Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Was Fedor Emelianenko's loss to Dan Henderson last Saturday his final fight? Should he retire? Hansen, Hyden, Amadi, Hobaugh, Marsh, Penick and Pelkey
Aug 3, 2011 - 6:00:52 PM ROUNDTABLE: Was Fedor Emelianenko's loss to Dan Henderson last Saturday his final fight? Should he retire? Hansen, Hyden, Amadi, Hobaugh, Marsh, Penick and Pelkey

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Was Saturday night the last time Fedor Emelianenko will fight? Do you think he should retire following his third consecutive loss? 

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Someone somewhere will pay an assload of rubles for Fedor to fight, so Fedor's going to fight again.  There's no reason whatsoever for him to retire, nor do I feel comfortable playing the role of arbiter of his future.  I would feel more comfortable with his future prospects if he got involved with a real fight camp, instead of the current group of lackeys he deals with right now.  As B.J. Penn would be too oblivious to tell you, if you build a camp designed only to help your own prospects, you aren't helping yourself because nobody will tell you what you don't want to hear.  But right now, there's no more reckless fighter in the sport than Fedor, and until he channels his natural poise into in-cage intelligence, he can't beat elite competition on a regular basis.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I'm always hesitant to say a fighter should retire, but now might be the right time. Fedor is most likely not going to make another title run so unless he's happy just fighting to fight, he should consider retiring. However, the nature of a lot of fighters means that he will fight at least once more. The eternal hope of "just one win" will spur Fedor on to fight again.

JASON AMADI, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Fedor Emelianenko has made no bones about the fact that he's a sportsman and that he fights for money, for his country, for his family, and for no other reason. Because of his success up until his recent skid, no one even bothered doing the whole "is he motivated" garbage, because he is the best heavyweight fighter of all time. Even after three straight losses, that's still the case, so really what does he have left to prove?

It's clear as day that "The Last Emperor" has seen better days, so what does anyone gain by seeing him fight again?

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I thought he should have retired after the Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva loss back in February. It is over. Any more losses or punishment is completely unnecessary. He is the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. He has a great legacy that the last three fights will not tarnish if he walks away now.

GRIFFIN MARSH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I seriously doubt his loss to Hendo is the last time we see him.  Though he's proven to be a bit of a flop, there's still name value there and he will undoubtably be swayed by the money.  Should he retire? Absolutely. He hadn't fought top competition since the mid 2000s, then fought three top ten fighters in a row, losing to all three. 

JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Fedor's not at a point in his career where continuing would be harmful to his health. He's not at the Chuck Liddell stage where he's suffered a number of vicious knockout losses, so if he wants to continue fighting there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. That said, I don't think it's likely that we'll see him in Strikeforce again. He and M-1 will still be of the belief that he's worth a certain dollar amount, and after falling off a bit recently and losing three straight fights, Zuffa is not going to pay him that type of money. They're also not likely to work with M-1 moving forward, so Fedor would have to sever ties with the organization he partially owns for it to even be a possibility. No one knows what his next move will be with any certainty, but I think it's probably likely we've seen the last of him in North America.

MATT PELKEY, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I wouldn't be shocked if we've seen Fedor fight for the last time, but let's not act like he's in the same situation Chuck Liddell was at the end of his career. Saturday night was the first time we've seen Fedor Emelianenko legitimately stopped by strikes in 30+ fights and 10+ years of competition. Yes, he was battered in his last fight against Antonio Silva, but he was never close to being knocked out. Let's not forget that Fedor is the golden goose of the M-1 Global promotion, so if there aren't concerns about his well being, I'd assume they can coax him into at least one more fight. Forced to choose one way or another, I'll guess that Fedor is given a chance to avenge his loss to Fabricio Werdum in his next outing. It's a safe fight for him, and it makes sense from a match-making perspective.