Why Brock Lesnar can defeat Fedor Emelianenko

Alright, first things first, if you're asking yourself "Who is Fedor?" you need to leave this blog immediately and do a search for Fedor Emelianenko. He is the #1 ranked fighter in the world, boasts a 30-1 record, and has not been defeated since December of 2000. The one blemish on his record? A loss due to a horrific cut at the hands of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (TK). The cut was bad but plain and simple, this man has never been knocked out, submitted, or tko'd. He later avenged this loss at Pride - Bushido 6 in April of 2005. He is the current WAMMA Heavyweight Champion, Affliction's poster boy, and his two most recent victories are against Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia. Any true MMA fan can tell you all about his fights during the Pride era and after learning of his dominance we're left to answer one simple question, "Why is he not in the UFC?" Although talks have happened numerous times, insiders have said they ended in heated words and at this point it looks like the UFC and Fedor are just a bit off base. We can only hope Dana and the boys re-think their negotiations and get this guy signed at any cost. The match-ups are absolutely compelling and the PPV numbers would be absolutely huge! Let's say we're lucky enough to witness the event of the decade, we'll call it UFC 110: Lesnar vs. Fedor. Man, that title brings me chills! Now I'm not saying necessarily that Lesnar WOULD beat Fedor, but you would be crazy to tell me he doesn't have a good shot. Let's take a look at why Brock Lesnar can defeat Fedor Emelianenko.

Brock Lesnar > Hong Man Choi

The first argument that seems to come up when saying Brock has a chance to beat Fedor is how easily Fedor dismantled Hong Man Choi, a 7'2", 350 pound monster that recently laid waste to Jose Canseco. While Choi would dwarf Lesnar, he does not have near the skill that Lesnar possesses. Size isn't everything and those of you who say Brock is only good because of his size need to re-think your statements. Does his size have anything to do with his success? Yes, of course! Is it the only thing that makes him a dangerous opponent? No! If size were the only pre-requisite to become champ, Hong Man Choi, Chad "Akebono" Rowan, and Emanuel Yarbrough would be the top 3 heavyweights in the world! If you take the average height and weight of these giants, you get a 6'10", 480 pound goliath with a combined record of 3 wins and 8 losses. Hmmmmmmmm, I guess size isn't everythiing you need after all! Brock is huge, he's strong, but he is an athlete and a great wrestler. He was 106-5 during his collegiate wrestling career and that is wrestling people exactly his size! It's easy for the Brock hate to gravitate towards how he's only good because of his size, and I'm just as guilty of saying this myself. When you step back and look at it, his size is a weapon, but it's not the only one in his arsenal. Fedor has shown he can get taken down, if you need proof of this get a copy of his fight with Kevin Randleman (Pride Critical Countdown 2004) and take a look at the suplex that could have broken his neck! Other fighters have been successful in takedown attempts with Fedor as well so while he is the #1 figher in the world, he is vulnerable to takedowns. In my opinion Brock could take Fedor down at will, which is one reason why he has a chance to defeat The Last Emperor.

Canned Ham + Momentum = KO

Does Brock have the most refined stand-up you've ever seen? No, far from it! However, when you have XXXXL hands and 290 pounds of force to put behind it, you are dangerous no matter how sharp your stand-up is. Ask Heath Herring, who was hit so hard that he tumbled backward and rolled as if he had been hit by a truck. Ask Randy Couture, who bobbed and weaved and successfully dodged strike after strike only to be caught behind the ear and mauled until he could not stand up. How about his punches on the ground? As much I like to say Frank Mir's first win over Lesnar is legit (File Under Steve Mazzagati Conspiracy), Lesnar was on his way to an easy TKO victory via brutal ground and pound. The second fight went much like the first fight would have had Mazzagati not stood them up. He makes his opponent's face look like raw hamburger in a matter of seconds. He uses his wrestling skills to trap his foes and mute any sort of jiu-jitsu techniques they want to use. Anyone, and I do mean anyone, is susceptible to Brock Lesnar's ground and pound.

Time is on Brock's Side

The more time you give Brock Lesnar, the more dangerous he gets. Just look at how much his first and second fights with Frank Mir played out. The first fight saw an inexperienced fighter get caught on a mistake that could have easily been avoided. His last fight he was calm, collected, and picked his shots and dominated Mir and more importantly finished the fight and won. The more Lesnar learns, the scarier he becomes. He has Erik Paulson on his side and that is a great mind to dissect when it comes to the ground game. With Fedor not even close to signing with the UFC, this dream match-up is at least a year away. Lesnar has been given his next fight, the winner of Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez. This fight will most likely not take place until Super Bowl Weekend of 2010. Perhaps we'll be lucky enough to get a Christmas present next year. Brock would have another seven months of training before the fight with Cain or Carwin and a year and a half from now he could be fighting Fedor. This is very, very scary as he will most likely still be on the upswing as far as his skills are concerned. Maybe by that point he's a blue belt in jiu-jitsu? As time goes on, Lesnar will only get more dangerous!

Stay put kiddies! Tomorrow I'll be debuting my next blog, "Why Fedor Emelianenko can defeat Brock Lesnar" Until then...