"Russian Emelianenko brings big reputation to the States
By Beau Dure, USA TODAY
Drop him on his head. Knock open a nasty gash on his face. Fedor Emelianenko hardly even blinks. The consensus No. 1 heavyweight in mixed martial arts shrugs it off and conquers his opponents.
Conquering the American marketplace is much more of a challenge. He'll try July 19 as the star attraction on the debut card of Affliction, a clothing company taking a shot at MMA promotion, in Anaheim, Calif.
The burly Russian — a fan of action movies, Bruce Willis and Sting — wants to break through in the USA.
"I have a great desire to have the American fans know who I am and hopefully be just as popular in America as I am in Asia," he said Wednesday via a translator while commuting on a train in Russia.
MMA BLOG: Don't take Sylvia, Rizzo lightly
Within the MMA community, Emelianenko has single-name status, like Kobe or Tiger in their sports. Affliction bills the bout against Tim Sylvia as "Fedor vs. Sylvia."
"I give him the respect and say he's No. 1," says Ben Rothwell, another heavyweight on the Affliction card. "I'll keep giving him that until anyone can prove otherwise."
Emelianenko (27-1), whose sole loss is considered a technicality that he decisively avenged, built that reputation with dramatic wins on Japan's now-extinct PRIDE circuit.
In 2004, Kevin Randleman lifted him for a slam. Emelianenko's head took the brunt. Stunned for just a moment, he flipped himself on top, then started to hammer Randleman's head. When Randleman released his grip to deflect the blows, Emelianenko grabbed his arm for a good wrench, forcing Randleman to submit.
YOUTUBE: Randleman suplexes Emelianenko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR1Ne7-f8zk
But few Americans had a chance to follow Emelianenko's fights, and as PRIDE fell apart, he ran out of opponents. "He has spent a significant amount of equity (with fans)," says Washington, D.C.-based radio host Luke Thomas, an MMA journalist at WJFK-FM.
"He's stayed out of the limelight so long," says Brandon Vera, who fights on an Ultimate Fighting Championship card the same night as Affliction's debut. "MMA fans are fickle."
Emelianenko's visibility has been limited by his standoff with UFC, the most recognized MMA promotion standing in the wake of PRIDE's demise. One of the reasons we chose not to work with UFC is out of principle," Emelianenko says. "The negotiations weren't very pleasant. They didn't present themselves very nicely. They said 'Take or leave it, and you'll probably come crawling back to us anyway.' "
"This whole urban legend thing has happened with Fedor with some of the hard-core fans," UFC President Dana White told USA TODAY earlier this year. "He hasn't fought anybody real or beaten anybody real since 2005."
Affliction gives Emelianenko a chance to answer critics and skeptics. Thomas is curious to see if he has kept up with the fast-evolving sport. "A loss here would do significant damage to his legacy," Thomas says. "He absolutely has some questions to answer."
Vera wants to see Emelianenko, too. "If the Fedor of old is still here, it'll be a matter of days before the whole world knows who he is again."
From:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/2...09-fedor_N.htm
The pub for this event is starting to heat up. I can't wait for this event.
Russian Emelianenko brings big reputation to the States
Linear Mode
