Fedor Emelianenko Is the MMA Old Guard's "Last Emperor"

Fedor Emelianenko is a name that can strike fear and awe whenever uttered, although it seems of late that fans have grown weary of his management and the inability for Fedor to step into UFC's 8-sided cage. The media lead-in for this Saturday's bout against Fabricio Werdum seems to be heavily focused on Fedor's legacy and how Emelianenko's affiliations with M-1 Global and Strikeforce have possibly tarnished his legacy as the best heavyweight in the world somehow.

I discussed this a bit with Zak Woods of WatchKalibRun.com the other day, how Fedor has simply made business decisions, chose who his partners were going to be, and lets them handle his day-to-day affairs. The truth is, Fedor is an adult and made his own decisions, unlike what many will infer when talking about his management, M-1 Global. As Jonathan Snowden recently pointed out, the fight with Fabricio Werdum is what makes the most sense right now in Strikeforce. Werdum is an accomplished heavyweight, and outside of Alistair Overeem, well, there really isn't another fight for Fedor in Strikeforce.

Fedor's nickname is "The Last Emperor" and really, at times, needs some reflection. In a MMA world full of fighters like Georges St. Pierre, Brock Lesnar and so forth we've seen the game change in the past few years. MMA is in the age of the hyper-athlete; the scientifically-trained athlete whose camps are as carefully planned out as their diets are. Cross-training and working with specialists in every aspect of the game have become needed for a fighter to be able to compete. Fedor represents a different breed of fighter; he does not have special camps or a team of nutritionists, doctors and personal trainers. No. Fedor still trains and lives the lifestyle of a martial artist who looks to have clarity of mind, to train in relative seclusion and privacy.

You can't compare a Fedor Emelianenko training session with that of a Manny Pacquiao training session in Los Angeles, with fans lined up out the door of the gym just waiting to get a glimpse of the champion, or a GSP session being recorded for a hype show.

I guess the question most have is; what makes Fedor special? What keeps Fedor relevent when the world is passing him by? Recently we saw the modern world concuss Chuck Liddell yet again and realize that the "old way" that worked for him for so long will no longer cut it. The same is being asked about Fedor, but the reality here is that Fedor's mental game is much more advanced than anybody else in the game right now that defeating him almost seems impossible. He doesn't have a who's who fight camp to work with, nor does he come into a fight talking trash or even being concerned. No, he is much different, he approaches MMA like a true martial artist, with clarity of mind and humility.

All of this leads to a mental toughness that is seldom seen, but required to become as successful as Fedor has. When Fedor steps into the cage this weekend, you'll note is demeanor; cool, collected, much like he is sitting down to a meal or heading into another day at the office. He does not hate or love his opponent, his opponent is simply in his way and needs to be dispatched. Even if his opponent is getting the better of him, or has a better skillset on paper than Fedor, it is Fedor's mental game that prevails over all.

This weekend, instead of being concerned with superflous lists, realize you are about to watch an anomaly that does not fit in with the modern world of MMA and that we might never see anybody have such a collected mental game as Emelianenko.

SBN coverage of Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum