UFC 112: Why Fedor Emelianenko Is Still Pound-For-Pound King
by Jason Eisenhorn Contributor Written on April 10, 2010 Fedor is the best. I'll say it again. Fedor is the best. After a decade of war, the man has never shown a mental flaw in his game. If he's being rocked by Fujita, pummeled by Brett Rogers, or on his back bleeding in Pride, Fedor does not give up.
Fedor has said that fighting is "100 percent mental," and tonight we learned that Dana White's dream of controlling the best fighters in the world hasn't quite come true.
George St. Pierre can't apply simple BJJ principals in his fights. He can't finish fighters or bring knock out power with his hands. Even though he is a supernaturally gifted wrestler, he isn't quite the well rounded martial artist we all thought he was.
B.J. Penn still has cardio issues, and—even worse—has huge mental holes in his game. Today at UFC 112 he was out-boxed, taken down, and humiliated spiritually by Frankie Edgar. No longer the dominate lightweight champion, B.J. Penn walked away crushed by his own inability to stick to a game plan, or even take down and opponent when he was being outclassed.
Anderson Silva is afraid to take a punch. Silva's performance tonight was a mockery of the sport and made him look more like a court jester than pound-for-pound king of the world of MMA.
I'd say he should be more embarrassed than Forest Griffen. Never coming out of the second round in the UFC, Silva seemed to be out of gas in the middle of round three and could not commit to finishing a broken Damian Maia. The Spider tried to cover up his mental cracks, but the crowd saw through him and chanted "Maia! Maia! Maia!" Never underestimate the power of the underdog in combat sports.
Fedor has never shown any of these flaws in his career, and he has never been beaten...not mentally, physically, or spiritually. Fedor comes to end fights and show the world he is the best, and those who sing the praises of the UFC exclusively should sit down and take notice.
The Last Emperor is the best MMA fighter in the world.