.jpg?1304374132)
A lot has been made recently of Fedor Emelianenko’s decision to once again rebuff the overtures of the UFC in favor of signing a contract with the smaller, lower profile Strikeforce promotion.
Many have questioned why Emelianenko – the consensus pick as the best heavyweight fighter of all time – would choose a lesser pond in which to ply his trade over the riches and fame offered by the world’s largest MMA promotion. Internet commentators have wondered aloud about Fedor’s heart and whether M-1 Global, the management company that currently represents the former PRIDE and current WAMMA heavyweight champion, is just too crazy, stupid or stubborn to let him compete in the Octagon.
In his characteristically bombastic way, UFC president Dana White has even insinuated that the Russian fighter is a fraud and a coward for turning down the UFC’s repeated proffers. White repeatedly asserts Fedor’s unwillingness to fight for his company as evidence that the fighter has no business being considered among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the word.
In response, Emelianenko and his management contend that the UFC’s last, best offer to their fighter was not good enough. It was nowhere near the rumored six-fight, $30 million that has been reported in the press, they say.
A common theme in the criticism leveled at Emelianenko regards a perceived lack of competition for him in Strikeforce. Some have implied that Fedor didn’t have the guts to pony up and fight Brock Lesnar in the Octagon.
What’s the truth? We may never know. What is important now is that Emelianenko now has a fight with up-and-coming star Brett Rogers scheduled for October or November and – in a weird way – fighting in Strikeforce may put more pressure on him than fighting in the UFC.
Think about it this way: Nobody expects the relatively one-dimensional, relatively green
If Rogers should somehow slip a bomb through Fedor’s defenses and pull off an upset victory, it will be nothing short of a disaster for the fighter who’s built an almost mythical reputation in piling up 30 wins and only one defeat (on cuts) during his nine year career.
A loss to a Strikeforce heavyweight is something Emelianenko’s legendary status could never recover from and even appearing fallible en route to a win would put the MMA media aflutter about his age, his lack of recent competition and his overall overratedness.
Contrast that with the typical UFC experience, where nearly every highly touted fighter to cross the border from a different organization has encountered a setback on the way to the top. On one hand, if Fedor mopped the floor with Lesnar in his Octagon debut, it would only enhance his celebrity. On the other, if he somehow lost to the gargantuan American wrestler, there would be a host of commentators lining up to blame it on “Octagon jitters” or ring rust or some other unseen malady.
Put simply, Emelianenko has to win and win big in Strikeforce. Anything else will be considered a failure.
For a guy who has never failed during his MMA career, those seem like high stakes indeed.
