Five Men Who Can Beat Fedor

Every sport has its top dog. The guy that sits atop the food chain of the sport. In MMA, that man is Fedor Emelianenko. In this article, I highlight the five men who I believe have a legitimate chance of beating "The Last Emperor."

With the recent acquisition of PRIDE by Zuffa, the doors have been opened for all types of match ups that were once deemed to be impossible. The top fighters in each weight class will be fighting each other now regardless of which organization they fought for before. MMA has always been known as a very unpredictable sport. The smallest of mtakes can end up costing a fighter the match. Many people are quick to say that Mr. Emelianenko is unbeatable. As good of a champion and as dominant as he may be, the fact of the matter is that in this sport, no one is unbeatable. Anything can happen in a fight at any time. Below is a list of five fighters who I believe have the tools to defeat Emelianenko. Now, I'm not saying that these fighters WILL beat Fedor. (A few that I chose have already lost to him.) I am saying that these guys have the tools to defeat Fedor. For any one of these fighters to beat Fedor, they would have to execute their game plan to a tee. When you are facing a guy as dynamic as Fedor is, you cant make many mistakes. If one of these fighters does happen to fight Fedor, don't bet the house on the challenger, but maybe...just maybe if all the stars align right, someone can beat this man.

Josh Barnett
Josh Barnett is a tough style match up for anyone. His catch wrestling allows him to be a great wrestler from the top while at the same time always looking for a submission to win the fight. Josh Barnett would need to put Fedor on his back as soon as possible and keep him there for as long as possible. Barnett has really improved his stand up game but Fedor's striking style is a lot for anyone to handle.
Keys to Victory for Barnett
Put Fedor on his back and defend all of Fedor's submissions from the bottom.

Mark Hunt
Just as with any other fighter that came from a K-1 background, Mark Hunt was criticized for his lack of a ground game when he first got into MMA. Since then though, Mark Hunt has rounded out his game. Hunt's brand new ground game was on full display when he took on Fedor at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. When that fight hit the ground many people were suprised to see Hunt get on top and even attempt a submission or two. If Hunt's defense on the ground improves we could see him give Fedor a run. Hunt's best chance against Fedor would be on the feet. Any one of Hunt's punches has enough power to knock out Fedor.
Keys to Victory for Hunt
Turn this fight into a brawl, and try and land that one big, elusive knockout blow.

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
It doesn't take long for one to figure out how Cro Cop would have to beat Fedor. Left kick from hell! Just like any other match Cro Cop would have to keep this one standing and look to deliver the one kick to finish the fight. When these two first fought it was one of the most anticipated matches in all off MMA. Even with Cro Cop coming off the most devastating loss of his career, a second match with these two would deliver just as much build up as the first.
Keys to Victory for Cro Cop
Keep the fight on the feet Mix it up with kicks and punches and look for the knockout.

Randy Couture
When this list was first made I was a bit skeptical about putting Randy Couture on the list. Then I remembered what the critics were saying before the Tim Sylvia fight. The fact is that Randy Couture has a knack for pulling off things that no one expects him to. However a win over Fedor Emelianenko at this stage of his career seems unlikely but not impossible. His classical wrestling style has the potential to give Fedor fits on the ground.
Keys to Victory for Couture
Get on top of Fedor, and stay on top. Watch for submissions from the bottom.

Sergei Kharitonov
Many people around the world of MMA had Kharitonov pegged as the next man to challenge Fedor for the belt not to long ago. A devastating loss to the little brother of the champion hasn't helped his cause but I believe that he is still a threat to Fedor. Kharitonov has a extensive background in combat Sambo which should help him in a match against the master of Sambo. Kharitonov is also a very good traditional boxer which will help him against Fedor's wild, looping punches.
Keys to Victory for Kharitonov.
Use Sambo and boxing to neutralize Fedor's strengths