If the volume of mail received is any indication, Sherdog.com readers tend to do as much typing as the court stenographer at the Nuremberg trials. (This awkward comparison brought to you by EliteXC.)

Site browsers sent e-mail in my direction following editorials on the 10 greatest post-fight meltdowns, UFC 81's fallout and the majestic sporting event that is YAMMA Pit Fighting.

But first, the cursory rant on Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures).

Fedor

You wrote in response to the first letter in your [letters] article that people don't realize that Zuffa tried [to make the Emelianenko/Randy Couture (Pictures) fight]. I agree they tried but to me the contract they offered (from what I know about it) basically "owned" Fedor. I for one am glad that he stood up to them. I say this as a fighter that probably won't ever have the power to make a difference like him. So, in a way he is standing up for the one-sided repressive contracts Zuffa offers. - Name withheld by request

The UFC was set to make Emelianenko a multi-millionaire, offer him the toughest competition available and likely provide a U.S. portal to market his image with merchandise, gym affiliations and the inevitable action figure. (Naked Russian Sauna Fedor being the rare variant.) That's not exactly slave labor.

It's been nearly six months since he signed with M-1 Global, and the company has yet to even announce an event. There are rumors of infighting in the organization, with the American and Russian arms having disparate ideas of how to proceed. Emelianenko doesn't appear to have a solid promotional foundation underneath him, which is one thing the UFC could've easily provided.

There's a lot to be said for job security, particularly when the market for non-Zuffa MMA is volatile at best, guaranteed bankruptcy at worst. I don't think Emelianenko made the right decision. We'll see.

Wrestling and MMA

Just want to briefly add to question number one, Q: Will pro wrestling fans stick around for more MMA? Yes they will stick around, and always have been around.

They've stuck around since UFC 1: The Beginning back in 1993. As you are aware, their (SEG) initial marketing approach in North America was to sell the concept of NHB fighting as simply that: 'No rules and holds barred fighting'.

Their marketing approach also had other goals; to compete for popularity by expanding a large fanbase in attempt of to solidify itself in the mainstream (which only happened a decade later). They had to compete against boxing to appease and recruit new fans along the lines that NHB fighting was a more complete and comprehensive combat sport, and competing against pro wrestling by appeasing new fans along the lines that NHB was legit and Pro Wrestling was simply entertainment.

The MMA fan base is made up of plenty of crossover fans, fans that can watch an UWFi event followed by a K-1 event and than followed by a TNA wresting. These fans can appreciate each sport for its athletic element along with the entertainment value. Most pro wrestling news sites contain plenty of MMA news feeds. I guess plenty of MMA fans are closet pro wrestling fans … or vice versa? - Garmamie, Ottawa, Canada

I'm not so convinced. There will always be a healthy segment of professional wrestling fans that find "real" grappling ponderous, or become easily disenfranchised when their favored fighters hit a bad run.

Pro wrestling fans are spoiled in the sense that the WWE can alter plans to accommodate its expectations: If a guy resonates with the crowd, he can go on a "winning" streak or get booked in such a way that his drawing power can be milked for decades.

MMA is tethered to wild variables. Chuck Liddell (Pictures) is the UFC's biggest attraction in part because he went more than three years without losing, which is a near-eternity in the sport.

Let's see the kind of numbers Brock Lesnar (Pictures) draws in his next outing.