Fedor Emelianenko just about had it all. Everything but the big blue ox. He was an ice-veined wrecking machine from the cinematic-sounding Stary Oskol, Russia. As he destroyed one man after another, his blood never seemed to reach room temperature.
All that seems like a long time ago now. It seems like decades have passed since Fedor’s super-brainy brain trust got their kicks by dangling the champ in front of Dana White like a raw T-bone, only to yank it out of reach at the last moment—Lucy to his Charlie Brown.
But their T-bone is just another pound of hamburger now. After an insane 28-fight unbeaten streak, Emelianenko lost three straight. And the three he won before that—against Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers—look less impressive all the time. And those two straight wins in late 2011 weren’t enough to fool anyone into thinking the old Fedor was back.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those guys who thinks Emelianenko’s recent string proves he was never equal to the hype. Judging him on his recent exploits is like judging Michael Jordan based on what he did with the Washington Wizards. But still, facts are facts. Fedor is 35, highly grizzled and highly past his peak.
To the surprise of no one, the UFC is relishing its newly strong hand at the bargaining table, insisting a deal will never happen. And hey, maybe it won’t, especially since Fedor doesn’t appear to stack up well against the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division. But he could still slot in somewhere.
Here are five guys I think he could almost definitely certainly probably beat in the Octagon.