Fedor still considered best fighter in MMA
Russian fighter Fedor Emelianenko has topped the list of all-time heavyweights released by the influential Sherdog.com mixed martial arts portal.
The 34-year-old legend of the sport, who is the only Russian representative on the list, has been praised for his 10-year-long unbeaten streak. “For the better part of a decade, he was untouchable, a larger-than-life figure whose stoicism and humility masked a ruthless competitor within. From December 22, 2000 until June 26, 2010, Emelianenko was unbeaten in 28 appearances – 27 victories and a no contest. The most dominant and successful fighter in the history of Pride Fighting Championships, he arrived in the Japanese promotion in 2002 and passed every test set before him, including wins over Brazilian great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), UFC Hall-of-Famer Mark Coleman (twice), former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman, four-time K-1 World Grand Prix winner Semmy Schilt and 2006 Pride open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic,” the article on the portal said.Emelianenko has been defeated in three of his last bouts, but the Sherdog.com analysts are clearly looking at the bigger picture. “Emelianenko won the Pride heavyweight title in March 2003, later unified it and remained champion until the company sold out to the Ultimate Fighting Championship four years later. Post-Pride, he defeated 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, the 2.18-meter-tall Hong Man Choi and former UFC heavyweight titleholders Tim Sylvia and Andrey Arlovski, finishing all four of them in 3:14 or less. A three-time sambo world champion, Emelianenko has delivered 24 of his 31 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, 21 of them inside one round. In more than 11 years of active MMA competition, he has never lost a decision,” the article concluded. Emelianenko, nicknamed the Last Emperor, is now scheduled to face Jeff Monson at the upcoming M-1's event to, finally, take place on the Russian soil on November 12. As for the finalists of the Strikeforce World Grand Prix, which were decided on Saturday night, only one of them, Josh Barnett, is present in the Top 10, while Daniel Cormier still has a lot of work to to become an all-time great.MMA's All-Time Heavyweights by Sherdog.com: 1. Fedor Emelianenko2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira3. Randy Couture4. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic5. Josh Barnett6. Frank Mir7. Tim Sylvia8. Mark Coleman9. Cain Velasquez10. Fabricio Werdum
