Mixed martial arts has certainly come a long way, hasn’t it?
I still recall when the only way to catch UFC events in Australia was to hire out old VHS tapes and delayed DVDs at the local video store.
Forget about live coverage – live results meant waiting until after the event was over to check them online in writing. A grainy video upload was a blessing at best.
Since then the sport has exploded into the mainstream in Australia and across the globe.
It was the fairy tale story of The Ultimate Fighter reality show that got MMA’s momentum going.
Heck, the U.S. based UFC has even hosted events on our shores. Not bad for a young sport.
And since it is such a young sport, the question of which fighter is the greatest of all time (GOAT for short) oftentimes amounts to little more than a heated pub argument.
Sure, we could trace it back to the Ancient Olympics and the Gracie challenge fights but we’re really only talking about the last 30 years since the first UFC event took place.
Besides, there are different weight divisions and “pound-for-pound” is subjective.
Still, it’s fun to argue.
So who is the GOAT?
For me, it’s the guy who dominated his division undefeated for nearly a decade – his only “loss” prior to that was via a cut from an illegal elbow.
The guy who trained diligently outside of the media spotlight in the cold Russian countryside. The guy whose blank expression in the ring and quiet persona outside of it made you wonder if he was a science experiment.
The guy that never stepped foot in a UFC cage.
I am of course talking about Fedor Emelianenko. “The Last Emperor” dominated the heavyweight division in a time when many of the best fighters were plying their trade in Japan under the auspices of the PRIDE promotion.
Fedor was widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter of his era, beating the best heavyweights the sport had to offer.
He proved that looks can be deceiving. At a mere 6-foot and a doughy 230lbs, he hardly seemed like the best hand-to-hand combatant on the planet. And yet he beat a lot of larger, well-built fighters.
His style was odd yet effective: he mixed a strong judo and sambo background with a striking style that consisted mostly of wide hooks and a few kicks.
He didn’t throw straight punches often and didn’t train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Yet he out-struck Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and beat Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera while sitting in the latter’s guard.
He wasn’t great at any one facet of the sport – he was simply very good at all of them. It was this threat of versatility that kept opponents guessing and allowed him to beat them at their own game.
While it’s easy to say that Fedor’s competition hasn’t/wouldn’t fare well in today’s heavyweight climate because of the sport’s continued evolution, this isn’t exactly a fair comparison.
To analyse an athlete’s legacy, you have to consider what they accomplished in their era with the competition available to them. In this regard, Fedor excels. In all, he defeated 5 UFC champions and 3 PRIDE champions.
Another factor to consider is how they fared when faced with adversity, for it is during these times that their true mettle is shown.
Fedor was on wobbly legs courtesy of a Kazuyuki Fujita right hand and was dropped on his head by a mid-air suplex from Kevin Randleman.
When all seemed lost, Fedor came back in both instances to submit his opponent.
Quiet and soft-spoken, Fedor inadvertently created a mystique that surrounded him his entire career.
He trained in snowy Russia away from cameras with low-tech equipment that would have made Rocky Balboa proud. He walked into fights with the same blank look you have when you get a haircut.
It often seemed like he simply appeared for fights, beat his opponent and was gone again.
His difficult and eventual failed negotiations with the UFC and later losses will count against his legacy.
Many say that he avoided the best competition by not moving to the UFC and that the losses proved he was overrated.
I would argue that it’s hard to judge someone on they-should-have’s and what-could-have-been’s.
Again, all we have to base it on is what they did against whom. As for the losses, even the best have their falls from grace. Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre aren’t undefeated, are they?
Some may call it rose-tinted nostalgia, but I feel it may be a bit difficult for newer fans to appreciate the dominance and mystique that Fedor possessed in his prime or the true calibre of his opposition.
I can understand, given that his best days were during the video rental era and that we’ve watched these fighters age and decline over the years.
But until someone exceeds his accomplishments, Fedor Emelianenko will always get my vote as the greatest MMA fighter of all time.
Argue away.
Max Kenney-Herbert
Roar Guru
At this point Jon jones is thrust upon the goat list..and he has many years to spare...he'd beat silva
mike
Guest
The best I've ever seen is the man that Fedor, GSP, Pat Militech, Bas Rutten and several others have said is the best they'd ever seen. He's a little unassuming looking man that you'd never guess is a fighter just to see him. His name, Kazushi Sakuraba. When his name is brought up younger and casual MMA fans give me a perplexed look, while long time and hardcore fans give me a smile and a nod. For those who don't know him. He is the single reason for Pride's early success and dominance in MMA. Fedor carried the torch later, but the foundation was built on Sakuraba's shoulders. 7 UFC champs, 3 Kings of Pancrase and a Dream GP champ all fell to Sakuraba. He embodies true warrior spirit fighting any and every elite fighter reguardless of size and beating most. He's known as the "Gracie Hunter" for his defeat of 4 Gracies in their prime, being the first to defeat a Gracie in 48 years. He is the only man to legitimately submit a Gracie in MMA competition, taking home the arms of Royler and Renzo Gracie and forcing Royce Gracie to throw in the towel also getting a UD over Ryan Gracie. men the likes of Rampage Jackson, Kevin Randleman, Vitor Belfort, Ken Shamrock, Carlos Newton, Funaki, Ikuhisa Minowa, Ebenezer Braga, and Vernon Tiger White have fallen to him. Did I mention Sakuraba walked around at 183lbs without cutting. That's the same size as BJ Penn a lightweight, fighting the top LHW and HW's in the world and being competitive in every match. I'll leave with the most amazing perfomance I've ever seen in sport let alone MMA. Sakuraba fought Royce Gracie for 90 minutes until Royce could barely walk and threw in the towel. What did he do after the fight? He went on to fight Igor Vovchachyn the top HW in the world and maybe most devastating striker ever in the very same night. going to a 15 minute Draw with him.
Keith
Guest
We'll never know unless we let Fedor, Anderson and Gsp fight each other in their prime (in their 20's or early 30's). So how can we decide who is the badest of the bads? The charisma, ...the feeling that this guy'd never be beaten by others for the longest period. That's ... Fedor. Honestly, Fedor ....
Michael Waldron
Roar Rookie
Anderson Silva - while I love Fedor, he was unfortunate enough to fight in an era (and a promotion) where freak show fights were set up far too often. He is definitely up there but didn't face top echelon opposition enough for my liking.
Bones506
Roar Guru
For me it is GSP and Silva. Both have been at the top of their division for some time. UFS is far more brutal than boxing and the fighters often have a much shorter career so for the both of them to defend their titles the way they have is quite simply amazing.
The TMF
Guest
ha...while i know the quote I can't connect it to entertainment opinions in the movie. Fred Dagg was a decent character, but I don't think Clarke had really honed his talents by those days. Maybe it's just that Dawe as the straight guy made Clarke that bit edgier.
MMADoggzofwar
Roar Rookie
LoL@ TMF..the line is from "almost famous" and alludes to your reference about "entertainment opinions" I remember a young John Clarke with shoulder length hair, wearing a black singlet, rugby shorts and gumboots back in NZ early 70s... misunderstanding cleared! MMA LIVES!
The TMF
Guest
Sorry to hear that man... you should talk to your parents more. MMA is known as an acronym for the entertainment franchise, so when i saw it i was a little startled. I then went into the article to make sure i wasn't mistaking it for something else. Given MMA in the title as an acronym isn't completely clear and this being a sports blog site it was not an obvious assumption. With so many boxing federations these days who the hell knows what it could of stood for.... I am remembering the first episode of "The Games" now with John Clarke trying to figure out what what the IBBF was and coming up with "The Institute for Women's Polevaulting Accreditation" as an answer to what is the IWPA.
MMADoggzofwar
Roar Rookie
And that's more than I've ever even said to my own parents, so there you go... Wht did you think MMA was? DODGEY MUCH?
The TMF
Guest
If you want to provide a link to the roar's mission statement for me that would be great. Trolling would be if i went looking to bait someone into an arguement. I can guarantee not many people would be looking for and no one should be looking for entertainment opinions on this website. I was stunned to see it on here and had a look to make sure MMA wasn't something else.
MMADoggzofwar
Roar Rookie
(?) LoL@ Max!
Jason Tulio
Roar Guru
I think some competition for the UFC again would be good, though I think this won't happen for quite some time. The closest thing we've had since PRIDE was Strikeforce, and Zuffa bought out both of them. Monopoly indeed!
Max Kenney-Herbert
Roar Guru
trolling mate? good to see you're up to date with what the roar's mission statement is
The TMF
Guest
The Roar is a sports blog guys.
Max Kenney-Herbert
Roar Guru
agree enitrely, whilst the UFC monopoly has provided us with some great fights it has brought so many people who truly dont resect the history of the sport, I am a young guy who first saw MMA through the UFC but I have since gone back and viewed as much PRIDE, K1 eg bj vs machida haha and even Dream stuff, I love the sport and it gets to me that so many people stay think its called UFC, i really hope World series of fighting, bellator and BAMMA etc can make something bigger to really compete with the UFC so that people realise that whilst anderson silva is a great fighter he is not the be all and end all of the sport. I really think Jon jones could be the greatest if he keeps finishing the calibre of people he has so far
Jason Tulio
Roar Guru
Cheers mate. It is a subjective thing to decide. I do think a lot of it comes down to who was dominant during "your day" so to speak - I've always been a big fan of Fedor because he was dominant when I was a teenager.
JazzyJase
Roar Pro
MMA has so many athletes / fighters burst onto the scene and at the time you think that person is never going to be defeated. You've alluded to this with your GSP and Anderson Silva records. The nature of the sport is that a fighter is only one short right hand or choke hold away from tasting defeat. There has been relatively minimal "dynasties" in the sport today where someone dominates a division (s) I don't envy you for trying to determine the GOAT. I don't disagree with your nomination also, it is a subjective choice. I like the way GSP goes about his business though, he'd get my nod.
MMADoggzofwar
Roar Rookie
your not wrong Mantis, RC is up there and for a little period of time, the super fight that was being touted was Fedor v RC, but it never eventuated, even forcing RC to opt out of contract with the UFC (p****d DW off to no end! LoL) so he could pursue it and could have happened but it didnt...
Jason Tulio
Roar Guru
Some grea points there mate. I agree that the TUF generation would be hard-pressed to appreciate the fighters of the past, especially one that never fought in the UFC B
Mantis
Roar Guru
Randy Couture, the peoples champ