by Kevin De Silva Piques

Created on: October 20, 2009   Last Updated: October 21, 2009

To the casual or more recent fan, Fedor Emelianenko is not as well known as current UFC stars. Fedor is the former Pride champion who has 30 - 1 record with 1 No Contest. Technically the one loss was a stoppage due to a cut only 17 seconds into the fight. To the hardcore fan, Fedor is very well known, and he is always included in the discussion as to who is the greatest MMA fighter. Fedor was born in Russia and is part of the Red Devil Sport Club, along with his brother Aleks.

There is no debate that Fedor is a great fighter and champion. He is well versed in submissions, has knockout power, and is a former world Sambo champion back in his native Russia. His physique is not as defined and muscular as some fighters, but his strength and agility are off the charts. At 6 feet tall and weighing 233 pounds, he is definitely a very dangerous opponent for any fighter in the world.

The problem with claiming that Fedor is the greatest in MMA, is his reluctance to fight for the greatest organization, the UFC, where the greatest fighters are assembled. Sure Fedor took on all the fighters inside the Pride organization, when he was the champ, but that was not a collection of the best fighters. Those contests were all held in a ring, not a cage, which makes those fights slightly different and more difficult to gauge. Fedor has had the opportunity to sign with the UFC on two separate occasions. Money was not an issue, but still he refused to come fight the best. There has been much discussion about this among MMA fans and pundits. Fedor's unwillingness to showcase his skills on the biggest stage in all of MMA takes away from the claims that he is the greatest.

Fedor has over 30 fights in his career, but the problem with his record is the list of opponents he has beaten. Many of those names are unknown fighters, or very inexperienced MMA fighters. One of the knocks on Fedor is that he has fought a lot of "freak show" fights. They are fights that are popular for the traditional Japanese crowds. For example, fighting Hong Man Choi, who is over 300 ponds but has very little MMA experience or skills, does not fall into the category of a big win. Fedor has fought kick boxers with no MMA experience, fighters from lighter weight classes, fighters with big names but past their primes, and a host of Japanese fighters who are not ranked very high but still sold tickets in the Japanese markets.

In order to be considered the best fighter, you need to fight the best fighters. Clearly Fedor has not done this. There is no debate he is a great fighter, with great skills, but he has chosen not to match his skills against other great fighters. He has been happy to fight lesser opponents, or fighters passed their prime to showcase his talents. That may make for a great record, but it does little for the claim that he is the greatest.

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