Brock Backs Up Fedor, Respects Defeated Great Heavyweight Champion
UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has never held back when asked of his opinion regarding other fighters. Often brash and braggadocio, Brock pulls no punches during his interviews. But the champ has refused to say anything bad about Fedor Emelianenko and his losing effort against Fabricio Werdum.
When asked about his opinion on the fallen Fedor, Lesnar said: “It was disappointing. I hate to see a guy like that. Whether his legacy was more of a mystique than it was, he stood up and he was respectful and it was tough to see. It reminded me of my first fight against Frank [Mir] when I got really anxious and fell right into the trap.”
In his first foray in the UFC, Brock Lesnar dropped Frank Mir early but fell right into the Jiu Jitsu specialist’s submission attempt. Lesnar tapped out to Mir’s knee bar. He came out like a chugging express train - then crashed out just like that.
Lesnar has since gained revenge over Frank Mir in the rematch, dominating his tormentor for a technical knockout win. But Brock could still taste the bitterness of his first loss inside the octagon.
“That’s a tough pill to swallow. That’s a big pill to swallow and I definitely do not want to try to swallow that pill again,” said Brock.
The man clearly sympathizes with Fedor, because he had been there. He too had tasted defeat. And just like any other competitor, a loss is pretty hard to acknowledge.
“I feel bad for him,” stated the UFC Heavyweight champion.
Like many MMA fans around the world, Lesnar believes that Fedor’s legacy is still intact despite the stunning defeat. Emelianenko’s decade-long domination would be very hard to forget. One defeat isn’t going to change everything.
Besides, it happens to the best of us, according to Lesnar. Heck, it has happened to Lesnar himself and yet he now holds the UFC Heavyweight belt.
“No I don’t. I don’t think any less of him,” Lesnar said of Emelianenko. “We’re human beings and we all make mistakes and it’s whether or not we can get up and better ourselves. That’s what true champions are made of, I believe.”
Now that the dust has settled, we are left to take Fedor’s loss into perspective. Is the man they call “The Last Emperor” truly done? Is he on his, pardon the pun, last legs? It seems not. After all, the Russian’s record still stands at an unprecedented 31 wins and two losses. Not even the great Randy Couture has a record like Fedor’s.
The man punished the elite line of heavyweight contenders including Andrei Arlovski, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Kevin Randleman, Mark Colman, and Brett Rogers.
A loss at the hands of Fabricio Werdum would not take these names away from Fedor’s resume.
Yes, the mystique may have been doused with a sprinkle of reality. But the enigmatic Fedor still looms as a huge and intimidating figure in mixed martial arts. And should he decide to finally join the ranks of Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin in the UFC, then Fedor will surely find himself as one of the hottest commoditys in the said promotion since Randy Couture.
He’s that big. And yes, he’s that good.
For the meantime, here’s hoping we will eventually see Fedor in the octagon—perhaps, against the winner of the Lesnar-Carwin heavyweight clash.
It seems almost certain that both Lesnar and Carwin would welcome a potential megabuck fight with Emelianenko.
UFC 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin will go down on July 3, 2010 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It's going to be a show.
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