Kevin Randleman suplexing Fedor to the depths of hell and somehow Fedor acted like that never happened and turns around and submits Kevin 30 seconds after was inhuman.
Fedor beat three K-1 World Champions (Cro Cop, Semmy Schilt, Hunt) Fedor beat two ADCC World Champions (Jeff Monson & Ricardo Arona) Fedor beat two Judo World Champions (Satoshi Ishii & Naoya Ogawa) Fedor beat eight UFC champions (Nog, Randleman, Coleman, Arlovski, Sylvia, Rampage, Rizzo, Mir) Of those UFC champions, he beat two of them twice. Fedor has proved that he can stand in front of either the best kickboxers of all time, the best grapplers of all time, and the best MMA fighters of all time and he will still beat them. He is simply the greatest ever.
@happy little trees 239 yup, I can’t stand all these people that say “oh but he never fought in the ufc”. At the time Fedor was in pride, pride was the biggest mma promotion in the world, Fedor proved himself there, he didn’t need to prove himself in ufc once ufc started taking over
I’ve always considered Fedor the most amazing heavyweight I’ve ever seen. It’s hard when the new era MMA fans don’t know what it was like to watch his cold emotionless demeanor as he dismantled every kind of fighter you can imagine ! Thanks Unc Chael
Hes one of the most unique fighters ever and everything that made Fedor great you simply are born with..and crazy thing is he was the most exciting fighter to watch on top of being best..you never see that. His ability to stay calm in the fire is just god gifted, the man has no fear and no quit in him so only way to beat him is a big punch and nobody could do it when he was in prime actually caring about MMA. When he lost he was mentally done, injured and going through divorce and trying to help his crazy brother. His team even said 3 years before finally losing hes just getting by with his old tricks and not training hard anymore. Plus his reaction times and head movement were insane, his ability to finish the fight once you made a mistake is what made him so great, you saw it this weekend vs Tim Johnson. He clipped Tim coming in then saw Tim was going to throw and bang hes out. Man had cat like reflexes and Hips/shoulders/body control that make literally no sense. All his team are under 30 and none of them have it, Moldasky is 29 good HW and just went 5 rounds with Tim Johnson months ago and Fedor at 45 comes in and lays him out first opening he got lol.
"It’s hard when the new era MMA fans don’t know what it was like to watch his cold emotionless demeanor" I agree completely! It's the same with Anderson Silva, who was also at his prime at close to the same time. I think it's that almost half of the MMA community today were brought in during the McGregor era so they have no idea what it felt like to watch guys like this fight. Anderson made his opponents look like children, and Fedor always looked like the most bored guy in the room in the lead up to the fight and then completely destroy whoever was across from him. Call me whatever, but I still feel like that time was the Golden era of MMA, the times of GSP, Silva, Aldo, and Fedor, all super powers at roughly the same time.
@@MrShitthead the real reason Fedor was better then everyone was hes smarter then all these fighters and he was a freak athlete but his brain is why he was better.
What sets Fedor apart from other GOATs is that Fedor is/was willing to fight his opponents where they were the strongest -> standup fight with Mirko, fighting in the guard with Big Nog etc. This might not be the wisest thing to do but for sure it’s much more entertaining than playing it safe and strategically. Win or lose…I can’t think of any boring Fedor fight. Fedor always had the aim of finishing his opponents.
Uhhh GSP said wait hold my beer... you do realize GSP beat people at their own games also..... never wrestled in HS and beat many wrestlers at wrestling. Heard of Valentina Shev? Have you not been watching her take people down and submit them or gnp them out? Do you not realize she is a stand up fighter prior to ufc? Fedor is dope but you guys are putting your blinders on and going along with anything ole Chael says lol.
@@cmo5807 I love GSP, but he won 12 of 28 fights by decision and Fedor won 9 of 40 by decision. Fedor has most 1st round ko's ever. He literally went for the kill every second.
what about fedors ground and pound vs heath herring, that shit was so powerfull, compare that to when cain velasquez dominated chick kongo, cain hits kongo 100s of times and kongo did not have a mark on him. fedors gnp was on another level, we have not really seen it since apart from some russian fighters like khabib
Nah....the most Gangsta thing in MMA history was Bisping becoming the MW world champion with one eye and x2 busted up knee caps, thee single most gangsta moment in UFC/MMA history, with no exceptions!!!
Only after he called Fedor trash 🗑️, and they both trained, and fought each other in bellator. And Chael lost to Fedor in the 1st round. Which Fedor had already beating around 7 or 8 UFC champions before even facing Chael.
@@untoldguitarist obviously everyone knows that Chael Sonnen is putting on a show for the viewers , and his character is great. I really like the fact Chael shows this much respect to Fedor years after their fight
Fedor MMA facts: 1. 47 pro fights with a 40-6-1 record. 2. Holds the 2nd best win streak in all of MMA, 27 but would be 31 or 32-0 if you take away the DSQ from the stupid stoppage from a cut. 3. Defeated 7 UFC champions 9 times, 4 K1 Champions, 2 silver, 1 gold Olympic medalists and 2 ADCC champions. 4. 29 victories in the first round. 5. 15 wins under 2 minutes and 5 wins under 1 minute. 6. 16 Knockouts / 15 Subs. 7. Rings Champ, Pride HW & Grand Prix Champ, WAMMA Champ. If you have Fight Pass, go watch Fedor's run in Pride and you'll understand exactly why he's so admired among fighters and fans. People who don't know criticize that he fought cans. He fought SOME cans but he beat the fuckin' piss out of them like you'd expect him to. He also fought and beat the very best of his era in their prime as Pride had the best HW roster from 2000-2006. 2009-2011 he dealt with some injuries, family issues and I think fighters just caught up to him, but everyone goes through that at some point. Never had a boring fight. Always humble in victory and defeat. The HW GOAT.
Fedor is indisputably the GOAT - he was very undersized in the heaviest and most dangerous weight class; he knocked around 30 people out cold, was undefeated in his prime for close to 10 years; and now at age 45 still can fight competitively with top 10 ranked heavyweights.
@@iotaeta-pi2770 no. He was 35-6 years old when that fight happened. Supposedly heavyweights still fight at high level at this change. He just fought in Western organisations and got beat badly. Just like Fedor.
Fedor was straight up savage. From Kevin Randleman suplexing him on his head yet submitting him 30 secs later, to almost getting dropped by the monster Brett Rogers and coming back to finish him. He was NEVER EVER truly out of it in his first 30+ fights. G.O.A.T of every division. Every promotion.
And Fedor dominated at a time with far less rules. You could soccer kick, head stomp, knee downed opponents to the head. It's when he came over to Strikeforce with the new rules when he lost the 3 straight fights. . But now he's won 9 of his last 11. He learned how to fight with stricter rules. but he dominated at a time with very few rules. much more difficult
And also in a time when nobody controlled performance enhancing drugs. Most of those Pride savages walked into the ring so juiced up to the gills that their shit was fluorescent in the dark.
good point - and another good point by the guy above me - Fedor was also going against a bunch of guys saucing up like Jones (though obviously not as talented as jones)
@@ryguyiskindofaflyguy Werdum. Yes, and Fedor fought in a time where steroid use was barely being checked. He was fighting guys with muscles popping out of their necks - and dominating them
@@ibrahimciftci9599 You are right about the chin and wrong about the defense. He actually had the best HW defense stat ever in his prime. That's exactly the reason he never lost in his prime despite of having a bad chin. Almost no-one was able to touch his chin with a clean punch in his prime.
@@ibrahimciftci9599 he's the only fighter who has managed to hold off a prime cro cop in Stand up game in MMA. That is enough of a statement gor his defence
PRIDE was different as there was the Grand Prix, Bushido events and non-title fights (like the rematch against Kohsaka). He fought Nogueira 3x and beat Nogueira when he was the #1 P4P fighter in the world and now is in the hall of fame, Cro Cop in his prime (#2 HW in the World), Mark Coleman (UFC Hall of Famer), Randleman (UFC Hall of Famer, Fedor almost got killed with the suplex), Heath Herring (top five at that moment), Semmy Schilt (Top 10 at that moment), Mark Hunt (Top 10 or 5 at that moment [had recently beaten Cro Cop]), Arona and Babalu in Rings (Arona beat Wanderlei in his prime when Wanderlei was #1 in the world and is a 3 time ADCC champion, and Babalu fought twice for the UFC LHW belt and was Strikeforce LHW champion), Tim Sylvia (UFC champion, top 5 HW when he fought Fedor), Arlovski (UFC champion, top 2 HW when he fought Fedor), recently beat Mir (UFC champion). Fedor cleaned the top PRIDE and UFC HW division of his era.
@@youboob4394 Randy has more than 10 losses, but yes, he’s a great, and Nog beat him. Hendo was on his TRT Prime knocking everybody out but Fedor knocked him down on the feet, landed a huge right on the ground but Hendo’s chin was legendary, plus his H-Bomb and Fedor got careless.
@@pescatoralpursuit1726 your lone catch "at some point in their career" is the exact reason why the conversation is even being had. You don't reward fighters who beat former champions that have already demonstrated a significant regression in their abilities.
Remember the time Chael almost choked the life out of Fedor? Then he remembered the last wish of a dying kid with cancer that he wanted to see a somerault live on TV so Chael did that. Fedor breathed a sigh of relief. Good guy Chael.
Not only that Fedor's first loss was due to a cut, but that cut wasn't from a punch, it was from a part of the glove that grazed him. In addition, it was Fedor's second fight of the night, so his skin was already damaged.
The reason Fedor was better then everyone was hes actually a really smart guy in general, hes currently in school again and just got another degree 2 months ago. Fedor mind is why he was the GOAT, he was a freak athlete too but was always 2 steps ahead of guys. When he finally lost he wasnt game planning or fighting smart anymore with no passion for the game.
@@charles-ll2ne He started losing at the same time when he started having family problems because of his brother who was a criminal. Also, he dominated opponents in all 3 fights that he lost (all 3 losses in a row), not to mention all 3 of those opponents are known PED users.
@@boiseit694 Just a weird elbow that hit while dude was throwing a punch, it didnt hurt him at all but sliced him open bad like seconds into the fight.
@@yuriboyka7423 Yea, well he was going through a divorce too but main problem was had a back/knee injury and didnt care about MMA as much while guys fighting for their career still if can get a win over him like Werdum and all 3 of em who fought for UFC belt after including Bigfoot who sucks off TRT but real good on his steroids
Fedors ability to throw punches without telegraphing them is insane. Its like he had no shoulder joints..could throw 10 punch combo so dam fluid. It looks like hes loading up but none of his opponents can see the punches. All Bellator opponents (Mitrione,Mir,Chael,Rampage) all said they never saw the punch that dropped them..it looks like hes throwing overhand right but it comes straight. I know more about fighting then 99 percent of people but I still havent figured out how Fedor throws punches the way he does..that 3 piece Combo was just example of fluidity in his shots. Hes alil stiffer now cause age and prob injuries but he can still launch bombs in a way ive never seen. Watch the video of him teaching Jacare ground and pound and youll see how fluid these shots are. UA-cam "Fedor teaching Jacare Ground n Pound"...the difference between their punches is insane. Flows like water
A couple of other things also made Fedor great. He was always calm. His first real loss was when he got excited and rushed in an got caught in a submission. Before that he always stayed calm and stayed in control of the fight. The other thing was that he may not have been the best at any one aspect of fighting, he was great at everything. If he couldn’t beat someone striking, he could beat them in the ground, and vice versa. And finally, I can’t think of another fighter who has been as seamless in transitioning between striking, grappling, and striking again. Even people who are world class have a half second where their brain is switching from one mode to the other. For him, it was all one thing.
Fedor didnt care about MMA anymore when he lost, thats why he rushed everything. Injuries, divorce, crazy brother...NO passion left in the game for him. Hes got more passion now at 45 then he did at 35.
One of the most impressive things I saw from Fedor was that suplex Kevin Randellman did to him and Fedor still won was pretty epic for that weight class..
@No Name So you think PRIDE cheated for Fedor agiesnt their biggest homegrown stars who made them the most money domestically? Please UFC fanboy. Everyone knows they fixed fights for guys like Takada, Minowa, Fujita and other homegrown wrestling stars. Those were the guys who Fedor BEAT. that was one of the reasons he earned the rep and acclaim he did; for most of his career in PRIDE he was BEATING the fix and hardcore fans knew that. In the first Nogueria fight PRIDE was actually quite upset Fedor won.
@No Name remember, PRIDE still holds the all time attendance record and it isnt close. Those Japanese stars were MONEY domestically and Fedor was an afterthought in comparison until his late career and the downfall of PRIDE. Why would they kill the golden goose intentionally?
Fedor by far set the standard for modern MMA. He was the very first most complete fighter when it came to his skill set that anyone ever saw in an MMA ring. On top of that, he had a poker face made from pure iron. You never knew he was hurt unless he was literally knocked out. In his prime, he was the T-1000 of MMA.
Honestly, which modern HW has a skillset as well-rounded as Emelianenko with his wrestling, grappling and striking¿ Even the highly touted Velasquez and Cormier only have wrestling and reasonably good striking, but not really a noteworthy submission game. HW hasn't nearly evolved as the lighter weight classes. To this day, you still have one-dimensional brute force sluggers like Derrick Lewis in title contention and DC thought an Emelianenko back then couldn't be up there in the mix¿
It's not so much heavyweight hasn't evolved as much as the differences in weight class, more ko power in heavyweight than anywhere for obvious reasons, Curtis is a fine wrestler...
DC has lost his mind Fedor has won he has lost, but he always shows up Never makes excuses, never said a bad thing about anyone He never complained about money He takes care of his family, he loves his country He live a humble life, you will never see him drinking, flashing money DC was one of my favorite fighters my his ego is out of control on so many levels
Fedor was the most exciting fighter and no other made me so eager to see him fight. He had a level of dominance that is still unmatched. I always thought he never pushed his body to limits like dropping weight, adding pounds of muscle and stuff like that. His body was always in complete tune and all his strength was pure unfiltered strength with skill to match.
100% agree, Chael. Respect. From the man who has been in the cage with him to know, you see what I'm seeing. Fedor was special. And he was what got me into MMA. From the days when big Nog seemed unbeatable. Hats off to you, Chael.
He also had the fastest hands and weirdest ability to throw punches with no telegraph and combinations. He throws better combos then pretty much every HW Boxer right now, Tyson Fury cant even throw fast combos. The combo he just threw was 3 piece in .75 seconds and all land on chin. I never seen someone ground n pound from guard that look more fluid then people throwing punches on the feet rofl.
Fedor was a member of RussianbNational team on judo (place 3-4) and sambo (place 2-3). with zero perspective to go on Olympics. So he find own way and own sport)
Fedor would’ve absolutely ran through the heavyweight division if he’d fought in the UFC. He’s one of the greatest ever in the sport and certainly the greatest to never fight in the UFC.
It's admirable how Chael's opinion of Fedor changed after her faced him. Many people wouldn't have the character to admit they were mistaken. Kudos. I am a bit biased being a Fedor fan but it is greatly appreciated. Fedor never fought safe. Was almost always the much smaller guy and still came out on top.
People forget that back then the best Heavyweights were not in the UFC. And Fedor dealt with them. I'm a boxing guy but Fedor was one one of the very first athletes/fighters i idolised, and he made me an MMA fan. What a legend.
Fedor would beat them all. Then cut to LHW and beat them all. Then cut to MW but retire in order to avoid then champion Chael P. Sonnen, that had recently won the belt via unanimous decision having only lost the 5th round via triangle choke.
"only lost the 5th round" what bullshit is that? Chael NEVER LOST A ROUND. That submission he pulled on Silva was the greatest submission in combat history. The way he hyperextended Anderson Silva's leg by using his head. Chael did so much damage to Silva's leg that it broke in the Weidman fight so Chael is 3-0 effectively against Silva
We have to also remember that Fedor in his "first loss" the cut was caused by an illegal headbutt by Kohsaka. So in reality the fight should have either been a disqualification for Kohsaka or a non-contest. The only reason Fedor was given a loss was because it was a tournament and there had to be a winner.
Thank you Chael for sharing your experience and knowledge. Fedor was incredible to watch. He was so dominant while being absolutely fearless with the highest level of sportsmanship and respect for the opponent.
Time catches up with everyone. Fedor in his prime time was a sight to behold. Cormier is nuts. Pride had better HWs then the UFC back in the early to mid 2000s.
He was so devastatingly explosive, not just in the way he would launch a punch but how he would launch a hip toss or spring into a submission. He was absolutely devastating in a way I've not seen all around before.
The expression of Cro Cop just a second after their fight is all you have to check before saying anything else about Fedor..and Cro Cop at the time was a INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAST!
Fedor was an animal. In HW, you're lucky to win 3 straight. These guys hit a lot harder and one hit could be it. Fedor was so skilled in everything. He was stomping the top of the world back then and would have in his prime today. Make no mistake. He IS the HW GOAT.
Prime Fedor was just something else, Jon Jones is a beast, he looks unbeattable, but prime fedor was like fighting god himself, i remember seing him the first time thinking ''he looks like the average daddy with a beer belly, not even in shape'' but the guy was so wild with his punches, and so powerful, a true russian savage
Fedor is a joy to watch. It just looks so effortless he's like the Messi of MMA. He's just born with a talent and IQ that is off the charts. It shows how important an attribute intelligence is in fighting. Once Fedor tagged someone that was it, relentless pressure till he gets the finish. His game was in explosive bursts that were impossible to defend, he just never got tired. There hasn't been a more complete heavyweight since if that's even possible, I'd say the closest is Tom aspinal. He has it all, he just hasn't had enough fights yet to see if he can put the skills into wins. Prime Fedor demolishes the entire UFC roster no problem
Regardless of any debate, Fedor will always be one of my favorite fighters and biggest heroes. Someone I will admire and look to for strength and inspiration for all my life. Thank you for everything Fedor!!!!!
People who werent there in the beginning. People who didnt watch the pride pay per views, will never understand how amazing and special guys like Fedor and Mirko truly were.
Yeah it was a special time that will simply fall back into obscurity as it kind of was at the time. The new Gen doesn’t have humility or understanding of the times and achievements the OG had to go through to build the sport.
@@darthwizzywizard I remember I hated MMA, because I hated the wrestling. But I followed CroCop as he transiationed from K1, only to see him get smoked by Fedor. Been following MMA and Fedor's career ever since xD
Chael really impressed me with his insight. I'm a huge Fedor fan .and I never really thought of how relentless he was.... He absolutely would put constant pressure on... Always moving forward. And fighters just couldn't adjust... It's almost as if they were distracted by the pressure and couldn't really focus on their game plan that was formulated during their training camp that they were supposed to institute into the bout. Fador just took their plan and just threw it out the window always moving forward always moving forward bombs dropping.
I agree with Chael, I'm happy to see the respect for the legend that was Fedor Emelianenko. I too believe he would have had a few bigger challenges with skill depth of the UFC HW Div. However like Chael said, he's fought a lot of these guys who would go on to headline UFC cards.
Fedor in his prime...I literally can't think of a single heavyweight that I would pick over him. He didn't fight in the UFC, but he 100% fought UFC fighters and UFC Champs...beat them all. Brock Lesnar (I can't believe I'm saying this) would be closest in my opinion simply based on strength and athleticism. Brock could wrestle and his strength and speed could create problems for fedors style, but he didn't have a fraction of the skills. I remember watching him early on and thinking he was one of those humans who found their true calling, like those 6 year olds writing symphonies, he was doing what he was intended to do. Most of us never find that true gift if we have one at all. Francis could certainly have a punchers chance, but Fedor had a iron chin back then. Now, I can name a good number of fighters that could take him out. His chin is nonexistent these days. Breath on him and he's ko. It's a bit sad to watch sometimes, a legend falling right before our eyes. So glad he got the W last weekend.
2nd time here in a number of days. Just have to congratulate Chael on his spot-on breakdown of the Why Fedor needs to seriously be considered the GOAT. Excellent summation and reasoning.
Fedor was incredible. Strength, stamina and speed. The pressure he could maintain during fights made him look literally like a machine, a true terminator the keeps coming and coming until the job is done.
Fedor was so efficient. Not a bit of wasted energy. It's amazing. And the natural strength he possesses. If a country were to clone Fedor their army would be unstoppable.
Chael doing his gestures while raising his voice online makes me more afraid than getting attacked on the streets. This man is a terrifying beast himself even in his mature age. May the thunder god be with him!
Fedor to this day blends striking into grappling better than I'd say any fighter 185 lbs up . Dennis Hallman also has 1 if not 2 wins over prime matt Hughes.
Just watch him piece up and submit Tim Sylvia in :36 seconds. That’s Indicative of what prime fedor would’ve done to everybody else. No other heavyweight had, or has the combination of technical skill, killer instinct, uncanny balance, flexibility, speed, power, durability and endurance as fedor. Continually outgrappling bjj blackbelts, top national, or Olympic level wrestlers and judokas. Devastating ground and pound. Watch his highlight videos and listen to commentary from other fighters. He’s a fighters fighter. Calm, cool, never talks smack, or disrespect. Osu.
Sylvia fight was wit5h affliction. He was the former ufc heavyweight champ, but you knew then he was no match for fedor, nor the rest of the ufc roster.
First time I ever saw Fedor was his fight against Herring. Watched it live. It was a pleasure to see Fedor in his prime years that followed. All I can do now is educate newer fans to his greatness. Easily the heavyweight GOAT
I will never forget, when Crocop was in his Prime because Crocop made me a fan of MMA. Fedor was the dominator back then, but Crocop beat the shit out of nearly everybody, kicked his opponents heads off their shoulders or knocked them out with his boxing like he did to Coleman. Crocop might have been the greatest Striker all around of that time period in MMA. Then the clash of the titans between him and Fedor was scheduled and i really thought that Crocop was the only one who could beat Fedor. But look what happened...Fedor beat Crocop in his own game, he outstriked him. Crocop getting beat on the feet in his prime was so crazy to me; i couldnt even believe it. Thats when Fedor cemented his legacy for good.
Cormier wouldn’t last 1 round with Fedor in his prime. It’s comical Daniel would make such a ludicrous statement. Fedor will never be duplicated. His mind was savagery and watching him stalk his opponent in the ring was scary. I’d be terrified to be looking into that “stare”
It's just a shame we didn't get to see him In the UFC as he'd be a lot more adored as the pound for pound King of all time. He'd destroy bones in both their primes there was no one like hm
The reason why fedor is so great he won a genetic lottery. He is a extremely powerful durable atlethe And yes fedor at his peak was ahead of his time.Ufc refers mcarthy said fedor would give any modern ufc champion rough time
I was just watching his 26 second zuluzhino tko. I think that Fedor is so much faster than anyone in heavyweight now. I think ngannou has a punches chance but Fedor is used to fighting giants. I think he murders dc if they both are in their prime.
I could listen to this guy talk all day. He just has something, a kind of flow, an arsenal of words and phrases I haven't heard since I was listening to Hitchen and Dawkins. A faster cadence Sam Harris comes to mind. Yeah Chael isn't as philisophical as Harris, but he's got this clarity and smoothness that makes him one of the most beautifully articulated and imposing rhetoricians (Not to be taken in a bad way, the art of rhetoric and speaking is a very powerful skill) that I've seen in recent years. The ability to make his phrases so potent. The cadence he uses, fast so that any possibly opponent would have trouble keeping up....but not Ben Shapiro fast....which just sounds like a kid trying to talk fast without substance. I'm surprised, truly to see this coming from an MMA fighter...not because MMA fighters are dumb by ANY means, but just because MMA fighting, I think we can admit, isn't usually where we find speaking genius. But, genius can come from anywhere or any form. With that said, I agree entirely about what he said about Fedor. Yeah, Fedor would have to work harder today, but if Prime Fedor was transported into 2021...given access to the 15 years advancement in training technique, nutrition, "supplements", and knowledge that we've all aquired and learned since 2005... Prime Fedor would be able to adjust his training and yes, I think he'd beat every goddamn one they put in the ring with him. Greatest of all Time.
When we say Fedor is the Heavyweight GOAT 🐐...and I believe he is, we are not saying that he would have beaten every other heavyweight in MMA history. We are saying the overall resume or body of work through his prime years....the caliber of opposition he faced that was available at the time-- elite fighters from every discipline-- kickboxing, K-1, wrestling, grappling, judo, BJJ, giants, killers-- you name it...the longevity...the finishing rate...the variety of ways in which he did it...and like Chael said, his gas tank...others have alluded to his chin in his prime-- the Randleman spike-suplex for example, cannot be matched. His fortunes changed when he stopped submitting people. Grappling is inefficient when constantly dealing with larger opponents. And the larger opponents were evolving in that area. But there was and remains no evolution for that right hand landing flush against your skull, despite his being undersized. The punching power is truly legendary. But his kryptonite during this career resurgence is the technical striker, who can keep the fight standing. His striking has always been fundamentally sound but not very technical. He is light on his feet in the way he advances. The speed and technique in that right hand are undeniable...and some were lucky to get knocked out by the right, because if you go back and watch the tape, had they gone stanky leg, and remained up right, that freight train of a left hook was coming-- and being dazed, unable to protect yourself, and possibly not seeing it coming-- the LEFT was the one you didn't want to get hit with. He threw punches in bunches. But once fighters no longer had to fear his ground game, whether it was his choice tactically or it was their own development there-- he started looking very beatable. Arlovski was absolutely tooling Fedor until he went for the most ill-advised jump-knee in the history of the sport. An entirely one- dimensional Brett Rogers gave him hell before having his head launched into orbit. A very good MMA boxer, Fabio Maldonado beat Fedor half to death. And similar to Rogers, Matt Mitrione KOs him on a Hail Mary/puncher's chance when he had nowhere near Fedor's grappling or submission credentials. Same thing with Ryan Bader. So I understand DCs recent comments suggesting that Fedor would have been average had he come into the UFC during whatever time period DC was suggesting. With the exception of Arlovski, none of the heavyweights I just mentioned are significant to the heavyweight history of the sport. That said, I still disagree with DC because Fedor's chin was declining or gone, as he was well past his prime when he fought these guys. In my opinion, the heavyweights of fairly recent and even historical vintage that in their primes, or during their greatest runs at heavyweight probably beat prime Fedor are: Overeem on the juice, Junior Dos Santos assuming the fight does not hit the ground, where although JDS is a BJJ black belt, I would expect Fedor to batter him ala Cain, Stipe, and Werdum. All of these men were significantly larger, (with long and rangy dimensions), with superior technical striking, BJJ black belts, who would have neutralized or hurt Fedor in the clinch, and kept the fight standing and picked him apart. I am leaving Ngannou and Gane out of my consideration. I honestly think prime Fedor beats everybody else-- including DC. So in my opinion, if he could have fought his entire prime in the UFC or could have fought the best the UFC had to offer at any point during his prime, he would have had about the same number of career losses that he has now...six I think. And depending on the timing and sequence of those fights, he easily would have been champion. Remember that a completely one dimensional Brock Lesnar, (not the striker or the submission artist prime Fedor was), beat a 44 year old 218 lb. Randy Couture for the title. What do you think prime Fedor with a significant size advantage, (a rarity for the undersized Fedor), would have done to Randy?
at 45 years old Fedor still has the fastest hands in the world at heavyweight. And he's still the only truly dominant heavyweight in mma history. And you know what, since losing those 3 fights in a row when he just hit a wall in bis career and looked like he was finished, he's now won 9 of his last 11 fights.
45 year old fedor beats 1 dude in bellator and he has the "fastest"hands😭 no he doesn't dude Tom aspinall is in his 20s and would knock out fedor with his hands.
@@mattreyes4803 Fedor fans are the most delusional MMA fans of all time. They literally uphold him as godly, when in reality he beat outdated fighters and cans, and got battered by bums like Bigfoot lol. He’d have gotten murked by a lot of the UFCs recent HWs.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Kevin Randleman suplexing Fedor to the depths of hell and somehow Fedor acted like that never happened and turns around and submits Kevin 30 seconds after was inhuman.
That is still my favorite moment in MMA
That is the most gangsta shit in the history of MMA. Fedor was a monster, one of a kind!!
Can't believe Chael didn't mention that
So good. It was basically an - MMA doesn’t work on me - moment. I mean his facial expressions didn’t even change lol.
That was absolutely wild
Fedor beat three K-1 World Champions (Cro Cop, Semmy Schilt, Hunt)
Fedor beat two ADCC World Champions (Jeff Monson & Ricardo Arona)
Fedor beat two Judo World Champions (Satoshi Ishii & Naoya Ogawa)
Fedor beat eight UFC champions (Nog, Randleman, Coleman, Arlovski, Sylvia, Rampage, Rizzo, Mir)
Of those UFC champions, he beat two of them twice.
Fedor has proved that he can stand in front of either the best kickboxers of all time, the best grapplers of all time, and the best MMA fighters of all time and he will still beat them.
He is simply the greatest ever.
@happy little trees 239 yup, I can’t stand all these people that say “oh but he never fought in the ufc”. At the time Fedor was in pride, pride was the biggest mma promotion in the world, Fedor proved himself there, he didn’t need to prove himself in ufc once ufc started taking over
This is a great breakdown and really shows how special and well-rounded a fighter he is.
dc is better and ofc jon is much better
lol Jon Jones would get destroyed, career ended by prime Fedor. DC was inspired by Fedor's HW style. but DC would get smashed too.
@@nicolbolas8758 juice jones
Fedor is
The Greatest. Of All Time.
Did you see his fight this past weekend? Pretty sure you can find it here on UA-cam
Fully agree, and his humility make him more greater
Absolutely
No question
I’ve always considered Fedor the most amazing heavyweight I’ve ever seen.
It’s hard when the new era MMA fans don’t know what it was like to watch his cold emotionless demeanor as he dismantled every kind of fighter you can imagine ! Thanks Unc Chael
Hes one of the most unique fighters ever and everything that made Fedor great you simply are born with..and crazy thing is he was the most exciting fighter to watch on top of being best..you never see that. His ability to stay calm in the fire is just god gifted, the man has no fear and no quit in him so only way to beat him is a big punch and nobody could do it when he was in prime actually caring about MMA. When he lost he was mentally done, injured and going through divorce and trying to help his crazy brother. His team even said 3 years before finally losing hes just getting by with his old tricks and not training hard anymore.
Plus his reaction times and head movement were insane, his ability to finish the fight once you made a mistake is what made him so great, you saw it this weekend vs Tim Johnson. He clipped Tim coming in then saw Tim was going to throw and bang hes out. Man had cat like reflexes and Hips/shoulders/body control that make literally no sense. All his team are under 30 and none of them have it, Moldasky is 29 good HW and just went 5 rounds with Tim Johnson months ago and Fedor at 45 comes in and lays him out first opening he got lol.
Nicely worded brother, Pride was the most exciting in my opinion.The mystique, eccentricity...the brutality!
"It’s hard when the new era MMA fans don’t know what it was like to watch his cold emotionless demeanor"
I agree completely! It's the same with Anderson Silva, who was also at his prime at close to the same time. I think it's that almost half of the MMA community today were brought in during the McGregor era so they have no idea what it felt like to watch guys like this fight. Anderson made his opponents look like children, and Fedor always looked like the most bored guy in the room in the lead up to the fight and then completely destroy whoever was across from him.
Call me whatever, but I still feel like that time was the Golden era of MMA, the times of GSP, Silva, Aldo, and Fedor, all super powers at roughly the same time.
@@MrShitthead the real reason Fedor was better then everyone was hes smarter then all these fighters and he was a freak athlete but his brain is why he was better.
Hes the best. Its not close.
What sets Fedor apart from other GOATs is that Fedor is/was willing to fight his opponents where they were the strongest -> standup fight with Mirko, fighting in the guard with Big Nog etc. This might not be the wisest thing to do but for sure it’s much more entertaining than playing it safe and strategically.
Win or lose…I can’t think of any boring Fedor fight. Fedor always had the aim of finishing his opponents.
Makes the fight more entertaining.
That's why great fights are made of.
Why people liked GSP.
Uhhh GSP said wait hold my beer... you do realize GSP beat people at their own games also..... never wrestled in HS and beat many wrestlers at wrestling. Heard of Valentina Shev? Have you not been watching her take people down and submit them or gnp them out? Do you not realize she is a stand up fighter prior to ufc? Fedor is dope but you guys are putting your blinders on and going along with anything ole Chael says lol.
He refused to fight sapp tho lol where Nogueira took him on and beat him.
@@cmo5807 I love GSP, but he won 12 of 28 fights by decision and Fedor won 9 of 40 by decision. Fedor has most 1st round ko's ever. He literally went for the kill every second.
Jon jones beat everyone at their own game. Out wrestled dc. Smashed glover in the phone booth rushed ground and pounded chael.
Fedor jumping into Big Nog's guard and bouncing his head like a basketball was the most gangsta thing I've ever seen in MMA.
what about fedors ground and pound vs heath herring, that shit was so powerfull, compare that to when cain velasquez dominated chick kongo, cain hits kongo 100s of times and kongo did not have a mark on him. fedors gnp was on another level, we have not really seen it since apart from some russian fighters like khabib
I think those were the hardest punches ever landed in combat sports history. Respect
Unmatched TILL THIS DAY!
Crazy, crazy fight! Watched it live at some ridiculous hours here in EU. I was absolutely convinced Big Nog would close the deal fast.
Nah....the most Gangsta thing in MMA history was Bisping becoming the MW world champion with one eye and x2 busted up knee caps, thee single most gangsta moment in UFC/MMA history, with no exceptions!!!
Thank you Chael for appreciating Fedor’s greatness
Only after he called Fedor trash 🗑️, and they both trained, and fought each other in bellator. And Chael lost to Fedor in the 1st round. Which Fedor had already beating around 7 or 8 UFC champions before even facing Chael.
@@untoldguitarist obviously everyone knows that Chael Sonnen is putting on a show for the viewers , and his character is great. I really like the fact Chael shows this much respect to Fedor years after their fight
Fedor MMA facts:
1. 47 pro fights with a 40-6-1 record.
2. Holds the 2nd best win streak in all of MMA, 27 but would be 31 or 32-0 if you take away the DSQ from the stupid stoppage from a cut.
3. Defeated 7 UFC champions 9 times, 4 K1 Champions, 2 silver, 1 gold Olympic medalists and 2 ADCC champions.
4. 29 victories in the first round.
5. 15 wins under 2 minutes and 5 wins under 1 minute.
6. 16 Knockouts / 15 Subs.
7. Rings Champ, Pride HW & Grand Prix Champ, WAMMA Champ.
If you have Fight Pass, go watch Fedor's run in Pride and you'll understand exactly why he's so admired among fighters and fans. People who don't know criticize that he fought cans. He fought SOME cans but he beat the fuckin' piss out of them like you'd expect him to. He also fought and beat the very best of his era in their prime as Pride had the best HW roster from 2000-2006. 2009-2011 he dealt with some injuries, family issues and I think fighters just caught up to him, but everyone goes through that at some point. Never had a boring fight. Always humble in victory and defeat. The HW GOAT.
You´re goddamn right!
To be fair a first round in Pride is two rounds everywhere else
it was a first round of 10 (! ) fkn minutes. in Pride
Damn. He was good
Don't forget: never roided, unlike some other supposed goats that got caught (Jones, Silva)
Fedor is indisputably the GOAT - he was very undersized in the heaviest and most dangerous weight class; he knocked around 30 people out cold, was undefeated in his prime for close to 10 years; and now at age 45 still can fight competitively with top 10 ranked heavyweights.
Hell yeah babyy. Fedor is the fucking goattt. Ill still watch him today
Straight facts. Dude was an absolute killer with a Stone cold face all day
I fully agree he was very small for a heavyweight and staying that long almost undefeated proved how good he really was
Fedor is def the GOAT, not some roidhead eyepoker like Jon Jones!
Truth
In his prime, Fedor out-struck CroCop and out-grappled Big Nog while they were at their best. 'Nuff said.
I remember first ever high kick from Fedor against Mirco Crocop. It was very unexpected for everyone and for Mirco too!
Brandon knocked out cro-cop 😂
@@EchoSoundsystem CroCrop was definitely way past his prime at that point.
@@iotaeta-pi2770 no. He was 35-6 years old when that fight happened. Supposedly heavyweights still fight at high level at this change. He just fought in Western organisations and got beat badly. Just like Fedor.
@@thesilencer4638 hahaha don’t fall for that bs. Even chael doesn’t really think that, he’s only a troll master 😂
Fedor was straight up savage. From Kevin Randleman suplexing him on his head yet submitting him 30 secs later, to almost getting dropped by the monster Brett Rogers and coming back to finish him. He was NEVER EVER truly out of it in his first 30+ fights. G.O.A.T of every division. Every promotion.
He probably still is a savage if he were to fight again.
And Fedor dominated at a time with far less rules. You could soccer kick, head stomp, knee downed opponents to the head. It's when he came over to Strikeforce with the new rules when he lost the 3 straight fights. . But now he's won 9 of his last 11. He learned how to fight with stricter rules. but he dominated at a time with very few rules. much more difficult
And also in a time when nobody controlled performance enhancing drugs. Most of those Pride savages walked into the ring so juiced up to the gills that their shit was fluorescent in the dark.
good point - and another good point by the guy above me - Fedor was also going against a bunch of guys saucing up like Jones (though obviously not as talented as jones)
hendo was on trt, big silva was on trt, i forget the 3rd
@@ryguyiskindofaflyguy Werdum. Yes, and Fedor fought in a time where steroid use was barely being checked. He was fighting guys with muscles popping out of their necks - and dominating them
@@TheGEOPOLITICIANGUY Guys back then we're saucing much more then jones.
Fedor in his prime would smoke any human being no matter.
Too bad chin and bad defense
@@ibrahimciftci9599 Father Time takes what Mother Earth gives
@@ibrahimciftci9599 You are right about the chin and wrong about the defense. He actually had the best HW defense stat ever in his prime. That's exactly the reason he never lost in his prime despite of having a bad chin. Almost no-one was able to touch his chin with a clean punch in his prime.
@@ibrahimciftci9599 he's the only fighter who has managed to hold off a prime cro cop in Stand up game in MMA. That is enough of a statement gor his defence
@@Mattipatti23 I don't even think he has a bad chin either. Prime fedor took hits and shrugged it off. His chin deteriorated with time
Chael is so humble to not consider himself the GOAT.
Even though chael is unbeaten undefeated
@@armany2171 Yawn. 😪
Ever heard Of Anderson Silva
He quit against Fedor.
Yall must be new here...
Crocop was a machine but Fedor was the terminator!
Mirko is robocrocop
Great fight too
Crocop didn't have any grease or shake in his hips. Not much of a grappler but his strikes would end you.
Should've been a rematch... Cro Cop, Nog, Igor... Man alive...
@@blakejameson1114 Yeah THe Way He Ended Brendan Schaub 😂😂😂
PRIDE was different as there was the Grand Prix, Bushido events and non-title fights (like the rematch against Kohsaka).
He fought Nogueira 3x and beat Nogueira when he was the #1 P4P fighter in the world and now is in the hall of fame, Cro Cop in his prime (#2 HW in the World), Mark Coleman (UFC Hall of Famer), Randleman (UFC Hall of Famer, Fedor almost got killed with the suplex), Heath Herring (top five at that moment), Semmy Schilt (Top 10 at that moment), Mark Hunt (Top 10 or 5 at that moment [had recently beaten Cro Cop]), Arona and Babalu in Rings (Arona beat Wanderlei in his prime when Wanderlei was #1 in the world and is a 3 time ADCC champion, and Babalu fought twice for the UFC LHW belt and was Strikeforce LHW champion), Tim Sylvia (UFC champion, top 5 HW when he fought Fedor), Arlovski (UFC champion, top 2 HW when he fought Fedor), recently beat Mir (UFC champion). Fedor cleaned the top PRIDE and UFC HW division of his era.
To anyone question Fedor: name a fighter who has over 40 or even 30 fights without double digit losses. Or a hit list of Hall of Famers like his.
11 or more of Fedor's opponents were at one point in their careers, champions in respected promotions.
No one has close to that record.
Fedor actually has 40 wins and 47 fights (one NC).
@@youboob4394 Randy has more than 10 losses, but yes, he’s a great, and Nog beat him. Hendo was on his TRT Prime knocking everybody out but Fedor knocked him down on the feet, landed a huge right on the ground but Hendo’s chin was legendary, plus his H-Bomb and Fedor got careless.
@@pescatoralpursuit1726 your lone catch "at some point in their career" is the exact reason why the conversation is even being had. You don't reward fighters who beat former champions that have already demonstrated a significant regression in their abilities.
Mousasi is 42-6
Remember the time Chael almost choked the life out of Fedor? Then he remembered the last wish of a dying kid with cancer that he wanted to see a somerault live on TV so Chael did that. Fedor breathed a sigh of relief.
Good guy Chael.
Somerault?
Hhhhhhh
Chael got knocked tf out by fedor
@@njad3 stop lying 😡😡😡😡😡 Chael is undefeated you bozo
@@njad3 proof or it didn’t happen
Not only that Fedor's first loss was due to a cut, but that cut wasn't from a punch, it was from a part of the glove that grazed him. In addition, it was Fedor's second fight of the night, so his skin was already damaged.
The reason Fedor was better then everyone was hes actually a really smart guy in general, hes currently in school again and just got another degree 2 months ago. Fedor mind is why he was the GOAT, he was a freak athlete too but was always 2 steps ahead of guys. When he finally lost he wasnt game planning or fighting smart anymore with no passion for the game.
@@charles-ll2ne He started losing at the same time when he started having family problems because of his brother who was a criminal. Also, he dominated opponents in all 3 fights that he lost (all 3 losses in a row), not to mention all 3 of those opponents are known PED users.
I could have sworn it was an elbow? And they were illegal in that format. So it forced a weird decision.
@@boiseit694 Just a weird elbow that hit while dude was throwing a punch, it didnt hurt him at all but sliced him open bad like seconds into the fight.
@@yuriboyka7423 Yea, well he was going through a divorce too but main problem was had a back/knee injury and didnt care about MMA as much while guys fighting for their career still if can get a win over him like Werdum and all 3 of em who fought for UFC belt after including Bigfoot who sucks off TRT but real good on his steroids
Remember Fedor never had wasted movement/strikes. Everything he did was either to finish or to set up a finish.
Fedors ability to throw punches without telegraphing them is insane. Its like he had no shoulder joints..could throw 10 punch combo so dam fluid. It looks like hes loading up but none of his opponents can see the punches. All Bellator opponents (Mitrione,Mir,Chael,Rampage) all said they never saw the punch that dropped them..it looks like hes throwing overhand right but it comes straight. I know more about fighting then 99 percent of people but I still havent figured out how Fedor throws punches the way he does..that 3 piece Combo was just example of fluidity in his shots. Hes alil stiffer now cause age and prob injuries but he can still launch bombs in a way ive never seen. Watch the video of him teaching Jacare ground and pound and youll see how fluid these shots are. UA-cam "Fedor teaching Jacare Ground n Pound"...the difference between their punches is insane. Flows like water
I've long since considered Fedor as the GOAT. Dude was superhuman in his prime.
A couple of other things also made Fedor great.
He was always calm. His first real loss was when he got excited and rushed in an got caught in a submission. Before that he always stayed calm and stayed in control of the fight.
The other thing was that he may not have been the best at any one aspect of fighting, he was great at everything. If he couldn’t beat someone striking, he could beat them in the ground, and vice versa.
And finally, I can’t think of another fighter who has been as seamless in transitioning between striking, grappling, and striking again. Even people who are world class have a half second where their brain is switching from one mode to the other. For him, it was all one thing.
Fedor didnt care about MMA anymore when he lost, thats why he rushed everything. Injuries, divorce, crazy brother...NO passion left in the game for him. Hes got more passion now at 45 then he did at 35.
Well said. After watching Fedor fight, other fighters just seem kinda one dimensional to me.
The same could be said for Chael Sonnen.
One of the most impressive things I saw from Fedor was that suplex Kevin Randellman did to him and Fedor still won was pretty epic for that weight class..
Fedor defeated the most UFC champions and he was never even in the UFC....
I know right 😂
why was he never in ufc?
@@thebest12700 PRIDE was the worlds best organization for his entire prime. Still the best collection of heavyweights ever.
@No Name So you think PRIDE cheated for Fedor agiesnt their biggest homegrown stars who made them the most money domestically? Please UFC fanboy. Everyone knows they fixed fights for guys like Takada, Minowa, Fujita and other homegrown wrestling stars. Those were the guys who Fedor BEAT. that was one of the reasons he earned the rep and acclaim he did; for most of his career in PRIDE he was BEATING the fix and hardcore fans knew that. In the first Nogueria fight PRIDE was actually quite upset Fedor won.
@No Name remember, PRIDE still holds the all time attendance record and it isnt close. Those Japanese stars were MONEY domestically and Fedor was an afterthought in comparison until his late career and the downfall of PRIDE. Why would they kill the golden goose intentionally?
Fedor by far set the standard for modern MMA. He was the very first most complete fighter when it came to his skill set that anyone ever saw in an MMA ring. On top of that, he had a poker face made from pure iron. You never knew he was hurt unless he was literally knocked out. In his prime, he was the T-1000 of MMA.
Well said
Fedor is MMA's GOAT!!!!!
The GOAT talking about the GOAT is so refreshing:)
Fedor's style and power is a puzzle even modern HWs would struggle to deal with.
Fedor is the heavyweight GOAT period.
Watching Fedor fight felt like reading Dostojevsky.
I don’t know who Dostojevsky is, but I agree
Nice!
Magnificent comment!
Fighting Fedor whilst reading Dostoevsky feels like it would be a challenge for anybody
Agree with you Chael. Fedor was special.
Honestly, which modern HW has a skillset as well-rounded as Emelianenko with his wrestling, grappling and striking¿ Even the highly touted Velasquez and Cormier only have wrestling and reasonably good striking, but not really a noteworthy submission game.
HW hasn't nearly evolved as the lighter weight classes. To this day, you still have one-dimensional brute force sluggers like Derrick Lewis in title contention and DC thought an Emelianenko back then couldn't be up there in the mix¿
well said
Not to mention his durability and longevity, reigned supreme in the top division vs such tropical opponents, him vs the monster unreal
It's not so much heavyweight hasn't evolved as much as the differences in weight class, more ko power in heavyweight than anywhere for obvious reasons, Curtis is a fine wrestler...
DC has lost his mind
Fedor has won he has lost, but he always shows up
Never makes excuses, never said a bad thing about anyone
He never complained about money
He takes care of his family, he loves his country
He live a humble life, you will never see him drinking, flashing money
DC was one of my favorite fighters my his ego is out of control on so many levels
@@Randys138 DC occasionally gets into a WWE mood, and he was talking up both his buddy and the UFC in his statement.
Fedor was the most exciting fighter and no other made me so eager to see him fight. He had a level of dominance that is still unmatched. I always thought he never pushed his body to limits like dropping weight, adding pounds of muscle and stuff like that. His body was always in complete tune and all his strength was pure unfiltered strength with skill to match.
100% agree, Chael. Respect. From the man who has been in the cage with him to know, you see what I'm seeing. Fedor was special. And he was what got me into MMA. From the days when big Nog seemed unbeatable.
Hats off to you, Chael.
Fedor has/Had fastest submission game.. guys for a heavyweight That was astonishing
fedors armbar on mark coleman was so slick. the fastest arm bar i ever saw
He also had the fastest hands and weirdest ability to throw punches with no telegraph and combinations. He throws better combos then pretty much every HW Boxer right now, Tyson Fury cant even throw fast combos. The combo he just threw was 3 piece in .75 seconds and all land on chin. I never seen someone ground n pound from guard that look more fluid then people throwing punches on the feet rofl.
@@hippo4214 Escpecially for how big he is
Fedor was a member of RussianbNational team on judo (place 3-4) and sambo (place 2-3). with zero perspective to go on Olympics. So he find own way and own sport)
Fedor would’ve absolutely ran through the heavyweight division if he’d fought in the UFC. He’s one of the greatest ever in the sport and certainly the greatest to never fight in the UFC.
Francis would maul Bumdor
Francis who got taken down by stipe? Prime Fedor would handle Francis assuming he doesn’t get caught by a wild haymaker.
This is one of those videos that I watch from time to time. No one has ever said it better than Sir Chael
Thank you Chael Sonnen for your honest opinion. Fedor is the greatest. And you are right he would beat them all!
It's admirable how Chael's opinion of Fedor changed after her faced him. Many people wouldn't have the character to admit they were mistaken. Kudos. I am a bit biased being a Fedor fan but it is greatly appreciated. Fedor never fought safe. Was almost always the much smaller guy and still came out on top.
Fedor would hip tossing and boxing up everyone
People forget that back then the best Heavyweights were not in the UFC. And Fedor dealt with them. I'm a boxing guy but Fedor was one one of the very first athletes/fighters i idolised, and he made me an MMA fan. What a legend.
Yes, back during Fedor's prime the UFC didn't have this monopoly like today. Plus Fedor beat UFC heavyweight champs anyway, just in other promotions.
I could listen to Chael talk about Fedor all day.
Fedor would beat them all. Then cut to LHW and beat them all. Then cut to MW but retire in order to avoid then champion Chael P. Sonnen, that had recently won the belt via unanimous decision having only lost the 5th round via triangle choke.
Crazy af
"only lost the 5th round" what bullshit is that? Chael NEVER LOST A ROUND. That submission he pulled on Silva was the greatest submission in combat history. The way he hyperextended Anderson Silva's leg by using his head. Chael did so much damage to Silva's leg that it broke in the Weidman fight so Chael is 3-0 effectively against Silva
@@ufcfan1844 lol but Chael is humble and he himself admitted he lost that round.
@@yaushaeomessias he was just trying to make Silva feel better about it lol
We have to also remember that Fedor in his "first loss" the cut was caused by an illegal headbutt by Kohsaka. So in reality the fight should have either been a disqualification for Kohsaka or a non-contest. The only reason Fedor was given a loss was because it was a tournament and there had to be a winner.
Sorry i meant to say elbows. Elbows were illegal in the Rings Organization
Thank you Chael for sharing your experience and knowledge. Fedor was incredible to watch. He was so dominant while being absolutely fearless with the highest level of sportsmanship and respect for the opponent.
We all know The Chael is the best Heavyweight of all time, he is undefeated at Heavyweight 💪
Time catches up with everyone. Fedor in his prime time was a sight to behold. Cormier is nuts. Pride had better HWs then the UFC back in the early to mid 2000s.
He was so devastatingly explosive, not just in the way he would launch a punch but how he would launch a hip toss or spring into a submission.
He was absolutely devastating in a way I've not seen all around before.
Anyone that watched prime Emelianenko understands how great he was. No matter size or style he dominated them all.
The expression of Cro Cop just a second after their fight is all you have to check before saying anything else about Fedor..and Cro Cop at the time was a INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAST!
Fedor is the best fighter of our time
Fedor was an animal. In HW, you're lucky to win 3 straight. These guys hit a lot harder and one hit could be it. Fedor was so skilled in everything. He was stomping the top of the world back then and would have in his prime today. Make no mistake. He IS the HW GOAT.
Prime Fedor was just something else, Jon Jones is a beast, he looks unbeattable, but prime fedor was like fighting god himself, i remember seing him the first time thinking ''he looks like the average daddy with a beer belly, not even in shape'' but the guy was so wild with his punches, and so powerful, a true russian savage
Fedor is a joy to watch. It just looks so effortless he's like the Messi of MMA. He's just born with a talent and IQ that is off the charts. It shows how important an attribute intelligence is in fighting. Once Fedor tagged someone that was it, relentless pressure till he gets the finish. His game was in explosive bursts that were impossible to defend, he just never got tired. There hasn't been a more complete heavyweight since if that's even possible, I'd say the closest is Tom aspinal. He has it all, he just hasn't had enough fights yet to see if he can put the skills into wins. Prime Fedor demolishes the entire UFC roster no problem
I cried tears of joy listening to that last sentence.
I never knew about Fedor vs. Cro Cop 2...thanks for the information Chael.
they fought only once
Regardless of any debate, Fedor will always be one of my favorite fighters and biggest heroes. Someone I will admire and look to for strength and inspiration for all my life. Thank you for everything Fedor!!!!!
People who werent there in the beginning. People who didnt watch the pride pay per views, will never understand how amazing and special guys like Fedor and Mirko truly were.
Yeah it was a special time that will simply fall back into obscurity as it kind of was at the time. The new Gen doesn’t have humility or understanding of the times and achievements the OG had to go through to build the sport.
@@darthwizzywizard I remember I hated MMA, because I hated the wrestling. But I followed CroCop as he transiationed from K1, only to see him get smoked by Fedor. Been following MMA and Fedor's career ever since xD
💯
Chael really impressed me with his insight. I'm a huge Fedor fan .and I never really thought of how relentless he was.... He absolutely would put constant pressure on... Always moving forward. And fighters just couldn't adjust... It's almost as if they were distracted by the pressure and couldn't really focus on their game plan that was formulated during their training camp that they were supposed to institute into the bout. Fador just took their plan and just threw it out the window always moving forward always moving forward bombs dropping.
Chael Sonnen did beat them all… 49-0, first and only triple division champion.
I agree with Chael, I'm happy to see the respect for the legend that was Fedor Emelianenko. I too believe he would have had a few bigger challenges with skill depth of the UFC HW Div. However like Chael said, he's fought a lot of these guys who would go on to headline UFC cards.
This is the truth. I've never seen a Heavyweight as fast and explosive as Fedor. Till' this very day.
Fedor in his prime...I literally can't think of a single heavyweight that I would pick over him. He didn't fight in the UFC, but he 100% fought UFC fighters and UFC Champs...beat them all. Brock Lesnar (I can't believe I'm saying this) would be closest in my opinion simply based on strength and athleticism. Brock could wrestle and his strength and speed could create problems for fedors style, but he didn't have a fraction of the skills. I remember watching him early on and thinking he was one of those humans who found their true calling, like those 6 year olds writing symphonies, he was doing what he was intended to do. Most of us never find that true gift if we have one at all. Francis could certainly have a punchers chance, but Fedor had a iron chin back then. Now, I can name a good number of fighters that could take him out. His chin is nonexistent these days. Breath on him and he's ko. It's a bit sad to watch sometimes, a legend falling right before our eyes. So glad he got the W last weekend.
It sure was a pretty cool move for Bellator to live stream the Tim Johnson fight card.
This is the first video I’ve seen where Chael crossed his legs without using his arms. Unbelievable!
He needed the arms to point at the heights of Fedor.
When Chael is right, he's right!
This is the most insightful opinion piece about the great Fedor that I’ve witnessed. Thank you Chael
FEDOR would’ve beaten everyone except you Chael! GOAT 🐐 undefeated and undisputed champ!
You know they fought right? There's no "wouldve" about it.
@@MrMancreatedgod how dare you sir
@@MrMancreatedgod They fought and Chael is still undefeated.
@@MiguelDS5547 my man 💪
Chael knocked Fedor out cold, worse than Brett Rogers did.
2nd time here in a number of days. Just have to congratulate Chael on his spot-on breakdown of the Why Fedor needs to seriously be considered the GOAT. Excellent summation and reasoning.
Fedor was incredible.
Strength, stamina and speed.
The pressure he could maintain during fights made him look literally like a machine, a true terminator the keeps coming and coming until the job is done.
Great Reasoning Chael! Kudos for being in the ring a.o. with Silva, Jones and the GOAT Fedor and still looking so good!
"they disqualified Jon for cheating" Undisputed, undefeated.
Uncle keeping it real as f#@#! That’s why we respect you!
Who else is knocking out a serious dangerous mix martial artist at the age of 45??? NO ONE FEDOR IS THE GOAT
The way he used to calmly walk his opponent down with that calm look must've have been intimidating af.
Fedor was so efficient. Not a bit of wasted energy. It's amazing. And the natural strength he possesses. If a country were to clone Fedor their army would be unstoppable.
His stoicism is what amazed me. When he got suplex and just cruised into the submission...just...how?
@@joshf4492 it's like he saw it all before it happened. Totally in the flow
Chael doing his gestures while raising his voice online makes me more afraid than getting attacked on the streets. This man is a terrifying beast himself even in his mature age. May the thunder god be with him!
Fedor to this day blends striking into grappling better than I'd say any fighter 185 lbs up . Dennis Hallman also has 1 if not 2 wins over prime matt Hughes.
I think its 2
I was with a chick for a weekend that was also with Dennis Hallman so in a way, I'm an elite mma fighter now.
@@bennyblanco5555 lol I see what you did there
Chael knows he can make any weight class and be undefeated, undisputed, P4P best such humble man to consider anyone but himself
Just watch him piece up and submit Tim Sylvia in :36 seconds. That’s Indicative of what prime fedor would’ve done to everybody else. No other heavyweight had, or has the combination of technical skill, killer instinct, uncanny balance, flexibility, speed, power, durability and endurance as fedor. Continually outgrappling bjj blackbelts, top national, or Olympic level wrestlers and judokas. Devastating ground and pound. Watch his highlight videos and listen to commentary from other fighters. He’s a fighters fighter. Calm, cool, never talks smack, or disrespect. Osu.
Sylvia fight was wit5h affliction. He was the former ufc heavyweight champ, but you knew then he was no match for fedor, nor the rest of the ufc roster.
First time I ever saw Fedor was his fight against Herring. Watched it live. It was a pleasure to see Fedor in his prime years that followed. All I can do now is educate newer fans to his greatness. Easily the heavyweight GOAT
I will never forget, when Crocop was in his Prime because Crocop made me a fan of MMA. Fedor was the dominator back then, but Crocop beat the shit out of nearly everybody, kicked his opponents heads off their shoulders or knocked them out with his boxing like he did to Coleman. Crocop might have been the greatest Striker all around of that time period in MMA. Then the clash of the titans between him and Fedor was scheduled and i really thought that Crocop was the only one who could beat Fedor. But look what happened...Fedor beat Crocop in his own game, he outstriked him. Crocop getting beat on the feet in his prime was so crazy to me; i couldnt even believe it. Thats when Fedor cemented his legacy for good.
and the Great BJJ master BIG NOG defeated on the ground..
@@AjithKumaraTube Absolutely. Fedor was the real deal. The grand wizard.
Fedor is a true artist. You can tell when someone has just mastered their craft and when someone has god given talent.
Cormier wouldn’t last 1 round with Fedor in his prime. It’s comical Daniel would make such a ludicrous statement. Fedor will never be duplicated. His mind was savagery and watching him stalk his opponent in the ring was scary. I’d be terrified to be looking into that “stare”
Thank you Chael for clearing this out
It's just a shame we didn't get to see him In the UFC as he'd be a lot more adored as the pound for pound King of all time. He'd destroy bones in both their primes there was no one like hm
The reason why fedor is so great he won a genetic lottery.
He is a extremely powerful durable atlethe
And yes fedor at his peak was ahead of his time.Ufc refers mcarthy said fedor would give any modern ufc champion rough time
I was just watching his 26 second zuluzhino tko. I think that Fedor is so much faster than anyone in heavyweight now. I think ngannou has a punches chance but Fedor is used to fighting giants. I think he murders dc if they both are in their prime.
Fedor had the most exciting career in MMA history.
Cmon Chael. With your record for predictions we'd be looking at a 0-35+ fedor....
Dennis Hallman was doping to the max in the UFC.
The 31 and 1 fedor loss reminds me of when Vitor Belfort won the light heavyweight belt for five minutes that one time
Dennis Hallman was really good in his prime. Nice of Chael to mention him.
I could listen to this guy talk all day. He just has something, a kind of flow, an arsenal of words and phrases I haven't heard since I was listening to Hitchen and Dawkins. A faster cadence Sam Harris comes to mind. Yeah Chael isn't as philisophical as Harris, but he's got this clarity and smoothness that makes him one of the most beautifully articulated and imposing rhetoricians (Not to be taken in a bad way, the art of rhetoric and speaking is a very powerful skill) that I've seen in recent years. The ability to make his phrases so potent. The cadence he uses, fast so that any possibly opponent would have trouble keeping up....but not Ben Shapiro fast....which just sounds like a kid trying to talk fast without substance. I'm surprised, truly to see this coming from an MMA fighter...not because MMA fighters are dumb by ANY means, but just because MMA fighting, I think we can admit, isn't usually where we find speaking genius. But, genius can come from anywhere or any form. With that said, I agree entirely about what he said about Fedor. Yeah, Fedor would have to work harder today, but if Prime Fedor was transported into 2021...given access to the 15 years advancement in training technique, nutrition, "supplements", and knowledge that we've all aquired and learned since 2005... Prime Fedor would be able to adjust his training and yes, I think he'd beat every goddamn one they put in the ring with him. Greatest of all Time.
Thanks you uncle Chael for putting some respect on Fedors name
Chael "weaponize pace" Sonnen
Fedor was WITHOUT ANY DOUBT
the Most Feared Man on this Planet. We all watched in awe.
The GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHT EVER. He had it all.
When we say Fedor is the Heavyweight GOAT 🐐...and I believe he is, we are not saying that he would have beaten every other heavyweight in MMA history. We are saying the overall resume or body of work through his prime years....the caliber of opposition he faced that was available at the time-- elite fighters from every discipline-- kickboxing, K-1, wrestling, grappling, judo, BJJ, giants, killers-- you name it...the longevity...the finishing rate...the variety of ways in which he did it...and like Chael said, his gas tank...others have alluded to his chin in his prime-- the Randleman spike-suplex for example, cannot be matched. His fortunes changed when he stopped submitting people. Grappling is inefficient when constantly dealing with larger opponents. And the larger opponents were evolving in that area. But there was and remains no evolution for that right hand landing flush against your skull, despite his being undersized. The punching power is truly legendary. But his kryptonite during this career resurgence is the technical striker, who can keep the fight standing. His striking has always been fundamentally sound but not very technical. He is light on his feet in the way he advances. The speed and technique in that right hand are undeniable...and some were lucky to get knocked out by the right, because if you go back and watch the tape, had they gone stanky leg, and remained up right, that freight train of a left hook was coming-- and being dazed, unable to protect yourself, and possibly not seeing it coming-- the LEFT was the one you didn't want to get hit with. He threw punches in bunches. But once fighters no longer had to fear his ground game, whether it was his choice tactically or it was their own development there-- he started looking very beatable. Arlovski was absolutely tooling Fedor until he went for the most ill-advised jump-knee in the history of the sport. An entirely one- dimensional Brett Rogers gave him hell before having his head launched into orbit. A very good MMA boxer, Fabio Maldonado beat Fedor half to death. And similar to Rogers, Matt Mitrione KOs him on a Hail Mary/puncher's chance when he had nowhere near Fedor's grappling or submission credentials. Same thing with Ryan Bader. So I understand DCs recent comments suggesting that Fedor would have been average had he come into the UFC during whatever time period DC was suggesting. With the exception of Arlovski, none of the heavyweights I just mentioned are significant to the heavyweight history of the sport. That said, I still disagree with DC because Fedor's chin was declining or gone, as he was well past his prime when he fought these guys. In my opinion, the heavyweights of fairly recent and even historical vintage that in their primes, or during their greatest runs at heavyweight probably beat prime Fedor are: Overeem on the juice, Junior Dos Santos assuming the fight does not hit the ground, where although JDS is a BJJ black belt, I would expect Fedor to batter him ala Cain, Stipe, and Werdum. All of these men were significantly larger, (with long and rangy dimensions), with superior technical striking, BJJ black belts, who would have neutralized or hurt Fedor in the clinch, and kept the fight standing and picked him apart. I am leaving Ngannou and Gane out of my consideration. I honestly think prime Fedor beats everybody else-- including DC. So in my opinion, if he could have fought his entire prime in the UFC or could have fought the best the UFC had to offer at any point during his prime, he would have had about the same number of career losses that he has now...six I think. And depending on the timing and sequence of those fights, he easily would have been champion. Remember that a completely one dimensional Brock Lesnar, (not the striker or the submission artist prime Fedor was), beat a 44 year old 218 lb. Randy Couture for the title. What do you think prime Fedor with a significant size advantage, (a rarity for the undersized Fedor), would have done to Randy?
Teal talk. Bravo Chael. No hidden agendas. Just logical explanations and reasoning
*real
at 45 years old Fedor still has the fastest hands in the world at heavyweight. And he's still the only truly dominant heavyweight in mma history. And you know what, since losing those 3 fights in a row when he just hit a wall in bis career and looked like he was finished, he's now won 9 of his last 11 fights.
45 year old fedor beats 1 dude in bellator and he has the "fastest"hands😭 no he doesn't dude Tom aspinall is in his 20s and would knock out fedor with his hands.
@@mattreyes4803 Fedor fans are the most delusional MMA fans of all time. They literally uphold him as godly, when in reality he beat outdated fighters and cans, and got battered by bums like Bigfoot lol. He’d have gotten murked by a lot of the UFCs recent HWs.
Chael is the only man alive that has fought Anderson Silva, Jon Jones and fedor. Let that sink in.
ha.. nice.