I'm in total agreement with you on the way things are in Russia. Whatever the reason, Fedor dodged fights. If it was him personally or his management doesn't really matter.
This takes nothing away from Fedor's respectable and humble demeanor.
I think it does matter if Fedor, himself, refuses a match, or if his handlers do so. It does not matter in respect to his fighting record and the credibility it gives him. But it does matter when judging his character. Fedor strikes me as a genuinely religious person and that he believes that though he may do everything possible within his power and ability to steer the odds in his favor his ultimate fate is determined by God. Many will say this but when you see how he accepted his defeats and the possibility of his career coming to an end it shows his genuineness. So for him whether in victory or defeat he is simply following the path set for him by God. From that perspective, whom he fights is almost irrelevant.
Look at his demeanor before all of his fights. Look at his face when he squares off in front of his opponent as the rules are recited. No mean mugging. No posturing. No psyching out games. Just a man at peace stepping up to accept his fate with honor and courage as has been ordain for him by God.
That being said, I believe that if Fedor had fought Big Foot in the Pride of old the fight would not have been stopped and Fedor would have gone on with the almost stoic resignation that he so often displays, oblivious to any pain or injuries he may be suffering.
The out come may have been different as Big Foot was getting noticeable winded and as many here know, no matter how big and strong you are once you lose your wind you're done.
This is not to take anything away from Big Foot. He absolutely man handled Fedor. But Fedor has been man handled before and have come back.
