The Last Emperor Has No Clothes!

"The Emperor's New Clothes", a classic tale about an Emperor whose tailor convinces him that his new clothes are "invisible" to lesser people, is a very fitting allegory for the recent Fedor Emlianenko saga.  However, the "Last Emperor" is not the only ignorant buffoon in this case; so are the Strikeforce promoters and commentators, and the blind loyalists who insisted that Fedor is the greatest of all time, even though he has not defeated a UFC caliber fighter since his decision against Mirko Cro Cop in 2005.

It was Dana White who first cried out, "the emperor has no clothes!"  But the Fedor loyalists argued that Dana was a biased hype machine, who dismissed Fedor because he couldn't sign him.

After last nights humbling TKO at the hands of 42-year-old Dan Henderson, it appears that the myth of "The Last Emperor" has finally been dismantled.  This is Fedor's third loss by stoppage in a row, the first two coming against non-contender Fabricio Werdum and a ferocious Bigfoot Silva.  Dana has his vindication.

Not only has Fedor demonstrated that he is not a top-ten heavyweight, he has shown that, if he were to drop to the light heavyweight division, he would flounder there as well.  Hendo, after all, weighed in at only 207 pounds, and has fought as low as middleweight during his career.  And, if he can rag-doll Fedor (as he did last night), then it is reasonable to believe that there are a plethora of other heavyweights and 205-pounders who could do the same: Cain Velazquez, Junior Dos Santos, Machida, Shane Carwin, Jon Jones, Rampage, Lesnar, Barnett, Rashad.

Fedor is only 34 years old.  To call for his retirement due to age, I think, is absurd.  Guys like Hendo, Couture, and Herschel Walker have shown that Fedor might be abe to headline fights for another 5 or 10 years.  Anderson Silva, even, is 17 months older than Fedor, and is arguably in his prime.

However, if Fedor wants to stick around, then he has to make some serious changes -- in his camp, in his management, in his lifestyle, and in his mindset.  He should relocate to the United States, and surround himself with champions at a place like Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque or Rafael Cordeiro's King's MMA in Huntington Beach.  Or he should team up with guys that have the relentless drive that Fedor seems to lack right now: Chael Sonnen, Bigfoot Silva, even Hendo himself.

If "The Last Emperor" does not reinvent himself soon, he will be put out to pasture and will NOT be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.  He needs to objectively assess the state of his career and take the necessary steps -- outside of his comfort zone.

Put your pants on, Fedor.

The Phenom Will Rise Again

Vitor Belfort is the second most dangerous man fighting at middleweight in MMA.  Anderson, of course, is the first.  Although various other fighters might currently be ranked above "The Phenom" -- Okami, Jacare, Munoz, Chael, Bisping, Stann -- NONE of them can finish a fight as quickly and viciously as Vitor.  At 19 and 9, his record isn't pristine.  However, he has stopped a bevy of all-stars: Tank Abbott, Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, Matt Lindland, and Rich Franklin.  And, of course, he may have the fastest hands in the history of the UFC.

Anderson Silva finished Belfort in the first round of UFC 126.  But until the remarkable front-kick that ended the fight, Belfort was the aggressor.  And -- although close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades -- he threw more strikes, landed more strikes, and was on top of Anderson at one point.

 

Akiyama is a dynamic fighter, who brings some flash into the cage.  However, at UFC 133, Belfort will obliterate him with a firestorm of fisticuffs.  It will end in the first round.  And, when that happens, Vitor will be right back in the title picture.

From there, Vitor should face the winner of Chael Sonnen v. Brian Stann, which is expected to take place on October 8 at UFC 136.  Not only would that be a deserved match-up, it would be a huge draw for the UFC.  It may also be the precursor to another title shot.

UFC 132: The Grave Digger Cometh

UFC 132 was one of the most thrilling UFC main cards in recent memory.  For MMA fans, it is quite satisfying to witness these kinds of fireworks (no 4th of July pun intended) on the same day that Vladimir Klitschko and David Haye put on a snooze-fest for the boxing heavyweight championship.  HBO and boxing promoters marketed that fight as a return to glory for heavyweight boxing.  However, all it demonstrated was that, with huge guaranteed paydays regardless of performance (a reported 10 million pounds per fighter in this case), championship boxing is often a complete sham.

The UFC 132 main card, on the other hand, was thrilling from start to finish, with virtually every fighter showing tremendous skill, tenacity and, most importantly, heart.  Here is a recap, with some thoughts:

• Carlos Condit KO'd "Stun Gun" Kim three minutes into the first round.  Condit launched a magnificent flying knee that literally made Kim go cross-eyed on his way to the canvas.   As a result, "The Natural Born Killer" has made the case that he is the most dangerous fighter in the welterweight division.  He can take the fight anywhere and end it at a moment's notice.  Though Condit does not want to wait around for a title shot, he deserves the winner of GSP-Diaz.  And my money would be on him.

• Tito Ortiz submitted Ryan Bader with a beautiful guillotine in the first round.  This came after Ortiz slammed a right hook into Bader's cheek, making the younger fighter's legs go limp.  Some thought that this would be Ortiz's funeral... but Ortiz, indeed, was the grave digger at the end of the fight.  And, believe it or not, this puts Tito in the top-ten among UFC light heavyweights, and should earn him a shot against someone in the top five.  With numerous fighters already booked -- Bones v. Rampage, Shogun v. Forrest, Rashad v. Mr. Wonderful, and Lyoto v. the winner of Bones/Rampage -- there is no clear opponent for Tito's next fight.  He wants the winner of Griffin/Rua.  I'm not interested in another Griffin-Ortiz match-up.  But Shogun v. The Huntington Beach Badboy?  I'd buy a ringside seat to that.

• Dennis Siver defeated Matt Wiman via unanimous decision in what would have been fight of the night at most other UFC events.  All three judges had it 29-28 for Siver.  And, indeed, it is a fair argument to say that he took the first and third rounds.  However, Wiman bludgeoned the German for 3 minutes of the second round, and had him bleeding all over the canvas.  I would say a 10-8 round for Wiman was not completely out of the question.  Wiman, and the fans, were upset at the decision.  However, it was not a case of negligent judging.  In the end, both of these guys remain in the title picture in the lightweight division.

• Chris Leben put Wanderlei Silva to sleep in 27 seconds.  Despite the brutal KO, this was a very disappointing fight.  The Axe Murderer employed zero strategy in this fight and went toe-to-toe with Leben, throwing sloppy wide hooks.  This, certainly, is the dumbest thing a world-class martial artist like Silva could have done.  Sure, the fans like a slugfest.  However, when you go in chin-first against the Crippler, you have a good chance of ending up face down or, in this case, waving goodbye to your UFC contract.

• Finally, Dominick Cruz outlasted Urijah Faber in one of the best five-rounders we've seen in a while.  For 25 minutes, this back-and-forth battle went everywhere.  Both men put on a striking, wrestling, and grappling clinic that should be very humbling to other bantamweights viewing the contest.  Rightfully, Cruz retained the belt in a unanimous decision.  However, he never had Faber in trouble.  On the other hand, Faber had Cruz eating canvas on three separate occasions.  Faber's hands were heavier, but Cruz was more active, controlled the octagon better, and even out-wrestled the California Kid.  Although one imbecile judge scored it 50-45 for Cruz, these guys are clearly one and two in the division.  Cruz-Faber III should be scheduled immediately.  Don't waste their time with interim opponents.