five years and a UFC championship later, and Werdum is the clear favorite in this potential fight.
Truthfully, it has less to do with Fedorโs decline as a fighter than Werdumโs comeuppance. Werdum has improved drastically over the years in all the areas he needed to, and it is why he wears gold today. Fedor would have a difficult time finding success against the monster that is Werdum. Werdum is the best heavyweight in the world right now, and if he fought Fedor again he would likely finish him for a second time.
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