Strikeforce Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

This is a classic case of good vs. evil within the confines of the cage. Think Drago vs. Balboa, except this time the Russian is the good guy. 

Anyone taking the time to read this is obviously familiar with both fighters, but let us take a quick look at some background between the two men.

“The Last Emperor” has one of the most decorated MMA careers out of anyone in the sport in the past decade. 

Emelianenko had a 27-fight win streak between 2000 and 2010, before being upset last year by Fabricio Werdum.

Considered one of the greatest of all-time, Emelianenko has won five major heavyweight championships in his career. 

This includes championship reigns with the RINGS, Pride and World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts organizations.

Based on his accomplishments and overall dominant career, he is highly respected by active and retired fighters alike. 

Barnett is a clear polar opposite of Fedor. While “The Babyfaced Assassin” has accomplished a lot in his 13-year career, he is also the only professional MMA fighter to test positive for anabolic steroids three times. 

This has clearly tarnished his legacy and has hurt his fan base substantially as well. 

One of Barnett’s biggest wins, a 2002 TKO victory over Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight title, ended up being a fluke as he was stripped of the title for testing positive for steroids for the second time in his career.

He was also banned from competing for one year due to this poor decision. 

Conversely, by all accounts, his 2003 win for the King of Pancrase Openweight Championship was legitimate and further solidified him as one of the top heavyweights in the sport. 

USA Today currently lists Barnett as the No. 11 heavyweight fighter in the world.

While Barnett is no doubt a talented competitor, the question that remains is, does he have the skills necessary to take out a fighter as well-rounded as Emelianenko?

One of the reasons Fedor is such a difficult fighter to beat is that he is so mobile for a big man. 

A Judo black belt and a 1^st Razryad Grand Master in Sambo, Emelianenko is very good at taking opponents to the mat and finishing his fights via submission.

16 of his 32 career victories have come via tap out. His above-average boxing also forces his opponents to plan for more than just a grappling match, making him that much more difficult to formulate a game plan against. 

On the other hand, Barnett is exceptional at catch wrestling, so much so that he received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after winning the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in 2009. 

Barnett has never formally practiced BJJ, but catch wrestling is fairly similar. While his striking is pretty mediocre, Barnett’s submission skills are excellent.

16 of his 26 wins are by submission and he has never tapped-out in a fight. 

Heading into this one, Barnett has a noticeable weight advantage, typically coming in around at 250 pounds. Emelianenko typically comes into a fight no heavier than 230.

This could work into Barnett’s game plan, since he may try to hold Fedor on the mat with his superior grappling, waiting for a submission to open up.

However, Fedor has only been submitted once in his career and while Werdum showed great skills and fundamentals in their fight, many agree that Fedor simply got caught. 

Also, keep in mind that Fedor's grappling skills are in no way subpar.   

Another issue is that Emelianenko is certainly not short on power, so taking him down to the mat and riding him is a task that is easier said than done.

In the end, expect a competitive bout in the early going, but Fedor should gain control and come away with a decisive victory before round three is over. 

Let us keep our fingers crossed that this fight comes to fruition, because regardless of the outcome, it will be a good one!