Issue 156

July 2017

The greatest performances by the greatest heavyweight

10. Babalu Sobral

Rings: 10th AnniversaryAugust 11, 2001

Sure, ‘Babalu’ was a career light heavyweight but, when he fought Fedor in the Rings organization at the start of the last decade, the MMA landscape was completely different. The Brazilian’s 19-2 record meant he was vastly more experienced than his Russian opponent, who was just 6-1. The future UFC title challenger made his name beating bigger men, including ex-heavyweight champion Maurice Smith in his Octagon debut. Plus, the fight was governed by rules that took away Emelianenko’s best weapons – head strikes were prohibited on the ground. To compensate, he struck hard with body blows, and though Sobral survived and attempted a few dangerous submissions, he admitted he spent much of the fight wishing it was over due to the punishment he took.

9. Brett Rogers

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers November 7, 2009

Brett Rogers was a massive man. He came into this contest with a huge height and reach advantage, not to mention a significant edge in the strength department. He was able to put all that to good use too, squashing Fedor’s nose with the first jab he threw and sweeping him from half-guard to gain dominant position when the fight went to the floor. But, despite those disadvantages, Fedor still thrived in the clinch and avoided any further significant damage when he was trapped on his back. This was also a time in his career where he fell in love with his standup. Striking became his calling card. A part of his game that he’d previously not used to finish fights was amplified and knockouts were on the table. Just shy of two minutes into the second round, he launched a rocket of a right hand designed to decapitate ‘Da Grim’. The big man fell and the finish followed. 

8. Mark Coleman

Pride Total Elimination 2004April 25, 2004

The Pride world heavyweight champion vs. the original world heavyweight champion. The 2004 openweight grand prix favorite vs. the 2000 openweight grand prix winner. Coleman may have been 39 years old, but he was still the ‘Godfather of Ground-and-Pound’. When he flew at Fedor right out of the gate and dumped him onto his back, it looked like the oddsmakers’ favorite was in a world of trouble. Even when ‘The Last Emperor’ escaped the clutches of ‘The Hammer’ to mount offense on the feet, he was dumped straight back down. But then he did one of the things that made him unique. Out of nowhere, with the agility of a lightweight, he threw his legs up, switched his hips with balletic grace and caught a fight-finishing armbar from guard. The tap came almost instantly. 

7. Ricardo Arona

Rings: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 2000

Fedor didn’t have the luxury of being able to pad his record against soft-touch opponents in his first few fights. His fourth test, Ricardo Arona, was considered the best submission grappler on the planet, thanks to flawless showings at the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club tournament. No one has ever threatened Stary Oskol’s favorite son with more chokes, armlocks and leglocks than ‘The Brazilian Tiger’ and a lesser fighter would surely have succumbed to the relentlessness of his grappling attack. 

We’re not talking about any old mixed martial artist, though. Even in his fourth pro bout, Emelianenko showed off exceptional defense to escape from danger. As the minutes ticked by, his sprawl grew more effective and this allowed him to gain more success with strikes, including the sort of body blows that would be so effective against ‘Babalu’ in the future. This was the first of Fedor’s many victories over elite competition.

6. Tim Sylvia

Affliction: Banned July 19, 2008

Don’t underestimate what a phenomenal performance this was. Though Tim Sylvia may have faded from view outside major promotions late in his career, he was, even by his critics’ standards, a top-five heavyweight at the end of his UFC run. He might have lost his last Octagon fight to Big Nog, but he’d battered the Brazilian for two rounds before falling victim to one of his patented come-from-behind submissions. He was 24-4, a two-time UFC champion, and, at 6ft 8in and 265lb, the first giant with legitimate MMA skills Fedor was tasked with opposing. 

Someone must have forgotten to tell ‘The Last Emperor’. Right out the gate, he blasted ‘The Maine-iac’ with looping punches and uppercuts, which caused the giant’s knees to buckle. He fell to the mat and found himself in a perilous position with his back taken. Punches continued to crash into the side of his head until the hooks went in, the fighters rolled, a rear naked choke was secured and a shell-shocked Sylvia tapped. It took only 36 seconds for David to defeat Goliath. Jaws had dropped for years on account of Fedor’s feats, but this particular showing still had the MMA world in awe. A true giant-killing performance.

5. Kevin Randleman

Pride Critical Countdown 2004 June 20, 2004

‘The Monster’ tapped out after 1:33, so what’s the big deal? That wouldn’t have been too impressive had Fedor not been slammed on his head after a few seconds. The former UFC champion, who was coming off a knockout win over Mirko Cro Cop, picked the Pride king up and dumped him hard onto the mat at Mach speed. All hyperbole aside, the ‘Randleplex’ could have killed him. But instead of departing this mortal plain, Fedor stayed typically calm, then swept and recovered position almost immediately. A moment later, his opponent cried in pain as he locked in a kimura and cranked until he felt the tap of a defeated man.

4. Heath Herring

Pride 23 June 20, 2004

This was the fight that made the world wake up and realize what an utterly barbaric force this unassuming Russian was. ‘The Texas Crazy Horse’ was not long removed from an all-time classic fight with Pride’s first heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, in which he pushed the Brazilian legend all the way to a close decision. He was a man known for his toughness and ability to overwhelm opponents with strength and aggression. 

Alas, not only did he find that an impossible task, he ended up on the receiving end of a hellacious shellacking. The American was suplexed to the ground, then mercilessly beaten by the ground-and-pound that would become one of the most feared weapons in the history of combat sports. In short, Fedor made an incredibly dangerous and tough fighter look like a rank amateur who didn’t belong anywhere near the same ring.

3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 1

Pride 25 March 16, 2003

This was some serious business. Fedor looked like he was capable of great things in Pride after his first two fights in the organization, but his third test was at another level entirely. In an unprecedented move for the Japanese promotion, he was quickly booked into a title fight against ‘Minotauro’ – any sane person’s choice as the best heavyweight in the world. 

It’s clichéd to dub a match as the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object, but this was as damn near close to that being the case as you’re likely to get in mixed martial arts. Fedor was running through opponents like a buzzsaw and nothing could finish ‘Big Nog’ – not even a piledriver from 330lb Bob ‘The Beast’ Sapp. This was also expected to be especially taxing for Fedor because his forte was ground-and-pound and Nogueira relished opponents who attempted that – for it was usually a one-way ticket to Tapout Town. 

Emelianenko was not your usual MMA commuter, however. He’d bought an express pass to Championship City straight through the ‘Minotauro’ Submission Station. Over and over, he dived into guard and smashed the Brazilian with piston-like punches that exceeded the ferocity of any seen in fighting before. When his black-belt opponent got on top, he swept him and continued the barbarity. It was total domination.

2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 3

Pride Shockwave 2004 December 31, 2004

Some say it’s harder to beat someone the second time. Your opponent should have done their homework; they’re wise to your tricks, plans of attack and defensive liabilities; they’re likely to be fired up and more determined than ever after ending up in the ‘L’ column first time round. This was especially true for ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira. Not only had he been beaten once – when he was apparently suffering from a sciatic nerve contusion – he was denied his chance at redemption when he and Fedor danced for a second time, following an accidental headbutt that stopped the fight. After that disappointment, he trained like a madman. He slimmed down to his most athletic condition for to be faster, aware he had to be in better physical condition than ever to unify the full and interim Pride heavyweight belts and become 2004 openweight grand prix champion. The stakes couldn’t have been higher. 

It still wasn’t enough. When he first clinched with Emelianenko, ‘Big Nog’ was thrown as if he was a member of Pride’s lightweight Bushido class. Once he was on the mat, Fedor leaped in with stomps and soccer kicks. When striking exchanges took place, ‘The Last Emperor’ smashed his rival with his iron fists. Jabs rocked Nogueira’s head back and overhand rights almost took it clean off his shoulders. 

The champion was in and out with beautiful footwork as he controlled the tempo of the fight. He was in little danger on the ground again, also. Once more, Fedor sat in the guard of Pride’s most prolific submission specialist and beat him up. Nogueira may have improved, but Fedor had too, exponentially. Without the GOAT around, ‘Minotauro’ would have surely reigned as champion for years. As it was, he had to settle for second best against a phenomenon – a man who had his number.

1. Mirko Cro Cop 

Pride Final Conflict 2005 August 28, 2005

To this day, this is still regarded by some as MMA’s most anticipated fight. It was years in the making. Cro Cop was the most feared striker in the sport. He’d taken out each of his previous five opponents – including Fedor’s brother Aleksander and training partner Ibragim Magomedov – in fewer than 15 minutes combined. No one had even lasted beyond the four-minute mark. He was strong, fast and accurate with a sprawl to shut down the best wrestlers. On occasion, it took a few good shots to wake the Russian and bring out his best. If the Croatian caught him with one of his trademark left high kicks or straight punches, would he even have the chance? People argued that this could be the man to finally dethrone ‘The Last Emperor’. 

At first, Fedor pressed the action but Cro Cop was able to land his left hand and threaten with kicks to the body. They landed with the sound of a whip crack. Gasps reverberated around the Saitama Super Arena from tens of thousands of enthralled fans as the world’s best fighter was marked up. On the ground, the challenger’s active guard stopped Fedor’s assault from doing its usual damage.

But as the fight continued, the tide started to turn. Pressure on the ground and a steady attack to the body had started to drain the energy from Cro Cop. His attacks lost their pop. Fedor got in his face and started piling on the punishment. He didn’t even need to shoot for takedowns much because the threat alone was enough to open his opponent up to punches thrown with murderous intent. Each one of the former K-1 kickboxing standout’s straight lefts were countered with combinations that landed with venom; his trademark kicks were neutralized by forward pressure. It was a dominant performance. The striker was outstruck and ground down. Fedor’s greatest challenge was made to look easy.