willrichtor
June 29th, 2010, 01:16 AM
Fedor Emelianenko suffered the first actual defeat of his storied career this saturday, at the hands of Brazilian grappler Fabricio Werdum. He knocked Werdum on his butt within the first few seconds, landing 3 shots of a 6 punch combination to send the Brazilian sprawling. However, taking a page from the Russian's own playbook, it appeared that Werdum was baiting Fedor. Fedor dove into Werdum's guard, delivering a dozen or more thundering hammerfists, but Werdum kept his cool and established rock solid wrist control, setting up for a triangle choke or straight armbar.
Fedor recognized this and forced his arm out of Werdum's grasp in time to avoid the submission, but gave up wrist control again while attempting to pass guard by stacking his opponent, using his weight to press Werdum's legs down toward his torso. Werdum would not be denied twice, and immediately locked on a tight triangle. Fedor hesitated during the one moment that he had to escape, which allowed Werdum to lock the strangle tighter and add a secondary armbar to further pressure the illustrious Emelianenko. He fought off the attempt as long as he could and gave a single tap in frustration presumably moments before losing consciousness. And all within the first two minutes of the first round.
After the fight, Fedor seemed perturbed by his mistake, skulking around arms akimbo, shaking his head, but by the time the official decision was handed and the post fight interview happened, he was standing at parade rest with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. When asked what was going through his mind having been dealt his virtual first loss, Fedor responded:
"Nothing frankly, because the one who does not fall, also does not stand up. It happened that I was made some kind of idol. But everyone loses and I am just a man. If it is God's will, next fight I will win."
Werdum, breaking trend with the bulk of his fellow countrymen, said of his opponent: "Do not be mistaken. Fedor is the best in the world."
The mutual respect and humility shown by these men impressed me more than any of their in-ring performances, and that's saying a lot, given what the two of them have accomplished. I agree with them both. Congrats to Werdum for proving that UFC's management is a gibbering collective of morons for letting such a talent slip through their fingers. And to Fedor, well, let's see what he's capable of now that the pressure of his virtually undefeated status has been lifted.
Fedor recognized this and forced his arm out of Werdum's grasp in time to avoid the submission, but gave up wrist control again while attempting to pass guard by stacking his opponent, using his weight to press Werdum's legs down toward his torso. Werdum would not be denied twice, and immediately locked on a tight triangle. Fedor hesitated during the one moment that he had to escape, which allowed Werdum to lock the strangle tighter and add a secondary armbar to further pressure the illustrious Emelianenko. He fought off the attempt as long as he could and gave a single tap in frustration presumably moments before losing consciousness. And all within the first two minutes of the first round.
After the fight, Fedor seemed perturbed by his mistake, skulking around arms akimbo, shaking his head, but by the time the official decision was handed and the post fight interview happened, he was standing at parade rest with an uncharacteristic smile on his face. When asked what was going through his mind having been dealt his virtual first loss, Fedor responded:
"Nothing frankly, because the one who does not fall, also does not stand up. It happened that I was made some kind of idol. But everyone loses and I am just a man. If it is God's will, next fight I will win."
Werdum, breaking trend with the bulk of his fellow countrymen, said of his opponent: "Do not be mistaken. Fedor is the best in the world."
The mutual respect and humility shown by these men impressed me more than any of their in-ring performances, and that's saying a lot, given what the two of them have accomplished. I agree with them both. Congrats to Werdum for proving that UFC's management is a gibbering collective of morons for letting such a talent slip through their fingers. And to Fedor, well, let's see what he's capable of now that the pressure of his virtually undefeated status has been lifted.