By Joe Ferraro
When Fedor Emelianenko submitted to Fabricio Werdum’s dual submission attempt at Strikeforce on Saturday night, it ended one era, while simultaneously commencing another.
Similar to my original prediction of Werdum defeating “The Last Emperor”, I can just imagine the (same) amount of heat I will take for saying what I’m about to say. Such is the passionate, emotional and very vocal fan base that makes up the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. With that being said, I’m going to say it (all) anyway.
Today, and until we see the final result between the UFC 116 main event between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum is, according to my own personal rankings, the number one heavyweight in the world. By defeating Fedor, who has been number one on my list since 2003, he automatically earns the label as the top heavyweight in the game.
This is similar to when Matt Serra defeated Georges St-Pierre and when Frankie Edgar defeated BJ Penn. When you beat the man, you become the man, but similar to Serra and maybe Edgar, this distinction can only last for a specific period of time.
Werdum may have jumped from number seven on my list to number one, but come Sunday night, it will all change. The winner of Lesnar/Carwin will be my number one, and depending on the performance, the loser may be my number two, leaving Werdum at the very minimum, my number three. Rankings are subjective in nature, so you may disagree, but like many MMA fans, losing your marbles over it is silly. In fact, it’s almost comical.
Fedor, as we speak, is my number two, but may fall as low as number four after UFC 116. Pardon me as I dodge the vast amounts of verbal hatred right now.
With “The Last Emperor’s” era at the top of the division now over, we are in a seven day transition period that will see Werdum, a non-UFC based fighter hold fort, until the UFC’s Heavyweight straps are unified by either Lesnar or Carwin. Once that occurs, the new era of MMA Rankings will begin, one which may never end, and lay the final foundation for rankings as we know them.
Come Sunday July 04th, 2010, AND for the first time ever, the top of nearly every weight class will be a Zuffa ( UFC and/or WEC ) champion. Gone will be the days of any non-Zuffa contracted fighter ever making the top of a consensus rankings database. To say otherwise, would simply be holding on to traditional MMA values and not acknowledge the evolution of the sport.
Fedor’s career and number one rankings will likely never be duplicated. He is the greatest heavyweight of all time, but with the loss to Werdum, and the countless, yet real debate over his recent lack of top quality opposition aside, he will forever be known as “the man” in my books. For the “Russian Cyborg” to reach the top again, he will have to look in the mirror to make changes.
If I could convince him of what to do, I would say the obvious first: try and avenge the loss to Werdum as soon as possible. While I picked Werdum to win the first time, I do pick Fedor to win in a rematch. Problem is, does this mean a trilogy bout is warranted? I’ll wait to give my thoughts on that, pending the result of a rematch, should that bout happen.
To my knowledge, Werdum fought the last fight on his contract, and I have had a few sources tell me that the UFC will be courting him soon, in hopes to draw him back to the octagon, while teaming up with the Brazilian to bait Fedor to the big show, in hopes of somehow having the rematch on a UFC pay per view. While I still believe Fedor will likely never fight in the octagon, ever, “never say never” is a common adage in MMA, but alas, I’ll believe it when I see it.
If Fedor does want to further solidify is already immaculate legacy, he must, at the very least, avenge his loss to Werdum, defeat Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem, then compete and defeat the best in the heavyweight class – that of which all resides in the UFC. While it’s only a dream many of us MMA die-hards share, the odds of it becoming a reality are not very good.
The heavyweight class is filled with young, hungry lions named Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. At the top are Lesnar and Carwin. In total, when you add Werdum and Overeem, that’s six potential fights for Fedor right there. If he was to fight three times a year, it would take him to the tender age of 35.
Now here’s where the real lunacy begins – and again, adjust your scopes accordingly prior to shooting me down. While this is not my idea, it is one that has peaked my interest and one I cannot help but salivate over.
Fedor’s physique has often been labelled as pudgy. There are those that say his spare tire does not do him justice. He weighed in at 229 lbs for his bout vs Werdum. “The Last Emperor” has long been considered a small heavyweight, yet has had the skills to destroy much larger man. With that said, can he do that to the monsters known as Lesnar and Carwin? Perhaps so, but what Fedor may want to consider, is taking a look at what he has in common with the likes of Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Tito Ortiz, Mauricio Shogun Rua, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva and Quinton Rampage Jackson.
All of these fighters walk around at the same weight as Fedor, but they cut down to compete in the light heavyweight class of 205 lbs. Yes, you know exactly where I’m going here.
There is no difference with Fedor and any of these guys, other than the choice to compete in a lower weight class. Fedor can do it, no ifs, ands or buts. Can you imagine the multitude of bouts he could have against some of the LHW talent? Heck, do it after a run in the heavyweight class. He’s still young enough to do so, and especially if he chooses to be as active as possible.
Then again, the living MMA legend really has nothing to prove, so if he rides off into the proverbial sunset, he gets two thumbs up from me. But, if he has an epiphany, perhaps Fedor 2.0 era may prove to be a better, than the one that ended in San Jose, last Saturday night.
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