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Opinion & Analysis
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Staff Editorials
JARSULIC COLUMN: Competition Stronger Outside the UFC for Fedor Emelianenko
By Mike Jarsulic, MMATorch Columnist
Apr 12, 2008, 08:01
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Earlier this week, it was announced that Fedor Emelianenko would face Tim Sylvia this summer in Dallas, Texas. For Emelianenko, it will be his first real test against top competition since defeating Mirko Filipovic in August 2005. In the past two years, Emelianenko has picked up wins against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mark Coleman, K-1 World Grand Prix Champion Mark Hunt, Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, and Hong Man Choi. While none of these opponents were ranked in the heavyweight division, Emelianenko made short work of each to pick up a submission victory. However, his status of the number one heavyweight in the world has been questioned by fans due to long periods of inactivity, the lack of fighting a ranked heavyweight, and the refusal to sign with the UFC.
Over the past year, there has been a general belief among both fans and media that Fedor Emelianenko could only face top competition if he signed with the UFC. After negotiations fell apart, I started to hear a lot of talk that Emelianenko was ducking the tough competition. While it may have looked like he was taking the easy road at that moment in time, no one could really know what the landscape of MMA would look like in the near future. At the time, the only other ranked heavyweight not signed with the UFC was Josh Barnett. Both Emelianenko and Barnett were top heavyweights in Pride, but had never met in the ring. Shortly after Emelianenko signed with M-1, UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture quit the promotion over monetary issues and should be free of his contract by October. Earlier this year, Tim Sylvia and Mirko Filipovic were both released from their UFC contracts. It also looks like Andrei Arlovski will follow in their footsteps.
Currently, the UFC offers Fedor Emelianenko much less in terms of competition than he could find outside the promotion. The current interim champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, was dominated in both their fights. Heath Herring was beat up by Emelianenko back in 2002. Cheick Kongo is pathetic on the ground and would not offer much competition. Frank Mir has been inconsistent since returning from a motorcycle accident and never had the endurance for a fight going past the first round. Fabricio Werdum is similar in style to Nogueria and would have difficulty with Emelianenko's ground and pound. After two straight losses, it does not seem like Gabriel Gonzaga wants to fight anyone that is willing to hit him back. Brock Lesnar is way too green and would be submitted quickly. In other words, the current landscape of the heavyweight division in the UFC would not offer much in terms of competition to Emelianenko.
With the majority of heavyweight competition having left the UFC in recent months, it is apparent that Fedor Emelianenko's refusal to sign with the promotion could lead to a lot more interesting matchups than he would have faced in the decimated UFC Heavyweight Division. I, for one, would much rather see Emelianenko take on Tim Sylvia over anyone that is currently in the UFC. While Fedor Emelianenko has not faced the greatest competition in the past two years, he has still stayed active enough to make it impossible to argue that he is not the best heavyweight in the world. It looks as though he will get the chance to prove it in the very near future.
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