Fedor or Chuck Liddell: Which of them was most relevant in MMA history?

[Bend NvR Break]

MMA history? Fedor
UFC history? Chuck

 

[TaxCutz]

Chuck was Creed. Fedor was Crossfade in comparison.

 

[Simple Southerner]

"I have no doubt he was a better fighter than Cuck"

Lol

 

[locust rising]

Chuck definitely brought more fans to the sport.

 

[Local Plata]

In the US, Chuck without a doubt. One of the first actual stars, one of the reasons TUF was successful and thus the UFC didn't go bust, one of the first crossover-to-mainstream stars.

In the annals of 'MMA history' that nerds like us talk about, Fedor.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Relevant in terms of the growth of the sport? It's Chuck Liddell. He was commercially more valuable and was the UFC's first real icon (Ken Shamrock kind of became one retroactively when he went to the WWE). Chuck (and Tito) were probably the first guys that people who didn't watch the MMA may have heard in passing or recognize.

Fedor was not the equivalent in Japan or even close to it. Sakuraba was the Chuck Liddell equivalent in Pride (probably greater). Fedor was not that famous in Russia either tbh, most Russians I talk to know Khabib, not Fedor.

No, the existence of Fedor doesn't mean that it got Khabib into MMA even if Khabib was a big fan of him. Dagestan would have gotten into MMA regardless for the same reason they are in many other combat sports.


Fedor is more like Kareem-Abdul Jabar. An all time great and GOAT candidate, but not really someone who was commercially a big deal.


Perhaps innovation could be a substitute for growing the sport commercially, but Fedor was not innovative enough I think. He wasn't the first well rounded fighter who fought at an elite level, though he's an early example of one(Frank Shamrock was probably the first guy I can think of). Certainly wasn't the first guy to obliterate people with GnP which is what stuck out about him early in his career.

 

[wildchild88]

Chuck doesn’t come close to fedor for me.

Peak Fedor was the best HW we’ve ever seen.

Liddell was a great LHW champ, but even when he was champ, the best LHWs were in PRIDE and he got KTFO in PRIDE..

 

[Mind Mine]

I am in the top 10 GOATS of Fedor haters and I find this disrespectful. Chuck and Fedor were at the same level of washed when I started watching the sport. One continued taking his lumps and winning some and losing some but he kept his name relevant. Chuck won a single decision vs a washed Wanderlei and about every other second he was in the octagon was a stain on his legacy. Perhaps before 2007 when I started watching there was a time Chuck was a bigger more important name in mma but not during my tenure. Not remotely close.

 

[Deleted member 110072]

Chuck was a bigger draw at his peak but that peak was fairly short from 05-07 and whilst his career as a whole was obviously longer still he's more one man in a group of several towards the top of LHW were as Fedor is clearly still the HW GOAT. I mean the giveaway is who do you see more threads about on Sherdog today?

 

[Xuh]

Fedor for MMA fans
Chuck for Nickleback fans

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Chuck was a bigger draw at his peak but that peak was fairly short from 05-07 and whilst his career as a whole was obviously longer still he's more one man in a group of several towards the top of LHW were as Fedor is clearly still the HW GOAT. I mean the giveaway is who do you see more threads about on Sherdog today?

But Sherdog isn't really a representation of someones impact. Sherdog is a fairly small community of a select few MMA fans with relatively similar taste.

The question isn't who is better at the sport or not. I don't think anyone on this site thinks Chuck is better than Fedor. I shouldn't say that, this site has surprised me before...

 

[Neck&Neck]

Rhonda Rousey

 

[WOLVERINEKILLS]

One was the face of MMA for a few years and a great at light heavyweight. The other is ln most peopke’s Mount Rushmore of MMA fighters and widely considered to be the best heavyweight so far. Both are important.

 

[pamirec]

Chuck’s definitely more popular in the US than Fedor.

 

[jjjjjjjjjjohnny]

Fedor by far.
Chuck was a champion, Fedor is a legend.