What If Fedor Emelianenko Lost To Josh Barnett At Affliction 3?
by Kelvin Hunt on Jul 15, 2009 5:25 PM EDT
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PrintMy dad and I were talking on Sunday about the whole UFC 100, Brock Lesnar, Fedor Emelianenko saga and he mentioned something I hadn't really thought of. He said, "You know, if Josh Barnett beats Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction 3 all of this stuff would just go away." I was like what do you mean? I'm paraphrasing but this was essentially his point:
Basically, most MMA fans want to see Fedor come to the UFC point blank period. The odds of that happening are slim to none though, (especially considering the latest video interview). There's this mystique about Fedor that's marketable in that up to this point you really could argue that he's the best fighter we've ever seen in our lifetime. The UFC could market him that way, and they have all that PRIDE footage to use at their disposal. This is the only way they could market him. However, if he were to ever lose before coming to the UFC, Dana White and company would probably lose all interest in pursuing him further. Which would pretty much end the whole Fedor coming to the UFC debacle.
I hadn't really thought about that as I'm always caught up in the argument that I just wished he was in the UFC. I mean I don't think him losing would erase all of the incredible things he has done, but depending on how he lost it could do major damage to his stock. Which would be akin to what happened to Tyson after the Douglas loss. The UFC doesn't need him, and Fedor doesn't really need the UFC in the grand scheme of things. He'll always have his die-hard fans that think he's more invincible than Chuck Norris, and the UFC will always have its supporters. I'm at the point now that I've pretty much made up my mind that Fedor in the UFC is never going to happen. This means we'll always have to put up with the hypothetical, fantasy match ups in which fans of Emelianenko and Lesnar duke it out in an endless battle. Then I thought to myself, if Josh Barnett defeats Fedor wouldn't that pretty much end it all in regards to all the Fedor needs to come to the UFC talk etc?
If Fedor loses before fighting in the UFC, would Zuffa still pursue him? How many of you have gotten to the point of you just don't care if Fedor ever fights in the UFC? Do you secretly hope that Josh Barnett defeats Fedor at Affliction 3? Build with me here.
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For a couple years now, my friends, brothers, etc – have been discussing who can beat Fedor, and stylistically, we agreed that Josh Barnett had a better shot than most guys in PRIDE, but unfortunately the bout never happened.
For me, this is the next best thing to seeing Fedor fight top competition in the UFC, though a DISTANT next best. Josh Barnett is still a viable competitor and opponent for Fedor, but many still think Barnett’s best days are behind him. I for one wouldn’t count him out.
Do I secretly hope that Barnett beats Fedor? No. Am I rooting for Fedor? Not really. I’m a Fedor fan but I don’t even know if I’m gonna order Affliction 3. The way I feel about Affliction at this point is that they are steadily sinking and all of Trump’s money couldn’t build them into a viable MMA promotion that could compete with the UFC – EVER.
What I really want is to see Fedor and the UFC come to some kind of agreement. The likelihood is very small at this point, and some remarkable negotiating would have to go on between Fedor’s people and Zuffa for any deal to happen. Zuffa has little interest in cutting Fedor some kind of special deal, and Fedor is unlikely to sign an exclusive deal.
Result? We will probably never see Fedor in the Octagon, and it’s too bad, because IF he is indeed the world’s greatest MMA fighter, he’ll never get to prove it definitively against guts like Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, or Josh Barnett. But apparently his legacy isn’t on his high list of priorities, according to his interview with Bas Rutten.
I’d like to see Fedor in the UFC as much as the next guy but you’re 100% right that the UFC doesn’t need him. Even if Fedor never loses again (or rarely fights again, for that matter), the window of opportunity for him competing at the highest level is closing. Time is on Zuffa’s side. The next generation of heavyweight talent is rapidly approaching. Tick tock, Mr. Emelianenko.
Indeed
the window of opportunity for him competing at the highest level is closing
it’s closing very fast….if he lost now it would almost be like some people would make an excuse for it…like..’the PRIDE Fedor would have crushed him"…lol…
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oh yeah
he’s got a built in excuse by his fans, just like nog. j/k-kinda. :) fedor would never make an excuse and i would be willing to take fedor alot more seriously if he would just meet with dana and or the fertittas IN PERSON (preferably the fertittas, for the fedor fans sake). i can remember reading an article in an mma mag about big nog and how he came about signing with zuffa. he was very reluctant at 1rst, but his good friend and already signed fighter, a.silva, told him to meet with them in person over dinner and that dana and co. promised that they wouldn’t even discuss business, they would just all be casual. they didn’t and that blew big nog away and he eventually signed. all the old former pride stars are very happy with zuffa and the ufc and have the same contract that they are offering fedor, except alot less money and an even more lienient one imo.(believe it or not). lorenzo just recently said he would work out a way to fit sambo in, but fedor would of course have to sign exclusively with no co-promoting, (no sense rehashing that, b/c everyone knows the jist of it.)
know back to the topic. it wouldn’t be the same to me if josh won and i don’t think dana would pursue him to hard, and i have never like barnett and have always had some sort of admiration for fedor (join the crowd) and there’s no way i can make myself root for josh over fedor (same as tim/fedor, never could stand tim and loled when fedor destroyed him). personally i dont see where it would kill fedor to sign a 3 year 4 -5 fight contract, with a huge signing bonus and be allowed to do sambo with a certain amount of notice. why would thet treat fedor worse than any other former pride vet? if anything, they would treat him better. he just doesn’t know all the facts due to finklstien? or maybee he does and just doen’t care. he still doesn’t need the ufc and probably never will financially. he also doen’t need them now foe his legacy, but who knows with the sports growth, 5-10 years from know, mma could be mainstream, or as close to it as they will ever get, and fedor will be a what if? type fighter except to the hardcore of today.
personally, the only way i see josh having a chance to win is if fedor carries him or takes him lightly and josh gets lucky. but that’s not exactly fedor’s forte though is it? sorry about being so long winded, this is the most iv’e typed in months. whew!
Why is closing any faster for Fedor than it is Brock?? The are both 32.
by jsjujitsudude on Jul 15, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Why is the window closing any faster for Fedor than it is Brock?? The are both 32.
by jsjujitsudude on Jul 15, 2009 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
One has lots more mileage on him (30 plus professional fights and intense training camps) than the other.
This
One has lots more mileage on him (30 plus professional fights and intense training camps) than the other.
Plus…how much longer does he really want to fight anyways? He’s only been fighting like 1-2 times per year for the past 3-4 years or so.
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true
but you can’t count out all the wwe mileage that brock went through. i know it’s fake, but all that getting hit over the head with a chair, boards, tables etc, doing moonsaults off the top rope and being on the road so much probably took quite a toll on brock as well. plus fedor never really took a beating (like nog) he always adminsterd them. :)
fedor lost me as a fan when he started fighting once a year…for shows smaller than the biggest show available….make money fighting in the ufc, or tap out affliction’s bank account….then what? a champion, a legend fights, especially in his prime. Fedor don’t want no part of the wrestling strength in the UFC right now. period. if he thought he could clean house easy like he did in pride, he’d take an easy paycheck. he doesn’t see an easy paycheck – MATT LINDLAND A 185’er Took him down until he grabbed the ropes (cheated) and switched over to the armbar…you think brock or cain or carwin couldn’t get him down, especially in a cage? i’m beginning to have my doubts, which i never thought would happen until he took forever between fights….he’s only fighting barnett b/c he’s the only semi-believable match-up affliction has.
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by theworldsoldestsport on Jul 15, 2009 9:10 PM EDT reply actions
Good pts.
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by Kelvin Hunt on Jul 15, 2009 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions
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