what people forget about fedors legacy

[GordonMMARamsey]

Fedor is the only reason I have a cat.

 

[World eater]

You're from Croatia sir?

Mirko years must've been amazing there, yea?

Also, you know I still love ya, you whore lol

It was great, yes. People obsess over wins and losses today, back then it didn’t matter much. However, when the fight with Fedor actually happened, the stakes were so high that it mattered a great deal, even to randoms who never watched combat sports. I remember in the 2003-2005 period we were training kickboxing and sparring all the time. Then we realized none of us (3 or 4) knew a thing about wrestling. So we brought in a guy who was a karate black belt and judoka to teach us to be better at “mma stuff”. It was a comedy. We wrestled on wooden floors, limped home scraped and bleeding, but it was fun times. After Mirko’s loss to Fedor it kinda all went south. The enthusiasm level dropped.

 

[World eater]

It's like seeing an old adversary from the other side of the conflict.

Indeed. In some old interview for TV after his loss to Fedor, Mirko spoke of the Minotauro and Fedor fights and called those guys true martial artists and how highly he regards them, put it all in a better perspective. But I kinda lost interest in all combat sports for years after that. Believe me or not, but I never saw Mirko’s UFC fights until years later on the internet. Everyone was so emotionally invested that afterwards mma just didn’t matter at all for a while.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

I used to think this years ago before I put any thought into it. While he would have been very popular among them, Dagestan was elite at combat sports prior to Fedor, and are elite at sports combat sports Fedor has nothing to do with.

So even though I'm sure he was a big deal for many of them since he is bad ass and Russian, they would have gotten into MMA regardless. If Fedor never existed there would still be Khabib.

You're greatly overlooking the athletic infrastructure of that region.

 

[HHJ]

Indeed. In some old interview for TV after his loss to Fedor, Mirko spoke of the Minotauro and Fedor fights and called those guys true martial artists and how highly he regards them, put it all in a better perspective. But I kinda lost interest in all combat sports for years after that. Believe me or not, but I never saw Mirko’s UFC fights until years later on the internet. Everyone was so emotionally invested that afterwards mma just didn’t matter at all for a while.

I dont know how I would have reacted if Mirko dominated Fedor the other way around.

 

[HHJ]

I used to think this, but it doesn't make that much sense. While he would have been very popular among them, Dagestan was elite at combat sports prior to Fedor, and are elite at sports combat sports Fedor has nothing to do with.

So even though I'm sure he was a big inspiration for many of them, they would have gotten into MMA regardless. If Fedor never existed there would still be Khabib.

Khabib said the difference (for the Dagestanis) was there were managers willing to help them. There was this guy in New Jersey who brought Khabib and a few other guys to live and train there, and had a coach who would help them make the transition to MMA.

So it was going to happen regardless, I believe...but Fedor's example and influence was obviously on every russian mma fighter's mind.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Khabib said the difference (for the Dagestanis) was there were managers willing to help them. There was this guy in New Jersey who brought Khabib and a few other guys to live and train there, and had a coach who would help them make the transition to MMA.

So it was going to happen regardless, I believe...but Fedor's example and influence was obviously on every russian mma fighter's mind.

Yes, they were going to start fighting regardless. MMA was getting big globally and that was independent of Fedor.

Fedor and Khabib have very little to do with each other, despite them both being Sambo bad asses. They were popular in different markets, different demographics, pushed by different promotions (other than some brief stuff with M1).

Speaks to the size of Russia, but I think people have a hard time seeing how large that place is.

 

[StonedLemur]

It was great, yes. People obsess over wins and losses today, back then it didn’t matter much. However, when the fight with Fedor actually happened, the stakes were so high that it mattered a great deal, even to randoms who never watched combat sports. I remember in the 2003-2005 period we were training kickboxing and sparring all the time. Then we realized none of us (3 or 4) knew a thing about wrestling. So we brought in a guy who was a karate black belt and judoka to teach us to be better at “mma stuff”. It was a comedy. We wrestled on wooden floors, limped home scraped and bleeding, but it was fun times. After Mirko’s loss to Fedor it kinda all went south. The enthusiasm level dropped.

I grew up watching boxing, Muay Thai, then it was Pancrase, then MMA.
I wrestled growing up and always wanted to fight, but my life took a fucked up turn due to my own bad choices and there wasn't any MMA gyms around at the time.

By the time the Fedor vs Crocop happened I was so sure that Fedor would just take him down and smash him, but Fedor had other plans.
That fight made me realize that learning never really stops and even the baddest mothafucka out there was still learning.

Crocop was dangerous, and I was on the edge of my seat...and have been since 1992 with the first Pancrase match I seen.

Crocop learned TDD and I knew from experience that he put in serious work to do so.
Always loved that dude and he should be an example to every striker that thinks they don't need good TDD.... Chuck as well tbh.

 

[HHJ]

Yes, they were going to start fighting regardless. MMA was getting big globally and that was independent of Fedor.

Fedor and Khabib have very little to do with each other, despite them both being Sambo bad asses. They were popular in different markets, different demographics, pushed by different promotions (other than some brief stuff with M1).

Speaks to the size of Russia, but I think people have a hard time seeing how large that place is.

Bazigit Ataev was a Dagestani in Pride like two decades ago lol...

Still there is alot of mutual respect both when Khabib was coming up and now. Anyone who competed in Sambo holds Fedor in very high regard, and thats not even going into the MMA 10 yr dominance.

 

[HHJ]

Crocop learned TDD and I knew from experience that he put in serious work to do so.
Always loved that dude and he should be an example to every striker that thinks they don't need good TDD.... Chuck as well tbh.

Chuck was already a collegiate wrestler before he fought in MMA.

But the most notable thing about his defense was his ability to just stand up when he did get taken down.

"As soon as my butt hits the mat, I just get up"

Obviously that aint gonna work with beast wrestlers like Couture, Arona etc, but it was remarkable how often he did that.

 

[Hog-train]

Fedor had the fastest hands at HW ever.

 

[StonedLemur]

Chuck was already a collegiate wrestler before he fought in MMA.

But the most notable thing about his defense was his ability to just stand up when he did get taken down.

"As soon as my butt hits the mat, I just get up"

Obviously that aint gonna work with beast wrestlers like Couture, Arona etc, but it was remarkable how often he did that.

Aldo had that same mentality about his ass hitting the ground and somehow using that bounce to get the fuck up and out.

Actually I should've used Aldo as the example instead of Chuck because Chuck actually wrestled, but that doesn't negate the work Chuck put in.

 

[HHJ]

Aldo had that same mentality about his ass hitting the ground and somehow using that bounce to get the fuck up and out.

Actually I should've used Aldo as the example instead of Chuck because Chuck actually wrestled, but that doesn't negate the work Chuck put in.

Aldo was just the complete and total package for anti-wrestling, or wrestling defense.

 

[StonedLemur]

Aldo was just the complete and total package for anti-wrestling, or wrestling defense.

Through a lot of hard work though, its not like he came outta his momma with incredible TDD sir lol

 

[BJJ4Tone]

Yes, Dana is hard to deal with as he insisted on keeping billions of dollars for himself and the investors and away from the fighters.

Most fighters took it in the ass. Some didn't. So they got along fine without bending over for Dana.

I think we can all agree Dana sucks... At least hopefully.

UFC might be WORTH the most it's ever been worth right now, but it was inarguably at its best under the Fertittas.

 

[L0ki]

I think there was a disconnect because of the latency between the end of Shodo's career and Kabob taking off.

It was long enough that an association wasn't made but he influenced all these current crops of Russian fighters.

 

[TheBulge]

I will give him that. You know this Christian man is respected when even the neckbeards admire him.