Tag: Fabricio Werdum

Dana White: After Loss, We Have No Interest in Fedor Emelianenko

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsLAS VEGAS — For a time, Russian MMA heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko was UFC President Dana White’s obsession. Negotiations ensued, wild money figures were thrown about, and the flirtation ended short of consummati…

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Fedor EmelianenkoLAS VEGAS — For a time, Russian MMA heavyweight star Fedor Emelianenko was UFC President Dana White‘s obsession. Negotiations ensued, wild money figures were thrown about, and the flirtation ended short of consummation.

But the love story that never was will forever remain unrequited, it seems. White says that after Emelianenko lost to Fabricio Werdum last Saturday night in a Strikeforce show, any interest in him is gone for good.

“I’m not interested,” White said after a UFC 116 press conference. “Listen, how many times have you seen us sign a guy when he just loses in another promotion, you know? Oh, the guy just lost in Strikeforce, let’s sign him!”

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.

The Potato Index — ‘Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum’ Edition

(Okay Cung, you got your revenge on Scott Smith. We all saw it. There’s no need to rub it in by levitating. Photo courtesy of the "Fedor vs. Werdum Photos" gallery on MMAFighting.com.)
The Potato Index has been chewing its nails and tapping…

Cung Le Scott Smith Strikeforce
(Okay Cung, you got your revenge on Scott Smith. We all saw it. There’s no need to rub it in by levitating. Photo courtesy of the "Fedor vs. Werdum Photos" gallery on MMAFighting.com.)

The Potato Index has been chewing its nails and tapping its feet since Saturday night, just waiting for the chance to throw out some arbitrary numerical rankings at Fedor vs. Werdum. And now, the moment has arrived. Don’t mess it up, Potato Index. Please, for the love of God, act like you’ve been there before.

Fabricio Werdum +1,089
Any time you can accomplish something that’s never been done before, it’s a good day. Werdum stopped an unbeatable legend — quickly, we might add — and brought some glory back to BJJ. No matter what happens next in his career, Vai Cavalo will go down in history. And honestly, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Look how happy he is!

Fedor Emelianeko -113 
Fedor’s fight instincts are what set him apart from mere mortals, and have gotten him out of many a jam during his career, but they failed him on Saturday. He thought he had Werdum hurt and went in for the kill, but Werdum was playing possum, and seized on his first opportunity to hit the mat. Fedor could have played it safe against a superior grappler — he could have let Fabricio up so he could slug him some more — but that’s not what Fedor does, and that’s not why we love him. The loss only proves that Emelianenko is not literally invincible. It doesn’t affect his status as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin +99, each
I know, these guys weren’t even at the show. But now their fight at UFC 116 will determine the #1 heavyweight fighter in the world on most ranking lists, simply by default. Next step: Unifying the WAMMA title.

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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.”

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.

Alistair Overeem Says Fedor is a “Little Bit Out of the Picture”

Many MMA fans continue to try to make sense of the sport’s landscape, just two days removed from Fedor Emelianenko’s stunning loss to Fabricio Werdum. Fedor’s first defeat in a decade just wasn’t supposed to happen; not against Werdum, despite the Brazilian’s ever increasing abilities. Really, when you think about it, Fedor was kind of […]

alistair overeem

Many MMA fans continue to try to make sense of the sport’s landscape, just two days removed from Fedor Emelianenko’s stunning loss to Fabricio Werdum. Fedor’s first defeat in a decade just wasn’t supposed to happen; not against Werdum, despite the Brazilian’s ever increasing abilities. Really, when you think about it, Fedor was kind of effed with this fight either way. If he won, Fedor’s critics would say all he had done was beat a guy that got bombed out by Junior Dos Santos. Someone, “The Last Emperor” could have elected to fight, if he hadn’t ‘dodged’ tough competition in the UFC…But, Fedor lost, so here’s more on the flip side of that undesirable coin…

For many of Fedor’s critics, Saturday’s result was likely proof that the Russian legend’s reign as the world’s #1 P4P fighter has long been over (beating Hong Man Choi just didn’t do it for a lot of people…). Of course Alistair Overeem was also adversely affected by Saturday’s result, as now the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion may never face Emelianenko, in what could have been the promotion’s biggest fight to date. Speaking to Sherdog.com, the Dutchman had this to say, when asked about Fedor’s future:

“Fedor’s a little bit out of the picture,” said Overeem. “He has one more fight on his (Strikeforce) contract and I don’t know against who he’ll fight. He might retire after that anyway. He might retire now. He’s the X-factor.”

Out of the picture huh? Not surprising considering Overeem also claims that Fedor turned down a fight with him in May. MMA is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ sport, but, we’re thinking Fedor still has some big wins in him yet. Check out the entire Overeem interview here.