The Pan Report: Silva V. Fedor Odds For Strikeforce World GP HW Tourney Debut

And thus begins the first leg of the Strikeforce World GP HW tourney headlined by the return of Fedor Emelianenko (32-2-1) who will be facing Antonio Silva (15-2) Feb. 12^th in New Jersey. Betting lines for this quarterfinal clash seem to have this one already netted for the Russian fighter before it actually begins, Emelianenko the 6-1 favourite (-450) against Silva (+325).

The overwhelming enthusiasm reflected in those odds for the once considered best pound-per-pound fighter of all time is understandable. His Pride exploits have already made Emelianenko into a legend, alongside other greats such as Couture, Coleman, Sakuraba, etc. The magnitude of the following of The Last Emperor is also impressive, to avoid stating exuberant. Thus, cooler heads don’t necessarily prevail when it comes time to frankly assess the Emperor’s latest outings.

Since the demise of Pride late in 2006, Emelianenko has faced a string of fighters that could best be described as second-tier, as all were cut from the UFC with the exception of Brett Rogers. With the exception of the Tim Sylvia fight, Emelianenko showed signs of weakness when faced with such opposition. Though he managed to KO both opponents, his conditioning seemed sub-par; his legs and chin were put to the test during the Arlovski and Rogers fights as it had rarely been in recent memory.

Much has been written about his ‘first’ memorable loss to Werdum back in June 2010, following a careless bulrush against his opponent after thinking he had effectively stunned the BRA BJJ specialist early in the first round. During an interview with MMA Fanhouse, Werdum candidly explained that he was stunned by how readily Emelianenko gave him submission options once the fight had hit the ground.

Is this to say the legend had a glaring grappling weakness exposed for the first time against Werdum? Fans who have seen Emelianenko’s Pride footage know this isn’t the case. It is more likely that his submission loss resulted from a lesson learnt from recent experience, wanting to avoid being hit and having to recuperate, as observed against Fujita, Arlosvski and Rogers, to reference the latter two fights again.

His boxing touch has remained the same. Emelianenko still throws very fast punches from the ground up, and actually appears lighter and more mobile than he used to be five years ago. On paper, the former champion should breeze by Silva and move on to the semifinals.

But Silva presents a few attributes that should be assessed with the greatest consideration by the Russian idol, namely his size, improved conditioning and BJJ skills. It is no secret that Silva’s curriculum isn’t as accomplished as his opponent’s. Nevertheless, Silva’s last three outings against Werdum (UD loss), Arlovski (UD win) and Kyle (TKO win) have shown the great strides made in his stand up game and his conditioning. Silva’s substantial size will also constitute a big advantage if the veteran BJJ practitioner is able to make Emelianenko carry some of it.

Although lines aren’t as disproportionate as they were for the Werdum vs. Emelianenko battle, where Werdum was an overwhelming underdog (+500), they appear at a discounted rate for Silva for this particular bout. It is likely that Silva’s skills and experience can provide another upset loss to the former great MMA champion and make for a handsome return.

Lines by Betus.com

For more texts and pics, check out the blog at www.mmazu.wordpress.com