AUGUST 1, 2011 – This past weekend at Strikeforce in Chicago, we saw a legend lose for the third straight time as Fedor Emelianenko fell to Dan Henderson. The immediate aftermath had many calling it an early stoppage with Fedor rolling to his back immediately after Herb Dean called a halt to the bout. The reality of it is that Hendo cold-cocked him enough to cause Dean to step in and put a stop to a beating. Nobody wanted to see a repeat of Fedor getting punished like he was in his last bout versus Antonio “BigFoot” Silva. With Fedor losing those two along with his first defeat to Fabricio Werdum also in Chicago last June, the pertinent question now becomes: Should Fedor Retire?
It’s been a long and storied road for “The Last Emperor.” Beginning his career in the RINGS organization, Fedor won 31 of his first 32 bouts and went undefeated for nine straight years. Throughout that streak he was the face of the equally-legendary PRIDE Fighting Championship organization, created a legacy that will forever be defined by wins over his contemporaries like Mirko CroCop, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, and others. Making his way to the US in July of 2008, Emelianenko furthered his legend by defeating former UFC champs Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski back-to-back and beating Brett “The Grim” Rogers in his last bout prior to his recent losing streak. In summation, it was these wins that had many calling Fedor “The Michael Jordan of MMA.”
But oh how the mighty have fallen.
Just like CroCop, Chuck Liddell, Mark Kerr, and many inevitably stood before him, Fedor (once called the greatest MMA fighter ever) now finds himself at a pivotal crossroads, facing his own career mortality and likely debating whether it’s time to walk away from the sport. If you would have asked after his loss to Silva, we would have said it likely that Fedor would walk away then. Heck he pretty much said so himself his post-fight interview. But he didn’t do that. Instead he came back for this superfight with Dan Henderson. After this loss, we’re not so sure if he’s ready to walk away or not.
Money talks and although he stands to make less of it now with his once invincible aura gone, there’s still a living to be made in there. Also there’s the issue of the athlete’s pride. After being on top for so long, it’s hard for competitors in any sport to just up and walk away – no matter how clear the twilight of once-legendary careers becomes evident to everybody who is not then. Ask Michael Jordan how easy it is to just walk away. Ask Brett Favre the same question.
Fedor Emelianenko now stands in the same spot as another surefire hall-of-famer in Tito Ortiz did just a few months ago. But can he resuscitate his career the same way with his own Ryan Bader moment? That remains to be seen and there are no top candidates looming for him to fight in Strikeforce that aren’t tied up in the heavyweight tournament. If Zuffa cuts him same as they did the “Demolition Man,” he could go off to Japan and chase that one lucrative superfight. But would it be too little, too late for that bout to offer anything other than morbid curiosity at this point?
What do you guys think? Is it time for Fedor to hang up his four-ounce gloves and walk away with his dignity intact? Or will continue to preserve as so many fighters (Holyfield, Jones Jr, Liddell, and Ali) have in the past? If he walks away right now, how would YOU remember Fedor Emelianenko?
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