George St. Pierre or Fedor Emelianenko - Who's the most iconic MMA fighter? (The Finals)

[Bouboumaster]

Voted GSP because he's pretty much the prototype on which the modern fighter is based on, but I won't be mad if Fedor wins, he deserves it too

 

[Bouboumaster]

GOAT icon in every sense of the word.

GOAT of everything. GOAT.

LOL

 

[BowserJr]

or perhaps you are wrong and Fedor in circles that you are not privy too, is considered in the same esteem as Mohamad Ali or Michael Johnson.

no wait , there is no perhaps, you are just wrong

Not sure what your saying but maybe English is not your first language.

Fedor was big while Pride was. Pride was never as big globally as UFC was shortly after Pride folded.

In hardcore MMA circles Fedor is iconic but he's by no means transcendent of the sport.

Meanwhile GSP and Silva are

People who don't even watch UFC or didn't start watching until recently know who they are

Fedor is that guy that was awesome before MMA was mainstream

 

[Thepaintbucket]

At one point in time Fedor was God like to everybody. He was admired by fans and respected by fighters alike. If time is a metric of greatness, it's been 16-17 years since he was at his peak and here we are talking about him.

The video of GSP bending the knee to Fedor says it all. So many past champions have held Fedor in high regards. He's the type of a fighter who embodies everything about this sport

 

[ALAN PARTRIDGE]

We don't actually think GSP is a "household name" do we? There are only two of those associated with the UFC, Conor and Ronda. 3 if you count Rogan.

I think most people have forgotten Ronda now, so just Conor and Joe

 

[Copper Burner]

Not sure what your saying but maybe English is not your first language.

Fedor was big while Pride was. Pride was never as big globally as UFC was shortly after Pride folded.

In hardcore MMA circles Fedor is iconic but he's by no means transcendent of the sport.

Meanwhile GSP and Silva are

People who don't even watch UFC or didn't start watching until recently know who they are

Fedor is that guy that was awesome before MMA was mainstream

 

[TheNinja]

Not sure what your saying but maybe English is not your first language.

Fedor was big while Pride was. Pride was never as big globally as UFC was shortly after Pride folded.

In hardcore MMA circles Fedor is iconic but he's by no means transcendent of the sport.

Meanwhile GSP and Silva are

People who don't even watch UFC or didn't start watching until recently know who they are

Fedor is that guy that was awesome before MMA was mainstream

This. Fedor is easily the most iconic among fight fans. GSP is the most iconic among general public. Maybe Conor unfortunately.

 

[Frank Kain]

90% of the people in here that say they saw a Pride FC card in real time.. Are lying.

Then when you ask. Who is the most “Iconic”?

Straight up..

The ENTIRE MMA community knows that GSP is/was the best mma fighter ever.

Nobody cared about Pride, SF, or WEC until Zuffa bought them all out.

If you did not actually fight in the UFC. Then your legacy isn’t worth a damn.

I-C-O-N-I-C.

By definition.. Does that not answer the question of who moved the sport forward, more?

Edit.
Autocorrect

You always sound pissed. How are old are you, if I may ask? Because you sound as old as this guy:

 

[Frank Kain]

I have two buddies that are die hard Tito fans and i still troll them IRL to this day. lol I just sent my buddy that documentary about Lee Murray KOing Tito in the streets of London just for a laugh. Anywhoo One of them went to Vegas for the Tito vs Bader card and when Tito won he just texted "Tito" all the way from Vegas. It was the best day of his life so he got his little moment in on me. lol

My wife is a Tito fan. It delights me to no end showing her what dummy he is / Sherdog threads.

 

[Fedorgasm]

Fedor by far

1. Fedor finished a ton of opponents, while GSP tended to win by decision.

2. Fedor's fights were always exciting. GSP had a lot of boring lay 'n pray wins.

3. Fedor would take risks. GSP always played it safe.

4. Fedor's worst opponent was Zuluzhino, who he crushed. GSP's worst opponent was Serra, who TKO'd him, took his belt, and sent him to a sports psychologist.

5. Fedor would beat people at their own game, like jumping into Nog's guard, fighting Cro-Cop on his feet, getting pinned under Coleman, boxing with Arlovski, etc... GSP always tried to take the fight to where he was comfortable.

6. Fedor was HW, GSP was WW. And whether it's fair or not, the best HW is always held in higher regard than the best of the smaller weight classes.

7. Fedor was small for his division. GSP was big for his division, but he was good at dehydrating for the weigh-in.

8. Fedor was undefeated until he was 34 years old and had over 30 fights. GSP lost twice when he was still in his prime. In his 8th and 15th fights.

9. The worst cheating Fedor's been accused of is fighting in a league that allowed steroids, which means that even if he did use them then he had no advantage because everyone else was using them too. (Side note, there's nobody that's even ever seen or heard of him using roids).

The worst cheating GSP had been accused of was having Vaseline rubbed on his upper body to make him more slippery and less susceptible BJJ techniques. To which he basically admitted doing, but just denied it was with the intent to cheat. The rules had to be changed to prevent future greasing incidents.

10. Fedor kept fighting past his prime. Win or lose. Legacy be damned. He just liked fighting.

GSP retired in his prime after barely squeezing by a decision over Hendricks in a fight that many believe he lost. It seems clear that he got out to avoid risking more losses. Coming out of retirement to take advantage of a disadvantaged belt holder doesn't change that.

 

[cburm]

Fedor nobody would even want to see a gsp fight back then hows this a question because of his stats??

 

[kenetics]

Enough said.

 

[JarlSkuld]

Among these two, I'd vote for GSP. It's interesting how people reflect on them as one left the game too early and one stayed (waaaaaaayyyy) too late.

Jarl

 

[Fox by the Sea]

makes sense Fedor won.

 

[Royce's Gi]

Voted Fedor but wouldn't be mad if GSP won

 

[Sweater of AV]

Not surprising the GOAT is now officially the greatest icon in human history.

A truly unbelievable human being.

 

[MRT]

Either is a good choice...icons of their respective eras in MMA.

I think there is positive connotation to 'iconic'...there are elements of reverence, respect, admiration, etc. that go beyond mere popularity and influence, hence why certain others may not fit the bill as well as these two.

 

[Royce's Gi]

Not surprising the GOAT is now officially the greatest icon in human history.

A truly unbelievable human being.

This

A great human being that doesn't get a temper tantrum seeing people kiss in public

No ambush and headstomping on public kissers, no fondling with dog privates, no pearl necklaces, no pink hair

Just a great human being that once cared "too much" for his younger brother

 

[HHJ]

We were very lucky to have both of them

 

[Sweater of AV]

This

A great human being that doesn't get a temper tantrum seeing people kiss in public

No ambush and headstomping on public kissers, no fondling with dog privates, no pearl necklaces, no pink hair

Just a great human being that once cared "too much" for his younger brother

Indeed. Truly great and secure human beings are not afflicted by the issues that simple people face in their lives.