The dust has cleared, smoke has settled and aftershocks have subsided. Following the most turbulent week in recent MMA history, there is a new number 1 heavyweight in the world. The upheaval began on June 26th when Fabricio Werdum caught Fedor Emelianenko in a combination armbar/triangle choke and ended when Brock Lesnar defeated Shane Carwin by arm triangle in the second round of their title unification fight at UFC 116.
Much has been said about Fedor and Lesnar over the past week and the debate should now be put to rest. Brock Lesnar has proven himself to be the best fighter in the world in the heavyweight division. Fedor had a great run atop the division racking up a twenty seven win streak over ten years against the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro-Cop Filipovic and Mark Coleman. It wasn’t until 2007 when Fedor began fighting substandard opponents that his greatness was called into question. Since then Fedor has faced “has been’s” in former UFC champions Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia and “never will be’s” with Brett Rogers and Hong Man Choi. In any sport, you’re only as good as your last time to suit up and play. Fighting is no different. Despite his stellar wins in the past his current loss and recent wins over less than stellar opponents should cost him the top spot in the division. Without a doubt, The Last Emperor will go down in history as the greatest heavyweight of all time, there is no disputing that. A 32-2 record over 10 years is incredibly impressive. However, given his loss and recent opposition, it is clear that Fedor’s reign is over.
Brock Lesnar, on the other hand, has rightfully claimed the top spot by taking on and beating current and former champions as well as top contenders. This is the same reasoning that has been declare Fedor the baddest man on the planet. Now that Lesnar has done what Fedor did at the peak of his career there is no reason not to bestow that title on the UFC champ. With each fight Lesnar grows by leaps and bounds. After losing to Mir in their first fight he was able adjust his style of fighting and avoid the rookie mistake that cost him the fight. Lesnar has since shown that he can victories by vicious ground ‘n pound, on the judges score card and now by submission. If he can improve his standup game and start knocking opponents out he will be a force to be reckoned with for years. Brock’s next opponent is the very dangerous Cain Velasquez in September. Should Brock put come out on top of that fight, this will only be among the first times that Brock’s career is compared to that of the great Fedor Emelianenko.