http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...8058&zoneid=13 The best trainers, like the best fighters, are never satisfied with a performance less than perfection. In MMA, it’s a hopeless pursuit – there are too many variables to subtract from even the most highly trained athlete’s showing. That doesn't mean they don't push, scream, and beg fighters towards that end. Fedor Emelianenko is the consensus top heavyweight in the world, and with that title comes the expectation that his skills are a combination of talent and the best preparation in the world. But Emelianenko’s performance at Affliction’s “Day of Reckoning†drew a mixture of gushing praise and caution. While it was undisputable that the fight’s end – shooting challenger Andrei Arlovski out of the sky with a right hand – proved his dominance, the preceding three minutes were not the brilliance normally associated with the champ. And according to one of his trainers, Vladimir Voronov, who spoke to MMAWeekly.com and SI.com about Saturday’s rout, Emelianenko was not prepared to his satisfaction. “I said, 'Fedor, are we going to film this movie?’" said Voronov backstage at the conclusion of “Reckoning.†“(He said) ‘No, I’m not going to film this movie, I’m gonna work.’" Emelianenko did the opposite, filming an action movie in Thailand with Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen. Between takes, he trained. The real camp, away from the soundstage, was just 30 days long. “If he wants to keep winning, he can’t be spending too much time on these commercials and these movies,†complained Voronoz. “Afterwards, after the win. For a fighter, the most important thing is work, work, work. Fedor wants to keep winning, and keep winning well. He needs to train professionally.†Voronov had a blunt assessment of the overhand right that won the fight. Emelianenko prevailed because of his natural talent and a wealth of experience against top competition. Voronov was also well aware of Arlovski’s vulnerabilities, which he tried to impart to his student. “Arlovski is of a Slavic heart, and a Slavic soul,†Voronov explained. “Arlovski decided to (expletive) everything and go forward, and that’s why he paid.†Emelianenko will not be so lucky against his apparent next opponent, Josh Barnett. “Barnett is of a different soul,†he continued. “If Arlovski is a master in chess, then Barnett is a grandmaster. “The fact that Fedor won, don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy. But he won this fight because of the work he did before training that he did before this fight, because of the experience he had before this fight.†Happy would be best way to describe Emelianenko’s dressing room post-fight. His supporters crammed the room, toasting the champion repeatedly with Russian water, or vodka, as the room fogged with body heat. Emelianenko himself abstained from the indulgence, and shortly thereafter left for a sit-down dinner at an upscale restaurant in Anaheim, Calif. But there was a tangible feeling from Voronov that his fighter had dodged a bullet. “Right now, he won with his old baggage, with his old tricks,†he said. “We did everything we can to get him ready for this fight. But for these title fights, for these dangerous fights, we can’t train the way we trained for this fight.†<!-- / message --> <!-- sig --> __________________
Don't be surprised if he retires before or after the Barnett fight.It seems to me that he's getting tired.
Well, Hopefully Fedor HEEDS these Warnings OR he'll End Up LOSING to Somebody he has NOfuckingBUSINESS Losing to... REED:mj:
Great read, BTG. I have thought something similar. If Fedor loses it will be because of lack of focus on training. As he gets older focus will be even more important as age will as it does to everyone, catch up with his skills and talent. Personally, I'll be rooting for Barnett if they fight but that is more of a personal bias of mine.
REED Bets he's More BORED than "Tired"... Fedor DOESN'T Need the UFC Financially, but to Keep himself INTERESTED N MMA, him & Dana White R Gonna HAVE to Reach an Agreement... REED:mj:
The bottom line here is Fedor needs to fight top guys consistantly to stay interested. I hate to say it, but Affliction is out of top HW's. They have Barnett and then what? Buentello? Who do they have that anyone would pay to see Fedor fight?
I can see Fedor being tired. He trains like a beast, and he's been training that way for years now. That's gotta wear a guy down after a while. Fedor has made a lot of money, and his name alone is worth a lot in Russian and Japan. With each fight, it's gotta be harder and harder to get motivated. TFK
Fedor doesn't need MMA anymore. He's got movie contracts pouring in. F*ck MMA. He needs to move on. There's nothing left to do in the sport. I say retire on the Josh Barnett fight and be done with it.
REED Can See him Being "Tired" OF Training but Not "Tired" FROM Training... REST is Also Part of the Training Regimen...& Even if Fedor is BACK N the Gym a Week or So After a Fight, he's NOT Working Out Nearly as Hard as he Would w/a Fight on the Horizon.... agREED that it DEFINITELY has to Get Harder & HARDER to Get Motivated....The ONLY Heavyweight REED Actually WANTS to See Fedor Fight (Lesnar) Probably ISN'T Ready for him Yet...& by the Time that he Is, Fedor will Probably B RETIRED... REED:mj:
Exactly. Taking an objective look at the heavyweight panorama, Fedor doesn't have anything else to accomplish after the Barnett fight. Couture is an old man, Lesnar too young and might lose his next fight, nothing else outside UFC/Affliction. He should just retire from MMA and enjoy his fame. Maybe keep on the Sambo thing, because he loves it. He is a fighter, afterall.
Disagree. Boxing's Heavyweight Division doesn't have a Fedor. That's what seperates Boxing and MMA's heavyweights. There's not a lot of depth on either side, but MMA has the better heavyweight division simply because they have the most dominant fighter in either sport. TFK
Ok I just saw this fight for the first time.. and I just can't understand the uproar about Fedor's performance. Both guys basically were just feeling each other out for the first 3 minutes... Arvloski landed maybe 2 or 3 decent shots to 1 or 2 descent shots from Fedor... then Arloski lands a weak center kick and Fedor bounces it off the ropes and lays Andre flat on his face. There were never any 'scary' moments for Fedor.. nothin even close. When they were in the clinch Fedor nullified Andres attempts with ease, and landed the much better inside shots. Of course Fedor is not a great boxer by any means.. which made Andre look like he was holding his own.. but the fact is that when it came time to exchange Andre was out cold and Fedor had barely broken a sweat. I think everyone has just become too accustomed to sub 1:00 fights from Fedor.
I agree. A lot of people make it seem as if Arlovski was dominating the fight. When I was watching it live it looked like Arlovski was was definitely getting the better of it, however, the replays showed that he landed almost nothing of consequence. Maybe Arlovksi was controlling the pace, but really the only eventful contact of that fight wound up with him on flat on his face.
At least there is still some interesting fights to be made at HW in the UFC. What does Affliction have? They have one more good HW fight and that's it. Can Affliction even have any success what so ever without Fedor on the card? Who else do they have? I hate to say it but Afflictions HW roster as a whole is NOT better than the UFC's. They have Barnett and Fedor.
No not really.Theres nothing special about the Heavyweight division as a whole.Fedor's damn near got the division cleaned out.If he fights Barnett there won't be anyone left.
Nope, there won't be anyone left. Except for the guys in the UFC. Fedor needs to come to the damn UFC already. Why would he not want to fight for the worlds biggest MMA org?
Personally, and this is just my opinion, I think Fedor-Mir or Fedor-Lesnar would be interesting. Mir's chin could make it a quick night for Fedor but I'd love to see these two on the ground. Likewise I would love to see Fedor deal with the athleticism and size of Lesnar. Obviously Fedor would be the favorite against either guy, but they would present nice challenges.
I must admit as a fan, I want to see Fedor fight Barnett. I would love to see the winner fight in the UFC. I agree with BTG, the HW division as a whole isn't deep in talented fighters, but I would like to see the top fight each other and the only way that looks available is if the winner of Fedor/Barnett signs with the UFC.
Why does he need to? Dana needs Fedor more than Fedor needs him. Fedors legacy is pretty much sealed already and he has plenty of money. Dickhead Dana needs to stop making soo many damn demands and give some of his fighters the respect they deserve. Especially like someone on the level of Fedor.
How exactly does Dana need Fedor? If Dana's goal was to have the best HW in the world, then yes, perhaps he would need him. Unfortunately something tells me Dana is more driven by money and power. He has both of those without Fedor. It's not like fans are going to boycott UFC events just because Dana won't fold and make concessions to sign Fedor. I wish he would, but he absolutely doesn't NEED to.
I don't know all the details of why the previous contract negotiations fell apart, but i believe UFC wanted to "tie him up" with a multi-fight contract. Fedor knows he can make great money without Dana White, so he would prefer to be a free agent. Look what happened with Mirko Cro Cop though. I think he had one of the largest contracts in UFC history. He ended up being a big bust. What if Fedor tanks? It doesn't seem as likely, but in MMA anything can happen and it's not like Fedor is 22 years old. It would seem more prudent for the UFC to give him a one fight at a deal. If he wins and they make money they can do it again. If not, they aren't on the hook to pay him again if his stock devalues.
Dana needs Fedor to bring interest to the heavyweight division. Not saying that he can't do without him, but Fedor is THE MAN in the HW division and everyone knows it. A fight between Fedor and Brock would be a monster. It would be foolish to think that Dana would not love to have Fedor in his stable. Although he has money and power without Fedor, he would have even more with him.
I certainly agree on the money part. At the same i don't think Fedor whiping his ass with every former/current top UFC heavyweight sits well with him either.
