Fedor Emelianenko's Loss Makes MMA a More Interesting Place

Fedor's first loss in recent memory is the best thing which could possibly happen to the world of mixed martial arts. The only real loser is Fedor and even the great man himself seems to be somewhat philosophical about the surprise defeat to Fabricio Werdum.

Fedor claims to pay no attention to the internet or MMA media but I suspect he would have laughed off attempts by certain fans to portray him as some sort of MMA deity. The reality of the situation, and I am sure that Fedor realizes this more than most, is that you can be the best without being unbeatable.

Losing to Werdum does not necessarily mean that Fedor is not the best heavyweight fighter on the planet. He had won 18 straight fights prior to the first categorical loss of his career and there is not a heavyweight alive with a comparable record.

Brock Lesnar might well be on the right track but with only five fights under his belt it is too soon to start talking about him being better than Fedor. Unbeaten heavyweights Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin are rising fast up the rankings and if a clear winner emerges from the upcoming contests between these three then that man can lay a justifiable claim to being the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world.

The situation prior to this weekend's Strikeforce was not a healthy one. Fedor's presence loomed large over the recently revitalized UFC heavyweight division and polarized opinion like no other issue in mixed martial arts. On one side were the army of Fedor fans who claimed that their man was quite categorically the greatest MMA fighter ever.

On the other side seemed to be anyone in any way connected with the UFC who were all desperate to denounce Fedor's credentials. The truth, as last night's fight with Werdum revealed, was always somewhere in the middle. Fedor is probably the top heavyweight in the world but he is not invincible.

Fedor's loss is a good thing for the sport because, while the heavyweight debate will not go away entirely, it might at least subside. It would not have been a particularly satisfactory end to Fedor's career for him to have simply steamrolled his way through Strikeforce heavyweight division before retiring. He would have left himself open to accusations of avoiding the fights the fans wanted to see.

It is far more interesting to see how Fedor fares in a competitive division and with Werdum's one win renaissance and Alistair Overeem waiting in the wings, the Strikeforce heavyweight picture looks infinitely more interesting than it did 24 hours ago.

Had Fedor easily dispensed of Werdum as many, myself included, had predicted it would have set up a potential pay-per-view fight with Overeem and ensured the short term future of the organization's heavyweight division. However from a long term point of view it would have been something of a setback for Fedor to lay waste to Strikeforce's heavyweights before wandering off into the sunset.

Strikeforce might have got one big pay day out of it but Fedor's retirement would have left their heavyweight division in ruins. While some might feel that the absence of Fedor undermines the credibility of the UFC's heavyweight division the temporary inclusion of Fedor could have single handedly destroyed the credibility of Strikeforce's.

Losses to Fedor would have made it much more difficult for Strikeforce to market fights featuring either Overeem or Werdum in the future. As it is they now have at least two more headlining heavyweight fights involving Fedor instead of just the one and when he does eventually retire they will still be able to market Werdum as 'the man who beat Fedor'.

Werdum has gone from being a contender of dubious distinction to one of the top heavyweights on the planet overnight, Overeem is still as much of a draw as he was 24 hours ago and the one loss will not dramatically diminish people's interest in seeing Fedor fight again.

So Strikeforce are winners because they are left with three outstanding heavyweight fighters instead of just the one. The UFC are winners because they will be able to argue that the loss to UFC discard Werdum effectively ends the debate as to how Fedor would fare in their heavyweight division.

The real winners though are MMA fans because instead of having to endure the slightly pointless debate as to how good Fedor really is they finally get to sit back and enjoy seeing him in some well matched and perhaps closely contested fights.

Fedor is not some sort of MMA monster for Strikeforce to feed with inferior opponents for the entertainment of the masses. He is an elite fighter in an increasingly competitive sport whose rivals are constantly improving and evolving in an attempt to match him. Now that Werdum has finally proved that Fedor is beatable fights involving the 'Last Emperor' are a much more interesting proposition.

Article appears courtesy of South East Asian MMA, www.seamma.com