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.