At one time the most anticipated MMA fight was Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva. Now that we were able to witness that battle, the next super fight on everyone’s mind, is the possible fight between Randy Couture and Fedor Emelianenko. This could be the battle to determine the best heavyweight in MMA history. These fighters are both great, but have been doing very different things of late. One has denied all odds and seems to get better with age, while the other seems to be fighting subpar competition around the world. Many hold Fedor as the top heavyweight in the world, while others hold Randy at that spot. It seems they both are deserving of the title, but who deserves it more? Who is the real heavyweight champion of MMA?
Randy “The Natural” Couture could be the most amazing 44 year old fighter on the planet. He is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC but lately he has done more fighting with Dana White and the UFC, than in the Octagon. Even though he isn’t fighting right now he should be considered one of the top 2 big guys in the world. The only other person in my eyes that could be ranked above him is Fedor. Randy is a smart fighter with a wrestling background, a veteran in the game of MMA, and has fought all levels of competition. If there is one argument why he should be ranked over Fedor, it is the caliber of recent opponents. In his last 3 fights he has fought Gonzaga, Tim Sylvia, and Chuck Liddell. After he lost to Chuck, no one expected him to return from retirement and fight Timmy for the heavyweight title. Not only did he fight him, but he dominated Sylvia throughout the entire fight, and almost finished it very early. Randy has an amazing amount of built up aggressions toward Dana and the UFC, and if he is bottling that up for his next fight, the opponent could be in trouble. Randy is a legend in the sport of MMA, and is the best heavyweight in UFC history. In a recent turn of events, it appears that he has reached a deal with Mark Cuban’s HDNet fights, and could be fighting again by the end of the year.
Fedor is considered by most to be the best heavyweight, and possibly the best MMA fighter in the world. Fedor has an amazing 27-1 record and 1 no contest due to an accidental cut. Like Randy, Fedor has fought top talent, but not of late. His last three fights were against Hong Man Choi, Matt Lindland, and Mark Hunt. I believe that is an easier road than Gonzaga, Sylvia, and Liddell. Choi is a .500 fighter in an organization that is far below the UFC or what Pride used to be. Fedor recently sent a letter to the UFC saying that he wants to fight Randy or the champ. Either way, I do not see Dana or the UFC setting up this fight, they are still against a cross promotion. In his 28 fights, only 7 went the distance. If Fedor wants to remain in consideration for the best in the world, he desperately needs to fight against top competition. A reality show is in works to determine the next opponent for Fedor. The show is not made up of Couture, Nog, Sylvia, or any of the top heavyweights in the world. It will be great exposure for one fighter, but in my opinion does nothing for Fedor’s reputation. Mirko Cro Cop has just jumped off of the UFC ship, and will be available to fight in the future. Mirko had a 1-2 record in the UFC and although he is still a great fighter, he is not a top heavyweight contender. If Fedor never signs with the UFC, I don’t feel he will ever be able to fight against the top guys that he needs to solidify his great career. The one exception could be a HDNet Fights thriller!
There is no way to determine who would win this fight unless they meet face to face. They are both dominating fighters that deserve to be at the top of the heavyweight rankings. Both of them deserve to be #1 but there has to be a winner. So let’s compare them…
Randy - Fedor
Height 6′1 - 6′0
Weight 225 - 233
Age 44 - 31
This illustration only shows the cover of the book, and does not take into account the dynamics of the potential fight. They are almost identical with the height and weight and if I had to pick, it would depend on where they were fighting. If it were in a cage I would go with Randy, but if they fought in a ring I would give the nod to Fedor. The venue and rules could have a huge impact on the fight. Taking away Randy’s elbows and cage usage is like taking the dunk away from Shaq. That being said, I feel that both would have severe hangovers in the other fighting arenas.
If we compare the two records completely, they have both fought great talent, but Randy did it on a much more consistent basis. Over the past few years the UFC and Pride rivaled over talent. Pride fans thought they had the best fighters, and the UFC fans said they were better. There is no way to tell pound per pound which organization had the best fighters. In my opinion the UFC has had a larger talent pool than Pride. Pride had their top guys, but from top to bottom I will give it to the UFC. In other words, I feel that the third or fourth guy in a weight class in the UFC could have been victorious over the third or fourth guy in Pride. Fedor had more fights and has an amazing record. I am not taking anything away from him. This will be a true clash of titans.
At this point I am not picking a side. This type of match up is one of the reasons I love MMA. It is two amazing athletes getting together in an intense MMA chess match. In terms of other sports; this is Bird versus Magic, Red Sox and Yanks in game 7, or any great sports moment. These two fighters could be the best heavyweight fighters of all time and this has the makings to be the best MMA fight in history. I hope it happens. I have a feeling that HDNet Fights will make it happen for a New Years fight the same day as the UFC card, just to poke Dana in the eye for not making it happen for us. The UFC couldn’t make it happen and one of the reasons was Russian Sambo. I watched the finals of the last tournament and Fedor owned the competition. The chance for injury was there, but it would have been worth it to me, if I ran the UFC, to host one of the biggest fights in MMA history! This is a case where the fans should come first and if the UFC won’t make it happen, please… I am begging M1, HDNet Fights, and every other MMA organization. MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
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I do still love MMA and have...
February 24th, 2008 at 12:55 am
This article was put together very well. I think that this fight should happen and needs to happen just for the aspect that we have two great fighters that should fight to see who is better. It would be great for them and great for the fans that are looking for a good fight. The last UFC fight night was just OK to other UFC fights in the past. We did get to see all the fights for it, but if this fight happened, it would go to the end. This is the clash of the Titans and would be a great fight to watch.
February 24th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Fightlinker actually linked to this article and talked a little more about how Dana White pushed so hard for Chuck vs. Wandy and now he doesn’t seem like he cares that much about Randy vs. Fedor…but why?