Because watching the guy, it seems to me that he shouldn't be. He is not super conditioned and his stand-up game is full of holes. Yeah, he's got heavy hands and he's a beast on the ground, but you could say the same thing about a bunch of other guys. Explain.
He keeps a great pr essence of mind during adversary. He has great ground skills. And for the other part everything else is at least above average/pretty good. Therefore he has no real flaws as a fighter that others can exploit while he always finds a way to exploit his opponents weakness (keeping presence of mind is he key here)
Watching the guy, you should see that he should be. Fedor constantly finds a way to win. I think you may be confusing his lack of finesse with his greatness in efficiency. Mark Coleman, Minotauro Nogueira, and Mirko Cro Cop are three of the best fighters to fight in mma's heavyweight division. Coleman was a world class wrestler. Nogueira is a bjj blackbelt. Cro cop was a world class kick boxer. Fedor defeated all three. Fedor's striking is based on timing, accuracy, and getting into position to clinch. Fedor's striking style fits well into his arsenal. Fedor may not be as good as Nogueira from his back, but he was able to impose his top game on him. Against Coleman, Fedor was able to submit the man with the superior top game from the bottom. Fedor is good in all areas and takes an opponent that outmatches in one area into another.
power,speed,hard work,agression,timing,hip movement,submissions,strong chin,great recovery,super relaxed etc etc etc.
Yeah, man, Fedor isn't THAAAT great, I mean look at his defense, he's getting caught, he may be great on the ground but his opponent can outwork him while stan- OH ****ING LOOK AT THAT. A RIGHT HAND BY FEDOR! HOLY **** WOULD YA BELIEVE IT HE KNOCKED THE ****ING GUY OUT COLD! BOY GOLLY I'M SURE SOME GUY COULD PENETRATE THAT DEFENSE AND KNOCK HIM OUT WHILST AVOIDING THAT RIGHT HAND. Fedor is a ****ing beast, end of. He will probably be beaten eventually, but give him his dues, he's THAT ****ing good.
1. He always finds a way to win 2. His mental game is top notch (you can't rattle him with words) 3. He ignores pain 4. He has beaten the best. Some more than once 5. He is considered a small heavyweight that takes out beast 6. He uses your strenghts against you 7. He stays in shape (don't let his body fool you, he is in shape) 8. He is humble 9. He thinks before reacting 10. Superman owns a pair of Fedor Pajamas
Basically it started because he was really the only great Judoka with an elite guard; most just had a great top game and an average guard; that probably comes from Sambo requiring a better guard and better wrestling style takedowns. Then he devoloped the most brutal ground and pound game in the world, through a mixture of good posture and actrually practicing it on live partners. Also at this time he perfected his striking to get the takedown style. Now he has devloped a striking game good enough to win fights on it's own.
The question you should be asking yourself is "how" did i formulate that opinion after watching less than a handful of fights.
Listen , he may not look in shape like a wlad klitschko or david haye...but he's a monster... His fight against Nogueira( (the one from 2003 when he was still in his prime) should give you an idea why he's the goat of this sport....the most powerful groud & pound , the best gameplans (he doesn't come with a prepared gameplan , he changes them in real time...he's a tactical genius) , phenomenal submission defense , amazing work rate , fantastic balance on the ground , excellent reverses , top notch stamina... Or to give you an idea of how devastating he is for his size , watch Lesnar vs Herring than compare it with fedor vs herring ..
Durable, heavyhanded, his stand up is terrible but awkward and enough to get him by, his grappling is simply sublime to say the least and not lastly he is will find an answer to EVERY GOD DAMN MOTHER ****ING THING!
