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Those who saw Fedor Emelianenko’s knock-out of Frank Mir at Bellator 198 could be excused for thinking that the Heavyweight Grand Prix is nothing more than a bunch of punchy over-the-hillers slugging it out for a dollar. But that’s missing the point.
The Heavyweight Grand Prix is not about great fights, it is about paying respect to MMA’s golden generation.
Perennially in the shade of their glitzy older brother, the UFC, Bellator has nevertheless attracted a formidable roster. But among the truly world-class fighters, such as Rory McDonald, Benson Henderson and Michael Chandler, are a collection of what some might consider to be relics of greatness past.
Chael Sonnen, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Frank Mir, Matt Mitrione, Mirko Cro Cop, and ‘The Last Emperor’ himself, Fedor Emelianenko, are all part of the Heavyweight division, and represent a generation of fighters who, to be perfectly honest, can no longer hack it in modern MMA.
Putting any of these ageing stars against Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou would be tantamount to abuse.
Regardless, most of these fighters (with some other, different relics, like Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson) are taking part in what Bellator have labeled their Heavyweight Grand Prix – a series of elimination fights with the eventual victor being crowned the new Bellator heavyweight champion.
Currently Bellator’s biggest promotional draw, it is set to headline a number of their events.
But why has Bellator made this dinosaur’s league? Well to answer that, and to see the appeal of these fighters, we need to look at the history of modern MMA.
MMA is often thought of in terms of generations, with each generation taking monumental steps forward in the art of martial combat. Obviously, it is not quite so as simple as just dividing fighters in eras, as there are significant overlaps, but in generalised terms, there are roughly four generations of MMA fighters.
Currently, we are well into the fourth generation, with fighters such as Conor McGregor, Tyron Woodley, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson and Max Holloway.
You could, in fact, even postulate that Max Holloway is the leader of a new, fifth generation, along with fighters such as of Darren Till, ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley, and Zabit Magomedsharipov. Regardless, the fourth generation is in control right now.
This, of course, is not to say that the third generation are off the scene. Led by the likes of Jon Jones, Daniel Dormier, Cris Cyborg, Jose Aldo, and Demetrious Johnson, there are a number of third-generation fighters still killing it. However, it is mostly only the greats of this generation who are still competitive.
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But what of generations one and two?
Well the first generation of modern MMA brings up names synonymous with toughness and tenacity, like Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Tank Abbot, Don Fry, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, and Mark Coleman.
These were the pioneers of MMA. Fighters who rarely had backgrounds in more than one martial art, and men who were usually more tough than skilled (though Bas might argue there). These are the souls who fought for peanuts in obscure fight leagues, who fought through the hysteria of the 1990s and the UFC’s illegality in most of the United States. These fighters paved the way and gave MMA its name.
The second generation, however, is the greatest generation. It had all the toughness of generation one, but with skills to match.
Names such as Chuck Liddell, Vitor Belfort, Randy Couture, the Nogueira brothers, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, Kazushi Sakuraba, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, and, of course, possibly the greatest of all, Fedor Emelianenko.
For those who have not seen Fedor in his prime, this weekend’s fight against Mir would have been entirely underwhelming. But The Last Emperor was a sight to see. With a background in Sambo and Judo, but lighting fast and with hammers for fists, Fedor was one of the most creative fighters to ever step into the ring and is one of, if not the, greatest to ever do it.
This generation made MMA what it is – a global phenomenon with some of the most skilled athletes in the world.
From this generation was born the first real MMA stars, like Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, and it first put MMA in the spotlight in a positive way. No longer condemned for its brutality, it was admired for the toughness and the feats of its athletes, and for the incredible creativity displayed under the most dire of circumstances.
The stars of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix – Sonnen, Mir, Rampage, and of course Fedor – are all giants; remnants of MMA’s great Golden Generation. Yes, most of these fights are happening years after they should have, and yes, in both age and skill, these fighters are not what they used to be.
But to see these old champions compete again, these pillars on which our modern MMA is built, is to revel in what MMA is today.
It is not about the quality of the fights, it is about paying tribute to these men who have bled for our entertainment, and to whom we owe almost everything that is modern MMA.
Bellator may not be the UFC, but its Heavyweight Grand Prix is doing a great thing by introducing a new batch of MMA fans to the legends of our sport.
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