The debate over Fedor Emelianenko’s place in the heavyweight ranks has started to heat up as of late. Thanks to Dana White’s recent television appearance, more and more people are questioning “The Last Emperor’s” position in the heavyweight division.
As one of the most recognizable faces — and loudest voices — in mixed martial arts, White’s opinion on the Russian icon has become a view shared by both UFC devotees and an increasing number of critics. After a lengthy reign as the undisputed ruler of the heavyweight division, new challengers have emerged, leading many to wonder whether Emelianenko remains the best heavyweight.
In the next two weeks, both Emelianenko and White’s heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, will take to the cage. This could determine whether Emelianenko is still the best heavyweight in the game and give a clear indication of where Strikeforce stacks up against the biggest brand in the business.
For Emelianenko, his performance against Fabricio Werdum on Saturday will define his career. As unreasonable as that sounds, many fans weren’t around when Emelianenko was dominating an impressive heavyweight class in Pride. Wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman and “Minotauro” Nogueira are viewed in terms of the fighters those men are today, and not the threats they were then, and that is what makes this fight with Werdum all the more important.
Regardless of his accolades, impressive resume and standing as a top 20 heavyweight, most fans know Werdum as the fighter sent packing from the UFC by a vicious uppercut from a then-unknown Junior dos Santos. With “Cigano” currently sitting third or fourth on the contender depth chart in the UFC, anything short of a thrashing of Werdum will be viewed as evidence that Emelianenko has abdicated the throne reserved for the best heavyweight in the sport.
While Strikeforce has developed a few of their own stars and found gems without UFC ties, many of their marquee names are guys who have been released by the UFC. Though Emelianenko isn’t one of them, Werdum is. If Strikeforce’s biggest star cannot put forth a performance superior to the one dos Santos delivered against Werdum, how can the Strikeforce stars be taken seriously?
As much as Strikeforce boss Scott Coker says he’s not interested in competing with White and the UFC, fight fans and critics are never going to listen. These are the two biggest organizations in the business and they will forever be put up against one another, whether Coker likes it or not. What complicates matters more is the guarantees that come with a Lesnar fight.
One of the most polarizing fighters in the sport, Lesnar is sure to bring in a big audience; some people love him, some people hate him, but either way, they pay to watch him step into the cage. Despite his track record of success, Emelianenko can’t say the same thing. Dude is pay-per-view poison.
For the most part, you can also expect an explosive performance from the UFC heavyweight champion. In his debut, he came out of the gate firing, flattening Frank Mir before succumbing to a first-round kneebar. He hammered Heath Herring for 15 minutes, and while his contest with Randy Couture wasn’t nearly as explosive, his second showing against Mir more than made up for it.
While people have been jumping off the Emelianenko bandwagon in recent years, each Lesnar performance convinces more and more people that the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar is a legitimate mixed martial artist, and a lethal one at that.
A move to the UFC and a battle against Lesnar would be the only way to answer these questions definitively, but that isn’t happening any time soon. Actually, that isn’t happening anytime ever; Emelianenko won’t ever fight for White, which makes this the best we’re ever going to get.
These two fighters are moving in opposite directions, and their back-to-back bouts in back-to-back weekends could be the moment where they switch places on the heavyweight ladder. Emelianenko has remained on the top rung for quite some time, but his grip has never been as tenuous.
For Fedor and Strikeforce, a win isn’t going to be enough. He’s beaten everyone put before him over the last eight years, and that fact hasn’t been enough to keep him cemented atop of the heavyweight division. A solid performance against Fabricio Werdum can be trumped by Lesnar beating Shane Carwin seven days later. Carwin could even leapfrog Fedor to claim the top spot if he remains unbeaten and defeats Lesnar.
Even a win isn’t enough this time around.
Emelianenko needs a “Wow” moment; a performance not unlike his 36-second submission of Tim Sylvia, a beating that worked in the Russian’s favor opposite his then-UFC counterpart Randy Couture. While Couture took five rounds and 25 minutes to defeat “The Maine-iac,” Fedor finished him in less time than it took Nick Cage to steal a car.
He needs to do the same against Werdum or the criticisms will get louder and “The Last Emperor” will lose his place as the ruler of the heavyweight division.
