“Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes. What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making.”
Fedor Emelianenko, has been considered by many (but not all) as being the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last eight years (and yet, most people I talk to have never even heard of him).
Several mixed-martial arts publications and websites currently rank Fedor as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and many analysts, as well as former and current fighters, consider Fedor to be the greatest mixed-martial artist of all time (sorry…but that honour goes to Bruce Lee ).
Rumour has it even that Fedor once stubbed his big toe and wiped out the entire country of Kazakhstan in the process.
Oh wait…that was Chuck Norris .
My bad.
Either way, whether it’s just perception (which is nine-tenths of reality anyway) or fact, Fedor Emelianenko has earned the respect and admiration from his fans as the reigning king of MMA and nobody, not even the great UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, can take that away from him…or can he?
And speaking of Lesnar, what’s a guy gotta do to get a little respect around here?
After all, Lesnar does have a record of 4-1 inside of the Octagon (oh wait…that’s just one of the problems).
Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight championship with a record of only 3-1, while Fedor didn’t win his first championship (PRIDE) until he had a record of 13-1 (which included a win over Bobby Hoffman, who Fedor never actually fought, but still got credit for the win on his record).
It is clear that in order for Lesnar to gain the same level of respect and admiration that Fedor currently has, he is going to have to follow a very similar path to success by matching and eventually surpassing the achievements of “The Last Emperor.”
Lucky for Lesnar, I just so happen to have three suggestions that could potentially help him out.
Step One: Fight lots of “Tomato Cans” because many fight fans only respect large, unbeaten records
Unfortunately, it has gotten to be all about quantity in MMA—not quality.
I am starting to get a strong sense that MMA is going to be taking this page away from the boxing industry, which will become an unwelcomed trend that will affect the quality of all future fight cards (Bobby Lashley, anyone?).
Not saying that Fedor doesn’t have some quality wins on his record, such as a prime Nogueira and more recently, Brett Rogers , but let’s be perfectly honest fight fans—there are a lot of names on Fedor’s win record that only add to the conspiracy that has become Fedor’s success in MMA.
Lesnar may only have a few fights under his championship belt, but they are all impressive when you consider his inexperience in the sport and the dominant fashion in which they were all won.
Why Fedor ever fought Tim Silvia for his 30th in is beyond me.
How exactly does that secure and benefit his legacy in any way?
Step Two: Fight Fedor
“Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.”
Sorry, but I find it incredibly hard to believe that Fedor could beat Lesnar. This is a debate that has been raging on amongst hardcore, extremist MMA fans ever since the threat of Lesnar appeared on the horizon.
So why ruin the fun, right?
Fedor refuses to fight Lesnar, not because he is afraid of Lesnar, but because he has more to lose than adding a loss to his otherwise perfect record.
The myth, the man, the legend—all will get flushed once Lesnar destroys Fedor in such a way that it will make Mir’s decimation seem like foreplay.
If Lesnar doesn’t find a way to make this fight happen (hey Brock…hop on a plane and get your big ass over to Russia), he will forever live in Fedor’s shadow.
This must become Lesnar’s top priority No. 1, or he will absolutely regret it.
Fedor knows this.
Step Three: Stop stirring up so much controversy
“The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you.”
Some fans refuse to believe that Lesnar is as good as he is because they don’t like him as a person. They refuse to root for a guy who behaves so ignorantly.
Then again, Lesnar was never likely going to be fully accepted as a result of his involvement with the WWE anyway, so knowing this likely hasn’t helped Lesnar with that rather large chip on his shoulder.
Lesnar had a shot at redemption after he got sick, which from a public relations standpoint, almost never happens, and he absolutely blew it .
He had better start volunteering his time at the Sick Kids Hospital or something, because his whole attitude of not caring what the fans think, or whether or not they like him, will be something that he will look back on in his life with disappointment.
I know I initially stated three suggestions, but this one is for sure the most complicated.
There is no easy solution for Lesnar’s ailing relationship with the fans, especially for a champion who publicly appears to care less.
Yikes.
I just hope that at the end of their careers, we will remember these two men as they are, instead of how we wanted (or needed) them to be.
By my standards, Fedor is a simply a better “champion” than Lesnar, and that has nothing to do with wins and losses.
Respect. Honour. Attitude.
These are my opinions. If you don’t like them…I have others. More from James Ryan can be found at www.mrjamesryan.com
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Marc
Wow… ok, lets start with
Step 1) “Why Fedor ever fought Tim Silvia for his 30th in is beyond me” You obviously miss the point completely. Fedor is a world fighter, not just a USA fighter like UFC is. When the world found out about Fedor, they wanted to test him in every way, by putting him against the best in every division, Tall guys, fat guys, quick guys. He beat Cro Cop when he was considered a top 5 fighter, Coleman (1st UFC champion) a list of former UFC champs, Heath Hearing anyone? no one expected this no name Russian to win, it was a big upset to see hearing destroyed by a no name, Arlovski, a striking master, he’s fought Grappling Champions, Wrestling Champions, Ju-Jitsu Champions, Kickboxing Champions, Boxing Champions, dude these are NOT Tomato Cans! Just because they aren’t on Steroids and with flaming egos like people in UFC does NOT mean you can discredit these highly accomplished fighters.
Step 2) Slaying Fedor hasn’t been done, everyone says “oh yeah, this guy will beat him” and fedor knocks him out, then they say “oh this guy is stronger, he’ll beat him” and fedor armbars the mo fo. It’s a tale been told over and over again. Fedor has mastered his techniques, brock is still new, he has many many flaws that you can see when watching his fights, yes he has power but power can only take you so far, fedor is the opposite of brock in the sense that he can wiggle his way out of a tight situation, and use his sambo grips to lock down a power beast. “FEDOR REFUSES TO FIGHT BROCK” ?????? Fedor has invited brock to his own dojo to fight, for free . Fedor was just interviewed saying he would like to fight brock or lashley. He doesn’t talk crap, or say he’s number 1, he doesn’t do it for publicity or fame, he simply fights because it pays the bills and he loves it… to me that shows a true fighter.
admin
@Mark: I’m a huge Fedor fan and agree with your comments. When I saw him fight in Chicago it was amasing how many people travelled from all over the world to see him. I hope that soon everyone will know and respect what a truely awesome fighter he is.
Of course everyone has a puncher’s chance,. but against Brock,. I’d pick Fedor to win by KO, first round.
Sneaky Pete
Hey Marc,
You think you know so much and yet everything that you say is nothing short of uneducated assumptions and media regurgitations. Learn to have an opinion of your own and stop hugging Fedor’s nuts!!!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/348342-brock-lesnar-surpassing-fedors-mma-legacy-in-three-not-so-easy-steps
mike foley
I respect your right to state your opinion, and I like the topic, but the only chance Brock would ever have has an almost 100% relevance to his age advantage and nothing more. Brock is a newbie who has NOT earned the right to be discussed in the same sentence as Fedor in terms of greatness. He’s an interesting villain who will have the crap beaten out of him (literally) by Fedor, and I really look forward to it happening, and soon! If you really spend any time looking back through actual fights, you will see that Fedor is a phenomenon and Brock is a blow hard. It really compares to a Henderson (Fedor) versus a Bisping (Lesnar) and you can freakin’ bank on it brother.
israel
man this guy dosent know anything about MMA, how can u even put compare brock lesnard, to Fedor? u can’t Lesnar has gotten on top of a couple of fighters that where way smaller then him n punched them silly…Fedor has fought everybody who was anybody in MMA AT THEIR PRIME do your homework b4 u start writting silly things. Just because most people dont know Fedor that dosent make him any less of an athlete this is not the WWF or dancing with the stars…what the heck r u doing writting in here anyways? I guessing u r doing it for free but still do some research b4 u start typing n oh yeah? those words that u suppose to live by learn how to type them correctly ITS SPELLED HONOR NOT HONOUR…that is just one of the many missedspelling errors I seen on your articules…im not asking u to be smart or even how to type just learn how to use your spell check on the computer…please
James Ryan
Mike – To be the best ever, Brock has a very long way to go and may never get there. Do I think he could beat Fedor as of today? – yes I do, but unfortunately, guys like israel here, do not feel that I am entitled to my opinion, simply because I do not share his intelligent insight
Israel – Thanks for the spelling tip
very helpful LOL
Iran
Israel, we may not agree on a lot of things but this here we do. I don’t think Israel has issue with you having an opinion, James, but an informed opinion would be nice.
To even suggest Brock to be the best ever is so beyond reason it’s ridiculous.
A more accurate article would have been titled;
3 ways Brock Lesnar can prove he’s a legitimate MMAist and not just a big strong wrestler.
1. Square off against someone of equal size and strength and do to them what he does to those who are 30-40-50-60- lbs. lighter. Seriously, man, Randy was 225! Mir was 240! HH was 250! Lesnar fights at no less than 285, probably more.
2. Take on an elite level striker and prove he can either stand with him or that he can actually take the kinds of shots that Fedor has been taking his entire career, before taking the fight where he can win it.
3. Try to win a fight via anything other than take down, pin against the cage, hammer fist, rinse, wash, repeat.
Is this even a website or just something you made up to try and pass yourself off as a legitimate journalist?? Because it really looks like the second choice. LOL
And do yourself a big favor, man. Do NOT include articles from that fool from BR! I noticed on your profile page he’d be coming soon. Seriously, he’s a laughingstock!
James Ryan
LOL Careful, you might hurt my feelings
And thanks for checking out this new site.
Cheers
Ben Kirkland
If only more people could read this!
Ruth Jordan
If only I had a dime for each time I came here.. Superb read!
Adele Smith
You have done it once again! Superb post!
tony
lol, everybody saw the fight between Cain and Brock, he get demolished.
Fedor if he get demolished , canbe possible with his age will never rolling like a bith on the floor and stay in foetus position.
Brock is powerfull butyou also need skills and experiences to be the best….
It s notbrock fault, Dana white overhyped him….
respect brock for not fear to fight anybody.