The Takedown | The case for Fedor Emelianenko as the greatest MMA fighter of all-time
- The Russian has long been in the conversation as one of the best, but his peripheral career works against his legacy as the greatest
- Now 43, he is still showcasing his striking prowess against former UFC heavyweights like Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: I’m not saying Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time. That honour will probably go to Jon Jones if he can dispatch Dominick Reyes in February, pad his win column a few more times before retiring and keep his nose clean in the process.
What I am saying is there is definitely an interesting case to be made for the Ukranian-born Russian heavyweight, who once again showed the world he is tough as a coffin nail in pummelling Quinton “Rampage” Jackson over the weekend at Bellator 237.
Emelianenko, 43, made quick work of Jackson, 41, who at one point was one of the most feared UFC heavyweights and an international movie star to boot. In 2007, after beating Chuck Liddell at UFC 71 to win the light heavyweight championship, Jackson looked like his reign of terror over the division might be a long and prosperous one.
It didn’t turn out that way for the American, who now looks like he’s battling the bulge as much as Father Time. His reign also fell victim to quicker, more nimble fighters like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans. Emelianenko became only the fourth person to finish Jackson by knockout or TKO, and he did so rather quickly, in the first round in a fight that looked like a foregone conclusion after about 10 seconds.
Emelianenko is this type of fighter, one who defies odds and one who has been largely crushing his opponents since his first fight in 2000. Thirty-nine contests later, and some impressive victories over combatants like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and more recently, Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen, create an interesting resume.
The problem with arguing Emelianenko is the greatest of all-time largely stems from the fact he never fought in the UFC, the world’s premier MMA company. In most sports, making a case for an athlete outside of the top league is a fool’s errand: no one is going to debate the greatest basketball player didn’t play in the NBA or the top football player didn’t suit up in the NFL. But Emelianenko is a different story for a number of reasons.