Tag: Fedor Emelianenko

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.

Werdum’s Victory Was Throwback to Sport’s Roots

Filed under: StrikeforceEvery once in a while, we need a reminder of where we came from. In the modern mixed martial arts family tree, the deepest roots are those of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the art that spawned the original Ultimate Fighting Championship …

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Every once in a while, we need a reminder of where we came from. In the modern mixed martial arts family tree, the deepest roots are those of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the art that spawned the original Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament back on Nov. 12, 1993, that art that was essentially showcased on that night.

Unbeknowst to most of us at the time, the tournament was essentially designed as an infomercial. So confident were the Gracies that BJJ would reign supreme, they chose the smallest of the fighting family, Royce, as their representative. It took him five minutes to win three matches that night. His striking was, shall we say, rudimentary, as he tapped out all three opponents with submissions.

Fabricio Werdum‘s win over Fedor Emelianenko may not have the far-lasting historical ramifications of Gracie conquering of the tournament field — that remains to be seen — but it’s in many ways an homage to the sport’s roots in this: Werdum beat the man most consider the sport’s greatest all-time heavyweight without landing a single strike.

Werdum Wants to Rematch Fedor ‘Six to Eight Months from Now in Russia, Rocky Balboa-Style’

(Werdum exposing the man behind the curtain)
If you think it was the adrenaline or the endorphins talking when Fabricio Werdum announced during his post fight interview Saturday night that he wanted an immediate rematch with Fedor Emelianenko, think ag…


(Werdum exposing the man behind the curtain)

If you think it was the adrenaline or the endorphins talking when Fabricio Werdum announced during his post fight interview Saturday night that he wanted an immediate rematch with Fedor Emelianenko, think again.

Werdum actually made the claim a couple weeks ago and has since reiterated his desire to fight "The Last Emperor" again — this time on Emelianenko’s home turf — instead of facing Strikeforce heavyweight kingpin Alistair Overeem.

"I don’t want to give a step backwards and fight against Overeem. I want to fight against Fedor from 6 to 8 months from now in Russia, Rocky Balboa style… I believe that the crowd will be with him, but people will respect me and I’ll bring my guys," he told TATAME’s Guillherme Cruz. "I’m sure that the Brazilians can make much more noise than a million of Russians.”

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Chuck Liddell Concedes “Not Taking Shots Like I Used To”

Over the last few weeks MMA fans have seen two of the sport’s greatest legends take losses in Chuck Liddell, and more recently, Fedor Emelianenko. Of course, there are some huge differences in each storyline,  as Fedor hadn’t lost since December, 2000, (and that was due to a cut he incurred seconds in) while Liddell […]

chuck-liddell

Over the last few weeks MMA fans have seen two of the sport’s greatest legends take losses in Chuck Liddell, and more recently, Fedor Emelianenko. Of course, there are some huge differences in each storyline,  as Fedor hadn’t lost since December, 2000, (and that was due to a cut he incurred seconds in) while Liddell has been stopped three times in a row (with the losses to Rich Franklin and Rashad Evans in particular being of the ‘dude he’s f—ked up’ variety).

While UFC Prez Dana White made it abundantly clear following Liddell’s UFC 115 loss to Franklin, that “The Iceman” would never fight in the UFC again, the former champ hasn’t really done a ton of media much less talk about whether or not he’s hanging up the gloves. Well in a recent interview with MMA Canada.net, which featured a lovely looking woman asking the questions, and as a result, some rather interesting / understandable choices regarding camera work, Liddell had this to say about his latest loss (thanks to MMA Fighting for the tip):

“I’ve been an aggressive fighter my whole life,” he said. “It’s one of those things that it’s hard to change after so long. I probably should have been more conservative, protect myself a little more. I guess I’m not taking shots like I used to.”

Yes. Unfortunately not. In terms of retiring? Chuck was pressed on the question a couple of times but wasn’t saying much, other than he’s “going to talk to Dana.” It’s all still sounding very familiar no? To watch the entire interview head here.

Fedor Emelianenko vs. King Mo Is the Fight That Needs to Happen

("I weighed in at 219 pounds for this fight. That’s *British* pounds, homey. Moneyweight, what." / Props: allelbows.com)
It’s natural to think that Fedor Emelianenko’s loss to Fabricio Werdum on Saturday night was an absolute…

King Mo Muhammed Lawal
("I weighed in at 219 pounds for this fight. That’s *British* pounds, homey. Moneyweight, what." / Props: allelbows.com)

It’s natural to think that Fedor Emelianenko’s loss to Fabricio Werdum on Saturday night was an absolute disaster, both for his career and for Strikeforce, who had their pay-per-view hopes riding on a heavyweight title clash between Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem. The shocking upset left fans scratching their heads and wondering what could be next for the Last Emperor. An immediate rematch with Werdum, as Werdum himself suggested after the fight? A tune-up match against someone further down the ladder like Antonio Silva? Retirement?

One name that doesn’t seem to be getting any consideration in the fight’s aftermath is, to me, the most obvious one — Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, Strikeforce’s reigning light-heavyweight champion. And if Strikeforce wants to pull anything positive out of their current situation, they’ll book Fedor vs. King Mo as quickly as possible. Here’s why:

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Smith Not Guaranteed Rubber Match With Le and Other Press Conference Notes

Filed under: StrikeforceThe tally may be even at one win apiece for Scott Smith and Cung Le after Le’s second-round TKO victory at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be meeting for a third bout any time soon, Strik…

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The tally may be even at one win apiece for Scott Smith and Cung Le after Le’s second-round TKO victory at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be meeting for a third bout any time soon, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said.

Responding to questions about whether a rubber match was guaranteed, as Smith’s manager, Mike Roberts, seemed to think was the case when he spoke with Sherdog.com before the bout, Coker said it might be a consideration eventually, but it’s by no means assured.

“We’ve had that conversation,” Coker said. “These guys, it was an amazing fight. Both fights were amazing fights. I think if they fought every weekend it would be amazing fights every weekend, like the Gatti-Ward fight, just those epic battles. When I think of Scott and Cung that’s what I think of. But there hasn’t been anything decided. I didn’t make that commitment to Scott or to Mike, actually.