Any Questions?
Posted by Chad Edward on July 20th, 2008It only took 36 seconds for “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) to leave “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (24-5) laid out on the mat in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, Saturday night.
Just thirty-six seconds to answer questions raised by Fighters.com about Emelianenko’s two-year hiatus from top competition.
At the bell, Sylvia exited his corner in an awkward, low crouch.
Obviously…Emelianenko wasted no time blasting Sylvia with a left, right hook combo, followed by an uppercut.
“I’ve never been hit that hard in my life,” said Sylvia after the fight. “He’s not human.”
The “Maine-iac” dismantled to the mat; and, Emelianenko stuck in a rear naked choke that forced Sylvia to tap.
After the fight, the Russian was nonchalant, but not arrogant about his destruction of one of the world’s top heavyweights.
The victory cemented him as the top heavyweight in the world, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, and perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist ever.
How “Pitbull” Got His Bite Back
“Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) knocked out “Big” Ben Rothwell (33-6) at 1:13 of round three with a straight right, right uppercut combo.
Rothwell twirled gracefully to the mat as the referee waved off the fight, a classic between the heavyweights.
Rothwell kept it competitive, but Arlovski beat-up “Big” Ben with flurries of devastating striking that caused blood to ooze from every orifice in Rothwell’s head by the end of round two.
Babyface Avenger
“Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (26-5) avenged his 2001 knockout loss to “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) with a KO of his own at 1:44 of round two.
Barnett kept Rizzo at bay throughout the fight with a long teep and even landed a spin kick to Rizzo’s midsection in the first round.
In the second round, Barnett bounced an overhand right off Rizzo’s noggin and followed with a left hook that laid Rizzo out.
When asked if he wanted to fight one of the fighters in the main events, Barnett responded, “They’re all bad asses, but they ain’t me.”
Li’l Nog’, Big Knockout
High kick, leg kick, spin kick, “Bam Bam” Edwin Dewees (35-13) even threw a quasi-drop kick from the corner of the ring at “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3); but, it was knees in the Thai clinch and a big left hook from Nogueira that counted.
Nogueira TKO’d Dewees at 4:06 of round one after that left hook dropped “Bam Bam” through the ropes.
“My left one very hard,” Nogueira told the crowd after the fight.
Dewees fought aggressively in his light heavyweight debut; but, Li’l Nog’ avoided Dewees’s wide array of kicks and stalked him into the corner for the TKO “W”.
Nogueira wrapped Dewees in a Thai clinch and hammered knees into his midsection before slamming left and right hooks into Dewees’s head.
Belfort Goes Kaboom!
“Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) knocked Terry Martin (17-6) cold with a straight lead punch at 3:12 of round two in Belfort’s debut at middleweight.
The match-up was always just inches from a slug fest as Martin stalked with a 1-2 combo and Belfort retreated and swung his lead hook, neither fighter connecting much.
In round two, Belfort closed with a flying knee that Martin scooped for a takedown attempt.
Belfort defended, finding a bit of space before launching a right uppercut that lifted Martin’s chin for an on-the-butto straight down the pipe.
Martin nearly folded forward before momentum left him dazed against the ropes.
After the fight, Belfort said of his new 185-pound physique, “It feels so fast!”
Ambrose Steps Into “Quicksand”
Welterweight JJ Ambrose (8-2) stepped into “Quicksand” when he opened round one of his fight with Xtreme Couture’s Mike Pyle (17-5-1) by clinching in the corner.
Pyle manhandled Ambrose to the mat, mounted him, and softened him up with punches until Ambrose surrendered the inevitable rear naked choke at 2:51.
“I was looking for the submission,” Pyle said after the tapout. “Anyone can get lucky and knock someone out, but you can’t get lucky and submit someone.”
Hominick Taps Young
“Machine” Mark Hominick (16-8) fumbled with a leg triangle in the second round versus “Savant” Trenell Young (9-8) and got dumped on his head for it.
But, Hominick got a second chance and transitioned from a leg triangle to an armbar for the tapout “W” at 4:25 of round two.
“The Law” Comes To Bear On “Negao”
About the time I finished the sentence, “Nasciemento looks like he’s caught in the headlights,” middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) dropped “Negao” Fabio Nasciemento (8-4) with a left hook in the first round and pounced into a guillotine choke.
“I was thinking about something Dean Lister told me, ‘Never squeeze so hard that you burn your arms out,’” said Lindland after the fight.
Nasciemento spent the next minute-and-a-half wriggling free, only to take a whipping with Lindland inside his guard drilling elbows.
A brawl broke out in the second round.
Both fighters traded elbows, uppercuts, and hard hooks from close range with, surprisingly, Nasciemento getting the best of the exchange until Lindland slammed him into a corner and resumed the G’n'P whipping that started in the first.
Both fighters were gassed throughout a sloppy round three in which much was thrown, but not much landed cleanly.
Lindland shot, depositing Nasciemento through the ropes where Nasciemento’s head hit the judges table in a loud “Donk!”
The decision was unanimous for Lindland by scores 30-27 twice and 30-26.
Buentello Takes Easy UD
In a fight sometimes as sloppy as its making, “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-10) won a UD over late replacement “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) by scores of 30-27 times three.
The first session paced like a brisk spar as the big boys took each other’s pulse.
Goodridge whittled away with a leg kick while Buentello cranked a jab.
Three times Goodridge clammed-up at the knuckle end of Buentello’s jab; and, Buentello closed to clinch, but couldn’t solve Goodridge’s defense, eventually backing off.
The fight heated up in the second round with Goodridge wheeling haymakers; but, Buentello steadily cranked his jab.
This round, Buentello chipped at Goodridge’s skull with his elbow in the clinch.
Goodridge grabbed for a single-leg takedown at the ropes; but, Buentello turned him into the corner and backed out.
Buentello loaded-up a couple of heavy shots that staggered Goodridge to end the round.
In the third round, Buentello busted Goodridge’s mouth with a lead straight. Goodridge backpedalled; and, Buentello closed with a flying knee.
Buentello put in a solid effort to end the fight with some hard overhands; but, when “Daddy” wouldn’t go quietly, Buentello settled for the decision victory.
“Babalu” Wins Battle of Attrition
Is “battle of attrition” the literary term for “boring fight”?
If so, the first two rounds between “Babalu” Rento Sobral (30-7) and Mike Whitehead (23-7) were a battle of attrition; but, I wouldn’t even bother downloading them.
Fast-forward to round three and “Babalu” pieced together enough action to win a UD by 30-27 three times.
You can give the first two rounds to “Babalu” if you want. Somebody had to win them; but, Fighters.com agrees with the “W” for Sobral based on round three.
Sobral sunk three guillotines in the round. Unfortunately two of them were as Whitehead tackled him through the ropes and Whitehead defended the third choke attempt.
Sobral also connected with a front kick and a spinning hook kick to Whitehead’s jaw.
A spent Sobral confied after the fight, “I’m getting old.”
Whitehead admitted, “I couldn’t put it all together.”
duj said:
To say that Fedor is the best pound for pound or greatest ever is a joke!He’s a dominant Heavy weight,but Sylvia has little skill other than his right hand!Lets see how how Fedor does against someone with some more well rounded skills.If He were to dominate the weight class such as an Anderson Silva then maybe he could be the greatest!
joesmailer said:
Tough words after such an impressive showing!
Chad Edward said:
Fighters.com said “perhaps” the best ever.
Emelianenko hasn’t dominated the heavyweight class? Two wins of over Big Nog and a destruction of Tim Sylvia?
Search for Emelianenko on Fighters.com and you’ll read that this website has never been an Emelianenko nut-hugger, but Fighters.com is fair.
Emelianenko is no joke, man.
duj said:
Beating one top 10 heavyweight in the past 4 years doesn’t make him dominant!If he keeps it up I’ll give him the nod.Arlovski by 1st rd KO if the 2 get to fight in the future!Same goes for Barnett if he happens to get first dibbs!
bjj_rage said:
past 4 years? in the past 4 years he beat, coleman (at his prime) randleman, Nog twice, CC (at his prime, he just won the GP). By the way MW division is what I call a joke, Anderson back in pride, was fighting in the range of the LHW of the UFC, and guess what? he got his ass handle a couple of times. Get your facts straight before talking shit out.