Amid the waste congesting e-mail servers everywhere -- promises of discount watches, compromising footage of Rihanna and correspondence that appears to be typed in Aramaic font -- lurks commentary from Sherdog.com readers.
Recent editorials on the CBS-Elite deal, the pugilistic aspirations of
Anderson Silva and the method to
Frank Shamrock (Pictures)'s madness prompted a healthy amount of feedback.
Here's where your columnist is swallowed by a Lay-Z-Boy and gives you the floor, with only minimal interrupting.
Maybe it's just me, but I got the impression from reading your article that you have downplayed everything Fedor has done in MMA. Any true MMA fan knows that Fedor is undoubtedly the best fighter of all time. His record shows that. Your article states, "It's ironic that Emelianenko's value revolves solely around a shaky claim to being the sport's best, yet he continues to do nothing to substantiate it."
He has been the sport's best for quite some time now, beating every heavyweight in sight. I agree that he has not fought the best competition in recent matches, but that doesn't mean he has slowed down one bit. The fact of the matter is, he won those matches and HAS DESTROYED ALMOST ANYONE AND EVERYONE IN THIS PATH. I get the impression that people are just throwing opponents at Fedor because he has already beaten the sport's best like Nogueira and Cro Cop. The fact of the matter is, I could go on and on and on about why he's the best fighter of all time (his record clearly shows that) and why he SHOULD BE CHASED BY EVERY FIGHTING ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD. But I feel that if you were a true MMA fan, you would understand Fedor's dominance and title of best fighter of all time. Period. No questions asked. Just because he hasn't fought great competition lately doesn't mean that he still isn't capable
of dominating anyone in his path. - Ralph Wong
Who says he's not capable? I wouldn't be rushing out to place a wager on any of Fedor's future opponents.
Problem is, status in sports doesn't come from hypotheticals. It's not enough to assume Fedor can hack it. He's got to get in there and do it.
"No questions asked" is an eerily Stepford way of thinking. You scare me.
Since reading your article I would like to know what heavyweight deserves to be ranked ahead of Fedor and why? Up until now Fedor has fought the best heavyweight competition there is. Yes, his last year and a half he has not fought a top heavyweight. But his resume of Cro Cop, Nog twice, Coleman twice, Randleman, Fujita, and Lindland show he has fought the best competition.
Look at Sylvia, he beat Arlovski twice and Monson, Couture beat an injured Sylvia and beat what we know now was an overrated Gonzaga but lost to Barnett and Rodriguez. Arlovski lost twice to Sylvia and has one win over him and Werdum. So what heavyweight does Mr. Rossen think is better and more proven than Fedor? - Paige Watkins
Antonio Nogueira has defeated more proven-commodity heavyweights than anyone else in the division: Barnett, Silvia, Herring, Werdum, Kharitonov, Rodriguez, Filipovic and Schilt. He even finished Filipovic and Schilt, something Emelianenko couldn't manage to do.
The Russian has turned Nogueira's face into pulp on two and a half occasions, granted, but I don't think it's fair to push Nogueira off to the side and allow Emelianenko to have perpetual bragging rights. Were people ranking the semi-retired
Frank Shamrock (Pictures) ahead of
Tito Ortiz (Pictures) for years following their 1999 fight?
The Brazilian is the more active and more accomplished fighter right now.
I'd be very interested to know if you can actually point to a direct quote where Fedor refers to himself as the best fighter in the sport. ... or even implies it.
It's the media/fans who've been pushing the idea of Fedor as the GOAT...not Fedor. - Ben Duncan
I would say Fedor being photographed in a shirt adorned with his face and a "Nobody Beats Me" logo is a pretty good indicator of his self-esteem.
You forgot to blame Fedor for the sinking of the Titanic in your ad hominem laced rant. Fedor is doing Fedor and doesn't care what the provocateurs want him to prove. If he wants his Combat Sambo than let him have it. Let the market dictate who is or is not a superstar. The onus of remaining a viable asset is in Fedor's hands and Fedor's alone. If he loses -- he loses.
As for Josh Barnett (Pictures), one of my favorite fighters, he hasn't really fought anyone of significance for some time either. - Luc S.
True, I can't place Fedor at the site of the Titanic tragedy. Yet.
Unfortunately, the last two years of his career have been comparable to the proverbial sinking ship. He's faced open derision with his choice of opponents, and his athletic prime continues to dwindle as handlers pass contracts back and forth in boardrooms.
Barnett will always be a litmus test for the division, but his preoccupation with Japanese pro wrestling and sideshow fights is irksome for fans who want to see him mix it up against real contenders.