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Petr Yan Reveals Why Compatriot Fedor Emelianenko Wasn’t His Idol

To Petr Yan, “The Last Emperor” was a legend, just not one that he admired as a young fighter. It’s no secret that Fedor Emelianenko holds a special place in the hearts of fans around the globe. So when one thinks of a young mixed martial artist from Russia, it seems a no-brainer that they […]

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To Petr Yan, “The Last Emperor” was a legend, just not one that he admired as a young fighter.

It’s no secret that Fedor Emelianenko holds a special place in the hearts of fans around the globe. So when one thinks of a young mixed martial artist from Russia, it seems a no-brainer that they would view “The Last Emperor” in high regard. Yet, that’s not exactly the case for former UFC champion, Petr Yan. In fact, Yan is unsure how to feel after the heavyweight legend’s most recent knockout victory.

“You know, Fedor is a legend of our sport. He is one of the best heavyweights, no doubt. (The fact that) he’s still competing, I have mixed feelings because it’s good that he’s promoting the sport, he’s doing good things for his team, he’s pushing his team. But also, our sport is very tough and dangerous, and you know, it’s dangerous to compete at this level at such an age,” Yan divulged on The MMA Hour.

Yan, 28, wasn’t much into MMA during Emelianenko’s legendary PRIDE run. But from an early age, a sport that attracted “No Mercy” was the sweet science. He would sneak off to train with his brothers and eventually earn the title of Master of Sport in Boxing. So while many future MMA stars grew up enthralled by Emelianenko, Yan names athletes such as Mike Tyson, Roy Jones Jr. and Gennady Golovkin as his inspiration.

“For me personally, he wasn’t my idol because at first I was into boxing. So I was looking up to some boxing athletes and when I switched to MMA, Fedor wasn’t already competing actively. So it’s not like I was looking up to him.”

Of course, Yan would move on to MMA and go far in the sport. He won the vacant UFC bantamweight title but lost it in his first defense after hitting Aljamain Sterling with an illegal knee. Yan was expected to rematch Sterling this weekend, but a lingering neck injury kept the champion from the bout. Instead, Yan will look to secure interim gold when he meets Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 267.

Continue Reading Petr Yan Reveals Why Compatriot Fedor Emelianenko Wasn’t His Idol at MMA News.

John McCarthy Says Cormier Made A “Huge Mistake” After Fedor Comments

“Big” John McCarthy took to his Weighing In podcast to defend Fedor Emelianenko from Daniel Cormier’s recent comments. Daniel Cormier whipped MMA social media into a frenzy when he claimed that Emelianenko would have been “average at best” in the UFC. This isn’t a new conversation; it’s been a hot topic of debate since the […]

Continue Reading John McCarthy Says Cormier Made A “Huge Mistake” After Fedor Comments at MMA News.

“Big” John McCarthy took to his Weighing In podcast to defend Fedor Emelianenko from Daniel Cormier’s recent comments.

Daniel Cormier whipped MMA social media into a frenzy when he claimed that Emelianenko would have been “average at best” in the UFC. This isn’t a new conversation; it’s been a hot topic of debate since the sambo expert was competing in PRIDE throughout the 2000s.

McCarthy, who has been around the sport since its inception in America, disagreed with Cormier’s analysis in his most recent podcast.

“Look, DC is making a huge mistake saying Fedor would have been average. People said that DC was going to be average too, he wasn’t average and Fedor wouldn’t have been average. He was right when he said Fedor would have come in and he would have wrecked Brock Lesnar. He would have wrecked him. Wouldn’t even have been close.”

Fedor Emelianenko walks away after finishing Frank Mir Image Credit: Bellator MMA

Better Than Average Against UFC Champions

The GOAT debate is as old as sport, but few fighters ignite the conversation like Emelianeko. The Russian heavyweight went undefeated for a decade, but many of his wins were against bottom-tier athletes. And while it’s fair to point out he fought the likes of Zuluzhino and Yuji Nagata, “The Last Emperor” also dispatched a prime Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, and multiple former UFC Champions, a fact McCarthy pointed out.

“Out of 10 fights against UFC champions, heavyweight champions, he was 8-1-1. Yeah, that’s a guy who’s gonna do average [in the UFC]. Stop. You’re just sounding like you’re being a homer for the UFC when there’s no reason for it. You got to give due where due is deserved… He’s fought twice as much as you, dude, and take a look at his record… That will never be average.”

Daniel Cormier, 42, surely had an impressive career of his own that he called an end to last year after being unable to reclaim his heavyweight gold from Stipe Miocic. Emelianenko, on the other hand, has fought way past what many felt was his prime years. After a series of crushing losses, fans and pundits began calling for his retirement.

Yet, Emelianenko persevered and is currently on a two-fight streak following crushing knockouts of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and more recently, Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269.

Continue Reading John McCarthy Says Cormier Made A “Huge Mistake” After Fedor Comments at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier: ‘I Still Believe Fedor Emelianenko Is The Greatest Heavyweight Of All Time’

Daniel Cormier has clarified the recent comments he made about Fedor Emelianenko on the Debate DC show. The former dual-weight UFC champion suggested Emelianenko would’ve struggled in MMA’s premier promotion if he signed for them in 2009. Some fans have called Cormier out for his comments and suggested he disrespected one of the sport’s biggest […]

Daniel Cormier has clarified the recent comments he made about Fedor Emelianenko on the Debate DC show.

The former dual-weight UFC champion suggested Emelianenko would’ve struggled in MMA’s premier promotion if he signed for them in 2009.

Some fans have called Cormier out for his comments and suggested he disrespected one of the sport’s biggest legends who rolled back the year with a sensational KO win at Bellator 269 this past weekend.

On Monday, Cormier attempted to clarify his comments in a video uploaded to his personal YouTu be channel.

“Guys, let’s just put this out there. I absolutely love Fedor,” Daniel Cormier said.“Let’s not make it anything that it isn’t. Earlier in the week I had this conversation on my show Debate DC…. We had a conversation about whether or not Fedor could rule the UFC in the way that he did in Pride (and) all of the other organizations that he fought in prior. I said no, but I was very specific in the timeframe. I didn’t say that 2005, 2004, 2004, 2006 Fedor couldn’t – 2007, 2008. I didn’t say that. I said in a window of 2009 to 2012, I didn’t think that he would be as good as he had shown to be prior.

“I don’t understand how this ruffled so many people’s feathers. Because it was proven, in that timeframe, that he wasn’t as effective. It’s that simple. I love Fedor. I watch today if he fights, and I root for him every single time. the guy is a wonder of the world. He’s a guy that doesn’t come around very often.”

Cormier says Emelianenko is the best heavyweight of all time and the losses he has suffered in the latter stages of his fight career do not take away from his legacy in the sport.

“With all that being said, I still believe Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest heavyweight of all time,” Cormier said. “I love Stipe. Stipe is the best UFC heavyweight of all time, but the wins Fedor had in Pride, over the likes of Nogueira and all those guys, Arlovski, hats off to you, bud. I don’t mind that. I like Fedor. The fact that he’s still fighting at 45 and knocking dudes out like he did Tim Johnson, hats off to the GOAT. I have no issues with the man. I’m talking about a specific window in which I don’t believe that he would be as effective as he was in the years earlier….

“Does that mean everything he did in the past is not as valuable? Hell no. I actually hate the way people are judged, because when Anderson Silva was the man, everybody called him the GOAT, but when he turns 41, 42 and he’s losing fights, now all of a sudden Anderson’s not the GOAT? We’re gonna judge him based on his late career and just devalue all the things he did when he was in his prime? That’s not how it works. We can’t devalue Fedor Emelianenko because of what we saw before.”

‘DC’ was inspired by Emelianenko’s recent KO win over Tim Johnson.

“Now, what he’s got going on now, that’s inspiring,” Cormier said. “To be 45 years old and knocking out Tim Johnson the way that he did. That is inspiring and that’s why Fedor Emelianenko is the man…. I look up to him. I really tried to learn from his approach and how he went at people. Being a smaller guy and beating people the way that he did. So this is just to clear the air. I don’t hate Fedor. I think he’s the best. I just think that in a small window when it was really coming to pass, he wouldn’t have been the best. But hats off to the man. Congratulations on the victory and I’m excited to see him fight again.”

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier? Is Fedor Emelianenko the best heavyweight of all time?

Cormier On Backlash To Fedor Comments: Don’t Make It Anything It Isn’t

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has responded to the backlash he’s received following the comments he made about Fedor Emelianenko ahead of Bellator 269. Cormier caused controversy ahead of Emelianenko’s first fight since 2019 this past weekend. During his new Debate DC show on Vover, the color commentator discussed how “The Last Emperor” would […]

Continue Reading Cormier On Backlash To Fedor Comments: Don’t Make It Anything It Isn’t at MMA News.

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has responded to the backlash he’s received following the comments he made about Fedor Emelianenko ahead of Bellator 269.

Cormier caused controversy ahead of Emelianenko’s first fight since 2019 this past weekend. During his new Debate DC show on Vover, the color commentator discussed how “The Last Emperor” would have fared against the likes of Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, and Cain Velasquez in the UFC.

Assessing the period between the years 2009 and 2012, “DC” suggested the Russian would have been “average at best” on MMA’s biggest stage, and would have been only managed to reach the division’s top-five or top-seven.

I don’t believe it would be as good as many think or hope. Would he be good? Yes? Champion? Maybe , but not the Superman he was to so many https://t.co/K146r5XRL7

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) October 21, 2021

Fedor had been linked with the UFC in 2009. After a signing with the Dana White-led promotion failed to come to fruition, the heavyweight great continued fighting under the banner of Strikeforce, before transitioning to M-1 Global, and now Bellator MMA.

Given Emelianenko’s fanbase and status as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, it’s no surprise that Cormier’s comments weren’t taken well by many in the MMA community, especially considering his suggestion that Fedor’s prior opposition wouldn’t have prepared him for fights against the UFC’s best.

Cormier has now responded to the backlash he’s received across the past few days. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion defended his comments, reiterating that he’d only discussed a specific time period that came after Fedor’s prime years.

“Guys, let’s just put this out there. I absolutely love Fedor. Let’s not make it anything that it isn’t. Earlier in the week I had this conversation on my show Debate DC… We had a conversation about whether or not Fedor could rule the UFC in the way that he did in Pride (and) all of the other organizations he fought in prior. I said no, but I was very specific in the timeframe. I didn’t say that 2005, four, three, six Fedor couldn’t… I didn’t say that. I said in a window of nine to 12, I didn’t think that he would be as good as he had shown to be prior.

Further explaining how he formed the opinion that bothered so many, Cormier suggested a combination of Fedor’s decreasing speed and the increasing all-round nature of the UFC’s heavyweight fighters meant the Russian legend would have struggled. He did, however, clarify that he sees “The Last Emperor” as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

“I pointed to the hand speed starting to slow down at that time (2009 onwards), and just guys becoming much more well-rounded. With all that being said, I still believe Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest heavyweight of all time… I have no issues with the man. I’m talking about a specific window in which I don’t believe, in my opinion, that he would be as effective as he was in the years earlier.”

It’s likely that Fedor’s return this past weekend only added to the negative response Cormier received for the opinion he expressed. Having not fought since a 2019 TKO victory over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Fedor had his 47th fight at Bellator 269 on Saturday.

Fighting in his home country under the promotional banner of Bellator for the first time, Fedor came up against #2-ranked heavyweight Tim Johnson. After just under two minutes of the opening round, the 45-year-old slept Johnson with a brutal combination. Despite talk of a possible retirement heading into his latest outing, it seems unlikely we’ve seen the last of the great Fedor.

Do you agree with Daniel Cormier’s take on how Fedor Emelianenko would have fared in the UFC between 2009 and 2012?

Continue Reading Cormier On Backlash To Fedor Comments: Don’t Make It Anything It Isn’t at MMA News.

VIDEO | Khabib Nurmagomedov Reacts To Fedors KO Victory

Khabib Nurmagomedov was ecstatic to watch one of his favorite fighters ever Fedor Emelianenko KO his opponent Tim Johnson at Bellator 269. ‘The Last Emperor’ made his return to the octagon and provided absolute fireworks for the Russian crowd. The card was held in Emelianenko’s home country of Russia. In the stands going crazy for Emelianenko’s return […]

Khabib Nurmagomedov was ecstatic to watch one of his favorite fighters ever Fedor Emelianenko KO his opponent Tim Johnson at Bellator 269.

Reaction of Khabib Nurmagomedov of Fedor Emelianenko's KO in Bellator…

Video: Igor Lazonin pic.twitter.com/u1y1bx79lV

— Bruno Massami (????? ???????) (@BrMassami) October 24, 2021

‘The Last Emperor’ made his return to the octagon and provided absolute fireworks for the Russian crowd. The card was held in Emelianenko’s home country of Russia. In the stands going crazy for Emelianenko’s return to the octagon was ‘The Eagle’ Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Khabib has always been a big fan of ‘The Last Emperor’ since he saw him fight in the early 2000’s. In a Facebook post from 5 years ago, Khabib said “First time I saw Fedor fight live was in 2004, at Combat Sambo Dagestan Championship. He wasn’t that famous at that moment, but I knew him, and was watching him fight that whole day. That day he won, took first place and after since he was first for me, no matter lose or win”.

Khabib had also named Emelianenko as one of his six GOAT’s of the sport itself. A list that included Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, GSP, Daniel Cormier, and Demetrious Johnson. The two seem to have a good relationship as well and Khabib has even given Emelianenko some advice in the past.

Emelianenko’s win over Johnson was the legends 40th professional win inside the octagon and his fourth win under the Bellator banner. The most logical matchup for Emelianenko, (since he has already proclaimed this was not his last fight) would be to fight Ryan Bader next. He previously lost to Bader in the Heavyweight World Grand Prix Finals back in 2019 by TKO. That would be a really fun matchup to run back if both fighters would want to.

Did you enjoy seeing Fedor Emelianenko back inside the octagon? Would you be interested in a rematch between Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader?

Scott Coker Has One More Fight Planned For Fedor Emelianenko Early Next Year

It may not be long until we see Fedor Emelianenko in action again.

“”The Last Emperor” enjoyed

It may not be long until we see Fedor Emelianenko in action again.

“”The Last Emperor” enjoyed bellator-269/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>an emphatic knockout victory over Tim Johnson in the Bellator 269 headliner last night in Moscow, Russia.

It was Emelianenko’s first fight in nearly two years as well as his first fight in front of his home fans in Russia in five years. And Bellator MMA president Scott Coker was certainly delighted with what he saw.

“Being a promoter for so long, there’s a few times that just capture that moment in time,” Coker said (via MMA Junkie). “This is that night. It was like, ‘Wow.’ At 45, he can still bring it. He threw combinations at Tim that I haven’t seen for a little while honestly. I think that the pressure of him being at home really helped him. When I saw him yesterday, he seemed so focused, and I think a lot was riding on the line for him.

“He’s here, and he’s proud to be here. All of his people were here. It was just an amazing night. It was like, ‘Wow.’”

Given the nature of the win, it would seem the ideal time for Emelianenko to walk off into the sunset and retire as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

However, Coker has scheduled one more fight for Emelianenko and expects it to take place early next year. For now, he is simply letting the Russian enjoy his victory.

“We have scheduled one more fight for him,” Coker added. “I know him. He’s looked really good and beat (a top) contender, but let him enjoy the victory. Let him really savor this thing, and we’ll revisit with him maybe in a month. I think the next event we’ll have, we’ll probably schedule it early next year or maybe Spring of next year. That’s when you’ll see Fedor fight again.”

Emelianenko, meanwhile, was coy on the topic of fighting again.

“I will answer this question tomorrow,” Emelianenko said, with a smile.

Who do you want to see Emelianenko fight next?