One of the more important events this year will take place on Saturday in St. Louis, Missouri as Strikeforce puts on what looks like a very appealing card on paper with Alistair Overeem and Brett Rogers headlining in a significant heavyweight tilt. While my statement that the card is important might sway most opinions to counter my argument that the UFC has a number of great events that trump Strikeforce’s own in importance, this weekend’s card, in my mind, has a couple critical questions that will most likely be answered.
Can Strikeforce rebound with a successful event after the lackluster outcomes and post-fight brawl of Strikeforce: Nashville? Obviously, this is a question that’s been on most of the MMA media’s mind as of late, but I want to present a distraction from that line of questioning.
I’m more interested in what the outcome of Rogers vs. Overeem means in connection to Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor has been criticized in recent years for his battles against former UFC champions simply because those fighters are either considered well past their prime or unworthy of stepping foot in the ring or cage with Fedor. The consensus thought has been that Fedor should finally fold up shop as a guy not proving he’s the absolute best in the world right now and pitch a tent in the UFC’s heavyweight division.
Rogers obviously tried and failed to bring down “The Last Emperor”, but he’s one of the first fighters in this new era that was able to do some real damage to the invincible Russian. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to implement a better gameplan in a rematch, and Alistair Overeem’s immense size, physical strength, and crushing power have been created to compete in this new era of mixed martial arts.
What exactly is the new era? Today’s heavyweight division features behemoth fighters like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin, guys who come in at fight time at a whopping 265 pounds. On top of that enormous size and strength, these guys are also learning the tricks of the trade and the various martial arts needed to create a well-rounded athlete, an evolution that past fighters have lacked. Fedor dominated the worldwide heavyweight division during his PRIDE run with that same type of ideology in a 230 pound frame, but can he also prove he’s still the absolute best heavyweight in the world fueled by technique, resilience, and unbelievable skill against monstrous giants like Brock Lesnar?
Saturday’s battle between Alistair Overeem and Brett Rogers marks the beginning of such a quest to answer that question. If Overeem happens to dispatch of Rogers in quick fashion, the clamoring from fans for a match-up with Emelianenko will be loud and prominent. The win will almost assuredly set up a future showdown between a fighter who has become one of the new era talents against the aging “Last Emperor” who still possesses the techniques and abilities to spectacularly punish fighters of the future.
Fedor is now truly walking the edge between these two eras, and whether or not he decides to put his undefeated record and legacy on the line to challenge himself and prove to doubters he can crossover is the question. Undeniably, the answer has already somewhat been resolved. Fedor doesn’t really need to fight against this era’s greats to still be deemed a legend, a guy who I’ll tell my kids about if they ever become insane fans of this sport I love. A guy who I’ll probably argue would crush any fighter in the UFC when I’m 80 years old and drought with senility.
Overeem or a rematch with Rogers doesn’t prove anything significantly to most fans however. The UFC’s heavyweight division is ultimately the playground that most fans want to see Fedor play in, and the chances grow slimmer and slimmer by the day. The recent actions of his management only further fuel the argument that we’ll never see the day, and if we do — it’ll be far too late. I’d rather see Fedor retire than battle the UFC’s best heavyweights as a lethargic, ancient legend who once survived and defeated some of the best the sport had to offer.
M-1 Global is an obstacle, and their actions seem to speak to the idea that Fedor is being protected, whether he knows it or not. Fedor may very well not understand exactly why specific battles haven’t happened, but he does understand that M-1’s goal is to promote their own brand by using his greatness. And that has hindered the potential for even a showdown with Overeem from happening in the future if both Overeem and Fedor win their respective battles. While some fans would just chalk this up to M-1 wanting more of a presence, it hasn’t happened yet in the number of years they’ve been operating, and it surely won’t happen in the future as MMA media focuses more on the parent promotion rather than M-1’s logo or “Strikeforce & M-1 Global presents” tagline.
After hearing the news that Fedor basically has the ability to re-structure his contract at any point, it was evident to me that M-1 was either protecting his legacy for him, without him even realizing it, looking to make more money, or a combination of these ideas. In my belief — and perhaps I’m blinded by my own hardcore fan mentality that Fedor Emelianenko fears noone — I think he’s completely outsourced any notion as to who he will fight next. I think it solely lies in the hands of his managers, and that’s a reality that shouldn’t please the purists who want to see the best fight the best.
Overeem vs. Fedor is the first step, but past that… the future is grim. M-1 wants their name highlighted, and UFC simply does not do that. Perhaps, a one-time deal could be struck, and we may finally see a battle with Brock Lesnar materialize, but Fedor could walk off into the Russian Winter while we relive the memories and joys he brought us in his career on Youtube.
I will forever be a fan of Fedor Emelianenko, and I don’t think he really needs to prove anything to anyone if he doesn’t feel the need to do so. Unlike B.J. Penn, who mentions in his book that Florian’s denial of a text message about GSP’s greasing and Sherk’s steroid ignorance were huge motivating factors when he fought them, Fedor doesn’t seem to need that motivation or desire to prove anything. He just fights, wins, and delivers exactly what you paid for or devoted your time to watching. For that, I’m grateful.
This weekend is a big weekend in my mind for Strikeforce and Fedor Emelianenko’s future. If Rogers happens to defeat Overeem, we’re in for another solid year of trickling information out of Russia, stalls in talks, and rumors that he “might” go the UFC only to be let down by a New Year’s Eve battle with… Kimbo Slice. If Overeem destroys Rogers, the money to be made and hype surrounding it will finally give us an idea of how Fedor will handle a much bigger fighter who has qualities that trump Fedor’s abilities. Size plus skill is the new era, and Fedor has been in that new era way ahead of everyone else for a long time. It won’t answer all the questions, but it will, at the very least, give us something to look at and say “Hey… maybe this guy isn’t slowing down after all.”