Why The UFC Needs Fedor

Just because Fedor signed with M-1 doesn't mean the UFC couldn't use him. In fact, they still need him.

It was just months ago, following the Fertitta brothers acquisition of Dream Stage Entertainment (PRIDE FC), that we were told time and time again how stacked the Hevayweight division was. “The best it’s ever been!” Joe Rogan and Dana White chirped without interruption. I bought into it, and the whole world did too…and why not? Seemingly, they had everything they needed to create a full calendar’s worth of solid booking. They had the classic UFC veterans, Sylvia and Arlvoski, who had just finished a trilogy of brawls. Randy Couture had moved up and stripped the belt from Sylvia, proving that age is not a factor in the UFC. And they had both Cro Cop and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, two of PRIDE’s biggest stars signed and scheduled with their tune up fights. Between then and now, the UFC has built itself into a position that can only be made better by one man: Fedor.

Before we arrive at our conclusion, let’s examine how the UFC got to the point of needing a savior in their Heavyweight division. Up until very recently (UFC 69, to be exact), two men reigned supreme: Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski. Sylvia lost the intial fight between the two at UFC 51, which was an interim title fight, by way of Achilles Lock, a rare submission in mixed martial arts. In the second match up, at UFC 59, Arlovski had Sylvia stunned and beat. Unfortunately, he let “The Maine-iac” stick around and eventually got caught with a punch, setting up a rubber match at UFC 61. What went from an almost decisive two straight wins for Arlovski, an ending of the feud, and a new challenger for Arlovski, had now turned into a boring decision victory for Tim Sylvia, giving him two of three wins. Arlovski had lost two fights he didn’t need to lose to the much less fit and likeable Sylvia. The UFC clearly didn’t know what to do with him, as they threw him up against Jeff Monson, over billing their heights and weights in order to make it a “battle of the monsters.” Thankfully, the defense wouldn’t last long as Captain America arrived on scene to save the day (and the UFC) again.

Randy Couture, who had spent time in the Light Heavyweight division beating up on big ticket names like Liddell and Ortiz had retired following a rubber match loss to The Iceman. Believing he could hang with Sylvia, he came out of retirement and stunned the world at UFC 69. Joe Silva and the matchmakers had an opportunity to create come great match ups following this win, with the influx of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira. Instead of throwing Cro Cop right into the title hunt, they gave him a few tune ups instead while Couture was resting from the win. One of the tune ups turned out to be a devastating KO at the hands (feet, really…) of Gabriel Gonzaga. What was supposed to be a Sylvia-Cro Cop title fight was now Couture-Gonzaga…much less interesting. However, we can determine from this (and CC’s subsequent loss) that both Filipovic and Sylvia are no longer worthy contenders for Couture.

No Sylvia? No Cro Cop? No problem. The UFC had their next contender for Couture lined up in the manifestation of who many considered to be the #2 Heavyweight in the world, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He had been playing second fiddle to Fedor for years, while handily running though the rest of the competition. Now, he would get his shot at the UFC title. He just had to get through Heath Herring. Cro Cop had already lost months prior, meaning a win would all but guarantee him a match with Couture. Nogueira won, but only after only being nearly knocked out in the first round, by a kick that many (including ringside commentator Eddie Bravo) said could have easily warranted a stoppage. The UFC looked at this lackluster performance coupled with the difficulty they’ve had marketing non-English speaking stars, and decided to push Nogueira even less than they had before the fight. After all, he hadn’t even made the fight poster.

Just like that, without as much as bad decision on the part of the UFC, Nogueira, Cro Cop, and Tim Sylvia had all taken themselves out of the title race. What was once the most stacked division in mixed martial arts history was now left with Randy Couture at the top and no one else ever close. Don’t get me wrong; Couture is a wonderful champion and probably the best bet for the UFC. But, he still needs challengers to legitimize his belt. He’s beat Sylvia. Arlvoski doesn’t deserve it. Nogueira could make a claim, but the fight wouldn’t be able to be marketed for any real profit. And Cro Cop REALLY doesn’t deserve it. So who fits the bill? There’s only one fighter left.

Fedor. A man so intimidating, he is known only by his cold, brutish first name. The stats on The Russian Experiment are known by now. He’s essentially undefeated, save for one loss due to a cut from an illegal move (he avenged it later). He’s beaten Cro Cop, Nogueira (twice), Mark Hunt, and just about every big name in PRIDE FC. And that’s exactly why the UFC needs him. There’s no one else who provide the sheer challenge to Couture’s magic. Not to mention that he’s the perfect antithesis to the golden boy of the UFC. For anyone who thought Liddell-Rampage was easy to market, you haven’t seen anything yet. Couture-Fedor (ahh, it even rhymes!) is the quintessential battle of good vs. evil, The United States vs. Russia, face vs. heel. Sure, Tim Sylvia was generally unlikable, but he’s equally untalented. Fedor would provide the presence of a bigger “bad guy,” with skills unparalleled to anything Couture has ever faced. The result: one of the biggest live gates of all time, an automatic rematch for the loser (while Dana White prays for a third fight), and the immediate revival of UFC’s heavyweight division.

(Originally written for MMAMadness.com)