Do you believe Fedor was afraid to fight the best fighters in the UFC? (Circa 2009)

[Takes Two To Tango]

Inspired by this thread.

Thread 'Why Didn’t Fedor Join The UFC?'

Jan 15, 2025

This question can be easily answered with a google search, but I came here instead for the complete and correct answer.

If I know something, it’s that a sherdogger can never be 2 things: Wrong, Short, Skinny, or caught on a derailed hypetrain.

• Dimbis
• Replies: 63
• Forum: UFC Discussion

I mean to be fair to Fedor he did fight and defeat former UFC champions about 6 of them I believe.

Tim Sylvia
Andrei Arlovski
Rampage Jackson
Mark Coleman
Frank Mir
Kevin Randleman

In the link below, these are the guys were ranked in top 10 Heavyweights circa 2009.

UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for November 2009

UFC rankings/MMA rankings featured in USA Today for November 2009

www.mmamania.com

As you can see above the only guys he didn't fight in his career are Lesnar, Dos Santos, Barnett, Velasquez, Carwin.

Because Fedor didn't end up in the UFC at that time. And he was about to fight Barnett but we know what happened there.

Does some people here think he was afraid to fight these guys?

Fedor wasn't afraid of anyone imo. The guy just didn't fight these fighters because of other circumstances. Nothing to do with fighting.

 

[Cowboy Kurt Angle]

No

 

[Simple Southerner]

No, he feared no man.

 

[Spam On Rye]

Nah, dude fought prime Crocop. What is there to fear after that?

 

[HHJ]

lol @ being inspired by that piece of shit's thread which he didnt even participate in

 

[DoubleTrouble]

No....Bald Goof was scared to bring him to the UFC to fight his best guys after what Ramage did to golden boy Chuck in Pride.

 

[HHJ]

No....Bald Goof was scared to bring him to the UFC to fight his best guys after what Ramage did to golden boy Chuck in Pride.

This is not the way promoters think

 

[Ginja_Ninja]

The issue was M1 Global.

Kind of like Francis, they overvalued themselves and the mma world paid for it.

 

[Ginja_Ninja]

The issue was M1 Global.

Kind of like Francis, they overvalued themselves and the mma world paid for it.

 

[Johnnny]

Circa 2009?
That was the year that Fedor finally relented and agreed to fight under the unified rules of MMA for the first time. It didn't go well for him.

Fedor was thoroughly exposed in 4 straight fights. Instead of evolving his game and adapting to the unified rules and the 8-sided cage, he went right back to fighting in roped squares on the regional circuit.

 

[Cobra 03]

I'm not a Fedor fan at all, but I would be stupid to say he avoided the UFC because he was afraid. He fought some pretty damn tough guys in PRIDE, so he wasn't afraid to come to UFC and fight Randy Couture. I'm sure it's because the UFC had so many restrictions, and Fedor didn't want them to control his entire fighting life.

 

[jjjjjjjjjjohnny]

wondering if the TS actually watched him fight in pride? or knew that he decimated the best hw the UFC had at the time.

 

[Russie]

He wasn't afraid of any fighters. If anything I think it was people in his ear who were telling him to not sign with the UFC but work with them in co-promotion fights. The organizations who Fedor were fighting for didn't want to lose but damn sure wanted to be part of any fight he had with a UFC fighter. In short poorly advised IMO.

 

[15089371]

The issue was M1 Global.

Kind of like Francis, they overvalued themselves and the mma world paid for it.

Exactly this. It's honestly still hard to comprehend M1 really thought they had a chance of the UFC co promoting with them.

 

[markys00]

Circa 2009?
That was the year that Fedor finally relented and agreed to fight under the unified rules of MMA for the first time. It didn't go well for him.

Fedor was thoroughly exposed in 4 straight fights. Instead of evolving his game and adapting to the unified rules and the 8-sided cage, he went right back to fighting in roped squares on the regional circuit.

Looks like someone didnt take their nap today

 

[Ginja_Ninja]

Exactly this. It's honestly still hard to comprehend M1 really thought they had a chance of the UFC co promoting with them.

They knew they had the number one fighter in the world, just thought that was worth more than it was. Maybe if this were boxing...

 

[volodya]

All that matters is that he defeated Rampage and Mir, probably my two favorite Fedor fights ever

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

wondering if the TS actually watched him fight in pride? or knew that he decimated the best hw the UFC had at the time.

Yeah I watched him in Pride, did you read the OP?