Author: Ben Fowlkes

Your Guide to Coping With Fedor Fans After Shocking Loss

Filed under: StrikeforceThe way some MMA fans have reacted to Fedor Emelianenko’s upset loss to Fabricio Werdum, you’d think he was kin. You know who these people are. They’re the ones still moping around the house wearing the Fedor t-shirt they made t…

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The way some MMA fans have reacted to Fedor Emelianenko‘s upset loss to Fabricio Werdum, you’d think he was kin. You know who these people are. They’re the ones still moping around the house wearing the Fedor t-shirt they made themselves at the mall. Maybe they’re even staying up all night drinking Mountain Dew and re-watching the fight over and over again on YouTube while writing in their journals.

In short, they’re taking the loss a lot harder than Fedor probably is, which is weird and a little pathetic.

What it’s not, however, is terribly unusual for MMA’s passionate fan base. When people identify so intensely with a particular fighter, it’s normal for them to feel almost as if their own fates are bound up in that fighter’s victories and defeats. Maybe it’s not terribly healthy, but neither is all that Mountain Dew.

Shane Carwin: ‘One of Us Will Need Help Leaving the Octagon’ at UFC 116

Filed under: UFCShane Carwin may not be doing an all-out media blitz in advance of his heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 116, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still available to his fans. He communicates with them regularly on his websi…

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Shane Carwin may not be doing an all-out media blitz in advance of his heavyweight title fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 116, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still available to his fans. He communicates with them regularly on his website, Shane-Carwin.com, and even recently posted his salary information for the upcoming title fight. Judging by their reactions online and on Twitter, they reward this accessibility with a fierce loyalty.

But to find out what’s going through his head as he prepares to take on Lesnar in what may now be a bout to determine not only the UFC champ, but also MMA’s No. 1 overall heavyweight. MMA Fighting reached out to Carwin over e-mail and got a few interesting responses about where he sees himself in the UFC hierarchy, and what he thinks of Lesnar’s take on MMA greats like Fedor Emelianenko.

The full interview is below.

Fabricio Werdum Dethrones Top Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko

Filed under: StrikeforceSAN JOSE, Calif. – Almost every underdog swears he’s going to shock the world. At the HP Pavilion on Saturday night, Fabricio Werdum actually did it.

The former jiu-jitsu world champion rebounded from early trouble against MMA …

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SAN JOSE, Calif. – Almost every underdog swears he’s going to shock the world. At the HP Pavilion on Saturday night, Fabricio Werdum actually did it.

The former jiu-jitsu world champion rebounded from early trouble against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko in the Strikeforce main event to secure a first-round submission victory over the Russian who has dominated the heavyweight rankings, pulling off an improbable upset in front of a crowd of 12,698 shocked fans.

“This is the happiest day of my life,” said Werdum, who continued to call Emelianenko the greatest heavyweight in the world even after the win. “I waited for this fight my whole life.”

Frank Shamrock on Retirement: ‘I Cried Every Morning for Two Weeks Over This’

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsSaturday night’s Strikeforce event in San Jose saw one MMA legend fall while another announced that he was hanging up the gloves for good. At 37 years old, and after a career that spanned 15 years, an e…

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Saturday night’s Strikeforce event in San Jose saw one MMA legend fall while another announced that he was hanging up the gloves for good. At 37 years old, and after a career that spanned 15 years, an emotional Frank Shamrock declared that his time as a fighter had reached its end.

Yesterday MMA Fighting spoke with Shamrock to find out how he arrived at this conclusion, and what’s next for “The Legend.”

Falling Action: Best and Worst of Strikeforce – Fedor vs. Werdum

Filed under: StrikeforceAs Fedor Emelianenko gave his customarily muted, stoic remarks at Saturday night’s post-fight press conference — his attitude is almost exactly the same in defeat as in victory, it turns out — the party was already underway ou…

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As Fedor Emelianenko gave his customarily muted, stoic remarks at Saturday night’s post-fight press conference — his attitude is almost exactly the same in defeat as in victory, it turns out — the party was already underway out in the hallway.

Fabricio Werdum and his team of exuberant Brazilians turned the backstage area of the HP Pavilion into their own private Carnival, and the sound of their cheering almost drowned out Emelianenko’s brief responses.

They danced. They sang. They even got Forrest “Ghost Dog” Whitaker in on the act. When they returned to their hotel, they did a Gracie-train into the bar. In other words, they had an awesome time. Just imagine how crazy you’d go if somehow you made Fedor tap out in 69 seconds. Then multiply it by five or six very vocal Brazilians.

MMA Wrap-Up Takes on Fedor’s Loss, Werdum’s Triumph

Filed under: Strikeforce, VideosWell, that’s the last time I try to think ahead and write my MMA Wrap-Up scripts before the fights actually happen. I wasted five hours (okay, that included a break to watch four episodes of “Law & Order”) writing a …

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Well, that’s the last time I try to think ahead and write my MMA Wrap-Up scripts before the fights actually happen. I wasted five hours (okay, that included a break to watch four episodes of “Law & Order”) writing a poem in tribute to Fedor Emelianenko‘s continued dominance, only to have it ruined by Fabricio Werdum and his pesky submission skills. And after I worked so hard to think of words that rhymed with Emelianenko.

Never fear, though. The Wrap-Up is back to deliver all the MMA commentary you need, yet without subjecting you to the tedium of reading about it. In this episode we explore what it means for the world of MMA now that “The Last Emperor” has been knocked off his throne, and what the potential consequences will be for Strikeforce, M-1 Global, and even the UFC.

All that, and in less time than it takes to make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Trust me, I timed it. The full video is below.