Strikeforce Fedor Vs Silva: 10 Fights Fedor Emelianenko Could Have Lost

Fedor Emelianenko is a magnet for hyperbole.

He is the greatest heavyweight to every compete in mixed martial arts, and possibly the greatest across all divisions. He is still debated by some as possibly the best pound-for-pound fighter competing.

But winning ain't easy baby.

In putting together his nearly immaculate record, Fedor has looked dominant—as well as occasionally lucky.

Fabricio Werdum showed that the famous Russian can indeed be caught, but it is not the first time Fedor has grappled with his own vulnerabilities.

These are the top 10 fights that the Russian could have lost... 

Honorable Mention: Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett was scheduled to face Emelianenko in 2009 for the Affliction organization's third event.

Barnett is a top ranked heavyweight who very well could have toppled the Russian.

Days before the event, however, Barnett tested positive for banned substances, causing the entire event (and Affliction Entertainment) to collapse.

10. Tim Sylvia

OK, so it might seem silly to add Tim Sylvia to this list considering Fedor blew him out of the water, but it is also silly to think "The Maine-iac" did not pose a threat.

Tim Sylvia has not looked very good since his loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, but it is likely that Fedor was the one who truly stole his soul.

Going into this fight, Sylvia was one of the most accomplished heavyweights of all time, and had not necessarily looked like he had lost a step.

If Tim Sylvia had been able to survive past the first minute, who knows what kind of trouble he could have presented to the Russian. 

9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Fedor fought Nogueira three times. One was a "No Contest" due to accidental headbutt, but Fedor controlled the action in their other bouts to win two clear-cut decisions.

Despite his great performances, he could not find a way to finish Nogueira.

Anytime you hang around in Nogueira's guard, you run a definite risk of being submitted.  

Werdum showed that Fedor is capable of being submitted from inside the guard, so perhaps the Russian's prayers helped pull him through the two fights with Nogueira.

8. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Fedor fought the highly-ranked Croatian in what was the biggest heavyweight clash to that point, and still one of the biggest of all time.

Despite having a large advantage on the ground, Fedor was only able to take the fight there on occasion and had his grappling offense stifled by his savvy opposition.

Much of the bout was contested on the feet, and Fedor did very well, especially considering he was playing with fire. Filipovic was a knockout machine and had the Russian hurt badly at one point.

Fedor is a knockout artist in his own right, but messing with Filipovic at that point in his career was a pretty big gamble.

7. Andrei Arlovski

Arlovski fought Fedor with the same base fighting style in Sambo, but having a more refined and polished striking game due to his boxing training.

Fedor has enjoyed a speed advantage over most of his heavyweight opponents, but Arlovski was using excellent speed of his own to stifle the Russian.

In fact, Arlovski was looking really good. He was well on his way to easily winning the first round until he made a mistake—Arlovski got greedy and went for a flying knee.

The bold move cost him the fight as Fedor used the opportunity to knock the Belarusian out.

If Andrei had stayed composed, it is very possible he could have outpointed the Russian en route to victory.

6. Mark Hunt

Mark Hunt perhaps foreshadowed the Russian's loss to Werdum.

When you look at their overall place in MMA, Mark Hunt really was not on the same level as Fedor, yet was a major threat to him in the fight.

For a good bit, Hunt was able to control Fedor from the top position and eventually put the Russian in a very precarious position with an americana arm lock.

Emelianenko got his head back in the game at some point and reversed the fortunes of Mark Hunt by submitting him with a kimura.

Fedor should have learned that day to never overlook an opponent or especially never overlook their submission abilities.

5. Brett Rogers

When Emelianenko fought Rogers, Rogers appeared unstoppable. 10-0 with no fight going past the second round, and all won by way of stoppage due to strikes.

The first punch that Rogers threw was an innocent looking jab that happened to break the Russian's nose. 

During that first round, Fedor perhaps felt his striking confidence start to fade, and tried taking the fight to the mat. Once on the mat he could put Rogers in no serious danger, and Rogers was able to return to his feet.

The second round started with the excitement that the Russian's reign might be coming to an end, when all of a sudden the Russian threw an over-hand right.

The home run-hit found its mark perfectly and sent Rogers crashing to the floor.

A small space for victory was found, and Emelianenko staved off defeat once again.

4. Hong Man-Choi

Some people say that Hong Man Choi is just a "can" who only served to pad Fedor's record.

I can guarantee, however, that none of those people have ever fought someone who is a K-1 kickboxer, Korean wrestling champion, and 7'2'' 350 pound monster.

It is hard to even imagine someone that size.

Fedor's face looked torn to shreds just by tangling with the behemoth.

Choi was able to escape Fedor's first armbar attempt, but was forced to tap to the second. Emelianenko exerted a lot of energy trying those submissions.

If he did not succeed on that second attempt he might not have been able to maintain the furious pace needed to grapple with someone that size. 

3. Kazuyuki Fujita

This is the most rocked that Fedor has ever been in his fighting career.

Kazuyuki Fujita threw a haymaker right hand that found its way perfectly to Fedor's temple and put the Russian on rollerskates desparately grasping at his senses for survival.

Fujita smelled blood and wanted to go for the finish, but he just could not find another decent strike.  

Emelianenko was able to turn the tides and submit Fujita.

No wonder Emelianenko is a devout Christian, because he was no doubt counting his blessings after tasting the full power of Fujita.   

2. Kevin Randleman

Not only did Kevin Randleman's devastating suplex not render Emelianenko paralyzed from the neck down, it did not even knock him unconscious.

The powerful wrestler picked the Russian up and slammed him right on top of his head with all of his might.

Watching Fedor calmly maneuver for the fight-ending submission after nearly getting his head slammed clean off is one of the most magnificent sequences in MMA history.

If Fedor is truly made out of flesh and bone (as some have speculated) then this is a fight that not only he "could" have, but probably "should" have lost. 

1. Ricardo Arona

In 2000, Fedor Emelianenko fought Ricardo Arona in a "Rings- King of Kings" tournament.  

The competitors fought each other gamely, and although Arona would appear to have had the edge by today's scoring standards, the match was ruled a draw and so they fought for another round to determine who would advance in the tournament.

At the end of the extra period, Fedor Emelianenko was unanimously ruled the victor. 

The result is still debated by MMA enthusiasts to this day.

Some say that Emelianenko was just using the rules to his advantage, while others think that Arona clearly won and that the judges were uneducated about the utilization of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Regardless, it is the closest fight that the Russian has ever been involved in, and a fight that he most certainly could have lost.

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