Fedor at LHW

[BM43]

I have the utmost respect for Fedor's skills, just wanted to state that before I get into this.

Fedor would be an undersized heavyweight in the UFC today, since more and more fighters are in the 6'4, 245-265lb range, and even when he was in the 220-230 range, he still had some excess weight that he could easily lose. Although I believe he could win the heavyweight title, hypothetically, let's say the Werdum rematch is a repeat of last time.

Would you want to see him at LHW? And if so, what match ups would you be interested in?

 

[Killme]

How is he even undersize now? did you see them pictures taken of him? He is stacked, beefy man who can compete.

Fedor got bored, now he is hungry again.

 

[BM43]

How is he even undersize now? did you see them pictures taken of him? He is stacked, beefy man who can compete.

Fedor got bored, now he is hungry again.

I completely missed that thread (thanks google) and yeah, he looks like he's in phenomenal shape. I was thinking he was still close to the build he had towards the end of PRIDE when I made this, but I seriously doubt he could be anything but HW now.

 

[Liquid Smoke]

On his best day he's dangerous enough to compete in either division. Problem is his best days were 10 years ago and he's been on the shelf for like 3 years now.

Granted he looks good in that pic that's been floating around. But looking good in a pic and becoming a world champ are 2 very different things. Fedor has a lot to prove if he wants to be a contender in 2015.

To directly answer your question, I like his odds better at HW to be honest. Those guys gas out and get KO'ed all the time. But with Jones out of the picture, a LHW run isn't out of the question either.

 

[BayAreaGuy]

It might be too late:

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

Why would you want to see the HW GOAT. Literally the best Heavyweight of all time drop to LHW at nearly 40 years old? I don't get this argument.

Fedor was great BECAUSE he was an undersized HW. He's still a big guy but his size gave him a speed advantage while retaining HW power.

To make 205, he would have to diet down and do a bit of cutting. Fedor sitting in a sauna, taking epson salt baths and wearing sweat suits is not something I want to see.

Just because weight cutting has become a cancer in MMA doesn't mean everyone else should join in.

 

[scottthehero]

It might be too late:

oh man fedors lookin monsonish

 

[BigDaddyBach]

One thing that Fedor has in his favor is new drug testing and the banning of TRT. The only time that size/strength disparity was really apparent was in the Bigfoot fight. Bigfoot was recently on TRT and was busted for extremely elevated levels as testing became more advanced. We have seen what Bigfoot looks like while operating without artificial chemical enhancement and has been destroyed by elder fighters that Fedor walked thru. Let us not fogret Hendo either. The only real legitimate loss on his record is Werdum, and let's face the facts, Werdum has fallen under the same shroud of suspicion that RDA has and we have not seen him compete under the new drug testing regimen. I give him the benefit of the doubt but just stating what many insiders like Schaub already have.

As PED and doping become much more enhanced, Fedor magically lot his natural dominance. I truly, truly, truly believe this, and solely this, is why Fedor lost his edge...not the cage, not the age not him reaching his prime and then declining. With heavyweights more than any other weight class, we are starting to see a resurgence in older fighters that posses superior technique (AA, Mir, Hunt, Werdum) and now reign dominant over the division. Fedor was always the best before the sophisticated doping/trt era and I am sure he fancies his chances coming back and surely has his suspicions about the TRT era, the era that was responsible for his only legit career losses.

I was praying for Fedor to retire but I seriously wouldn;t be suprised if he absolutely demolishes the division in a clean division. People are blown away by Rousey and her 12 wins against 11 cans. Fedor rattled off 3 times the amount of wins with no loses while fighting fighters that were bigger, stronger, had equal or better techniques in an era of doped up superhumans. It is high time people start recognizing that Fedor was FAR AND AWAY the greatest that has ever been, albeit that he faced his fair share of cans and never had the Zuffa hype machine behind him.

 

[MRT]

TS...YES! I have been saying this pretty much since Pride was folded.

Fedor is not a big HW. He cuts no weight, usually weights around 230 or so, and clearly carries around a little bit of extra body fat. There is NO doubt in my mind that Fedor could easily make 205 by making MINOR tweaks.

Imagine Fedor joining a new camp, focusing on cardio and leaning out a bit, and dropping down to 205, and signing with UFC?

I honestly believe that if this had happened years ago, we may not even have experienced the Jon Jones era in the UFC, certainly not to the extent that it existed. That is not to say it is/was a bad thing...I just think Fedor could have ruled the UFC LHW division for many years. I still think he could make serious noise at 205, perhaps more so than at HW, even given the lack of HW depth.

Finally, aside from the revenge story with Werdum, is there is bigger 'legacy' fight for Fedor than beating Jon Jones for the LHW belt (assuming Jones returns and reclaims it)? For all of Werdum's accomplishments, and those of Cain, JDS, etc., none parallel those of Jones, who along with Fedor is on most GOAT lists.

I don't think a bigger fight exists than Fedor-Jones...perhaps GSP-Silva, or Silva-Jones (before Silva's fall)...but Fedor-Jones would be f**king huge.

edit: good point made right above my post - the PED era lessening may also favour Fedor's return (assuming he was not a user, of course - lol).

 

[ermac88]

He would get killed at LHW
No way to finish his career again.

 

[bigconan]

On his best day he's dangerous enough to compete in either division. Problem is his best days were 10 years ago and he's been on the shelf for like 3 years now.

Granted he looks good in that pic that's been floating around. But looking good in a pic and becoming a world champ are 2 very different things. Fedor has a lot to prove if he wants to be a contender in 2015.

To directly answer your question, I like his odds better at HW to be honest. Those guys gas out and get KO'ed all the time. But with Jones out of the picture, a LHW run isn't out of the question either.

The ufc heavyweight division is so utterly weak, guys that competed 10 years ago, are now close to a title shot. Arlovski, a guy Fedor KO'd, is on the verge of fighting for the title. I can easily see fedor fighting for the title. I think He can beat Arlovski any time. His chin can't be improved. And when fedor beat him, he was on a hot streak even better than now. Fedor has never taken much punishment and if he gets his training down, I think he has a good shot at it..

 

[textwarrior]

I have the utmost respect for Fedor's skills, just wanted to state that before I get into this.

Fedor would be an undersized heavyweight in the UFC today, since more and more fighters are in the 6'4, 245-265lb range, and even when he was in the 220-230 range, he still had some excess weight that he could easily lose. Although I believe he could win the heavyweight title, hypothetically, let's say the Werdum rematch is a repeat of last time.

Would you want to see him at LHW? And if so, what match ups would you be interested in?

I prefer Fedor at HW because of his speed advantage. Fedor is us to fighting bigger and slower opponents. If he fights at LHW they will be quicker. He has not fought lighter guys for the most part, so, he is well trained in the HW division. So I would like him at HW.

 

[NunoBernie]

Only age and lack of desire can beat Fedor.

 

[Redhawks100]

I don't understand why people want him at LHW. Hell, we all saw how he did against Arona and Henderson. He'd lose a lot of his advantages if he were to fight at LHW... and quite frankly, I think he would've suffered multiple losses if he fought at 205 in Pride.

 

[BM43]

The ufc heavyweight division is so utterly weak...

This is one of the reasons I made this post. There are surely a few interesting match ups (Werdum, Cain, JDS, Mir, Stipe, possibly Overeem) but outside of these few, the HW division doesn't offer much of anything.

He already has a devastating KO win over Arlovski and submitted Mark Hunt. Big Country has caught haymaker fever and tries to KO everyone instead of relying on his grappling. Mitrione could "possibly" nullify the Fedor's speed advantage since he does still have the agility you get from training in the NFL, but realistically he only has a puncher's chance. Bigfoot off of TRT just gets dominated (in my opinion).

Mir would be a great first fight. He's currently #10, his stand up isn't the most technical, and a lot of people forget just how dangerous he is on the ground. If Fedor can still blow through people's guards like he used to, it could be an entertaining fight on the feet or on the ground.

Fedor was great BECAUSE he was an undersized HW. He's still a big guy but his size gave him a speed advantage while retaining HW power....

I prefer Fedor at HW because of his speed advantage. Fedor is used to fighting bigger and slower opponents. If he fights at LHW they will be quicker....

I understand preferences, and there is no doubt that his speed was a major factor in his dominance. And no matter how you look at it, the truth is it begs the question: "How dominant would he be if speed wasn't a factor?"

There are several fighters in LHW that could, and most likely would, be as fast or faster than Fedor, and stylistically would make great match ups, maybe even better than the UFC's current HW division.

In the end, I would just be happy to see him fight again regardless of weight class. I just really want to see the best possible fights that he can give us.

 

[Mondo Freaks]

Fedor does better at HW than LHW imo.

 

[TheJackal]

I don't understand why people want him at LHW. Hell, we all saw how he did against Arona and Henderson. He'd lose a lot of his advantages if he were to fight at LHW... and quite frankly, I think he would've suffered multiple losses if he fought at 205 in Pride.

You're still at it? Why are you so obsessed with fedor? You've been bashing him in threads for YEARS!

You must have a great social life!