On the rebound with a two-fight winning streak and with little left to prove, Fedor Emelianenko’s unassailable legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever received another boost.
No, it’s not another win inside the ring, as The Last Emperor’s next fight against a still-unnamed opponent is still two months away. Rather, it comes from Alistair Overeem’s failure of his drug test.
Just to refresh our memory on Overeem’s debacle, here are excerpts of Mike Whitman’s April 5, 2012 report on Sherdog.com:
Keith Kizer, Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) executive director, told Sherdog.com on Thursday that Overeem’s testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio was 14-to-1, more than double the allowable 6-to-1 ratio. […]
The former Strikeforce heavyweight champion may request that his B-sample be tested, but Kizer told Sherdog that Overeem has not contacted the commission as of yet. […]
The Dutchman ran through Lesnar in that [UFC 141] bout…It is currently unknown if that result will be affected by Overeem’s recent positive test.
Last April 9, Overeem was reported to have applied for his fighting license in the State of Nevada, but he has still not requested the NAC to test his B-sample.
Mark Hunt, who is fast becoming a hot replacement prospect in place of Overeem in the fight versus Junior Dos Santos, has already stated that, “Everything that Alistair has done is meaningless now.”
And Hunt is definitely not alone aboard this punitive train of thought. But, allow me to humbly contribute in dousing, in my own little way, the fiery words and thoughts cast at Overeem.
Let us not forget that he may and can still request for the testing of his B-sample. And in case the results turn out clean when he does comply, he may still be absolved and allowed to fight Dos Santos.
Still, the court of public opinion is already irrevocably divided on the honesty and integrity of Overeem, and on all his accomplishments inside the ring.
Conversely, this same court should unanimously judge Emelianenko—with no evidence supporting the contrary—as a fighter who has achieved his greatness by dint of talent and honest hard work like any true sportsman concerned over his influence on the future generation of athletes should.
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