Saturday night was insanity. The only sporting moment that I can remember coming close to the pure shock of Fedor Emelianenko’s loss to Fabricio Werdum was when Mike Tyson got knocked out by Buster Douglas. The supposed baddest man on the planet took on a respectable foe, but not one given a real chance by most fans and experts, and was knocked from his throne. Read Less
It feels like a slight to Werdum, but the real story in the wake of the fight is what happens next for Fedor. This is a man who ruled the heavyweight starting with his shocking destruction of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE 25 (March 16, 2003) with no one making a legitimate run at his No. 1 spot.
And that is the difference between combat sports (boxing, MMA, kickboxing) and other sports, you expect losses in football, baseball or basketball. You don’t expect professional sports teams to go undefeated for a season let alone ten seasons, you don’t expect Nadal or Federer to go 10 years without a loss and you don’t expect Tiger Woods to win every tournament he enters in a decade.
This unbelievable run is what made Fedor special. It is also what made him a man who was able to get away with his management making outrageous demands or renegotiating contracts after only one fight. Being so clearly the unstoppable No. 1 in the world meant that he did not have to give in to the bully tactics of Dana White and the UFC. Fedor was a man making his own rules, and will likely be the last man that is able to do so while having an honest claim to being the best fighter in the world.
So now that he was forced to submit to a Fabricio Werdum triangle choke, where does this leave Fedor? Sure, a fight like Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko loses a little bit of steam with Fedor not being in that same top spot, but the chances of actually seeing it probably increased greatly with his loss. I think Fedor is done and to be completely honest about it he hasnt fought anyone lately and I think he should hang’em up. Fedor’s worst mistake of his life and career was to not come into the UFC.