The Future For Fedor Emelianenko and His Legitimacy Outside The UFC

There has been much criticism recently of Fedor Emelianenko's decision not to sign with the UFC. In fact however, It was wise of Emelianenko not to enter into a contract with the UFC at this stage.

It has been said that Emelianenko is trying to protect his legacy by 'avoiding' the worlds most elite competition in the UFC. However, the opposite is true.

There are better and more fights of greater anticipation to the true MMA fan outside of the UFC, than inside eg. Allistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum etc. The only fight that stands out in the UFC is Brock Lesnar, with a handfull of 'take-it-or-leave-it' bouts.

There are a minimum of 5 fights outside the UFC that should be of higher priority than any in the UFC with the exception of Brock Lesnar. It would likely take 2 years to fulfill these fights, and in that time the UFC's roster should remain intact with the exception of Randy Couture (LHW now in any case) and perhaps the addition of one or two standouts.

Had Emelianenko signed the contract to fight for the UFC:

1.) We the fans would never have the opportunity to see the great match-ups that await Emeilanenko outside the UFC.

2.) Lesnar would have fallen ill, likely leaving his bout with Emelianenko with the same fate as the Lesnar/Carwin match-up, with far far greater implications.

This would have left 'The last emporer' in limbo, without a significant match-up the likes of which await him outside of the octagon. Ultimately this could have led to the demise of his legacy. So in a way the 'haters' of Emelianenko are correct, he could very well have protected his legacy by not signing with the UFC.