Fedor Emelianenko: A Look at the Legacy of “The Last Emperor”

 Posted by at 9:41 PM  Features, MMA News, Strikeforce  2 Responses »
Feb 182011
 

Fedor Emelianenko (right) is undisputedly one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world - but is he THE best? (Photo courtesy of M-1 Global)

“The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-3) is a man deemed by many to be the greatest heavyweight fighter on the planet. Going 31-3, 1 No Contest, over what is close to an 11-year career in MMA is an unparalleled achievement, of that there is no doubt, but some question whether his record and fight history provide validation for the claims of his fans? Is he really the greatest fighter of all time? Certainly at one point in time Fedor was the undisputed king of the heavyweight division, but many fans refuse to allow that such claims may no longer be warranted, and worse still, take any argument to the contrary to be a sign of gross disrespect and lack of knowledge.  The following list holds links to video footage of every Fedor Emelianenko fight, from the ones that matter to the ones that MMA history remembers only as a number in his win column, as MMA Gospel looks into what the man behind the legend has really achieved and how his current achievements stack up to both those of his past, and those of his current peers. Continue reading »

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Counting Out Ken: Why “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” is Far From Done

 Posted by at 10:10 PM  MMA News  11 Responses »
Oct 042010
 

Ken Shamrock damages Don Frye's ACL with a heel hook in what was an outstanding performance despite the loss. (file photo)

It’s been a long hard road for “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (27-14-2).  From his first appearance against Masakatsu Funaki (39-12-1) at Pancrase: Yes, We Are Hybrid Wrestlers 1 in September of 1993 to his recent dismantlement by “The Rock” Pedro Rizzo (18-9) at Impact FC 2: The Uprising in July of this year, Ken Shamrock has faced 31 separate opponents ranging from the legendary Royce Gracie (14-3-3) and “El Guapo” Bas Rutten (28-4-1) to modern era superstars “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1) and ”Ace” Rich Franklin (27-5).  He has recently fallen on hard times, however, dropping five of his last six outings and posting a meager 3-8 record since the turn of the century.  This has led many fans and journalists to implore the UFC hall-of-famer to hang up his four-ounce gloves for good.  Shamrock sees it differently. In fact he believes the exact opposite.  He doesn’t believe that he should stop fighting, he told Sherdog.com that he should fight more…and I, for one, believe him. Continue reading »

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The Legend of Ken Shamrock: 5 Fights Every Fan Should See Before Running Their Mouth

 Posted by at 9:50 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Jul 222010
 
Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock

Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock post-fight

Let’s all get together for MMA story time:

In the beginning, four men sat in the locker room of a Japanese pro-wrestling show contemplating the validity of Japanese shoot fighting’s oldest principle: nobody will ever pay to see real fights; they come for entertainment, not reality.  A year later, on September 21, 1993, they formed a promotion to test this principle.  The result was an organization where the best kick boxers, catch wrestlers, and shoot fighters of the day would meet in a bout that followed the rules of worked shoot fighting but an actual combative competition.  They called it Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling.  The four men were Masakatsu Funaki (39-12-1), Minoru Suzuki (27-20-1), Yusuke Fuke (16-29-3), and “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (27-14-2).  This was the birth of what we call mixed martial arts today.  Three months later, just four days after competing in the third Pancrase show, Ken Shamrock became arguably the biggest star of the first UFC.  Despite a loss in the semi-finals to Royce Gracie the fans were drawn to the chiseled features and movie star persona of “The Worlds Most Dangerous Man.”  This is just a small piece of the history of the man who was arguably the most important fighter in history of MMA. Continue reading »

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