Let's talk about all things Fedor! For me, he is the greatest fighter to ever enter combat sports. He never once had what I'd class as a "world class" camp. Sure, he had great sparring partners (Sergei, Spong etc), but the man trained in rundown gyms, school playgrounds, in the woods, and with his old Sambo coaches! Can you imagine Fedor training at Tristar & Jacksons? World class sparring partners by the dozen? The correct nutrition and S&C? Jesus... His fights were truly something special, as was his demeanour. Stoic, emotionless, ready to kill... a true fighting machine. So, with that said, what are you favourite fights/memories of his? I think his demolition-job of Herring was a game-changing performance for HW's. That was the new breed of HW. Well rounded in every area and then some. Watch the G&P in that fight - it is genuinely scary. you feel for Heath, because you can feel those punches. They make you squirm! His fight against Mirko was legendary. NOBODY outstruck Mirko like that back then. And SUPERMAN PUNCHING through Nog's guard (which was scary AF) and then using his head as a speedball was mind-blowing. I always thought that the whole "Fedor is fat!" thing was overblown. He was a f*cking tank of a man. So thick & strong. He wasn't a true HW, just a big CW/LHW. I also don't think that there was a HW alive in MMA that would have beaten him on his best day.
The greatest fighter of all time imo. Prime Fedor beats everyone. He was a beast wherever the fight went. He was also a true class act as a person.
True. Fedor really impressed me as a person. A joker of sorts (see him & Mousasi on Youtube) but Fedor was humble and all about his family.
I think his true strength was what they call 'intangibles'. Guys that are born into real poverty have it, and from what I understand he had a really rough time growing up. It's mental strength. It's fear. Fear of going back to the desperate days of hunger, cabbage soup and no hope. Guys like that who see a ray of hope before them will break down walls to never go back to that. Marciano is another guy that had this quality. You have to beat them to death to stop them.
I agree with every word, quite clearly for me the best Heavyweight there has ever been. The talent pool in Pride was off the chart, they were all monsters, all pushing each other to another level the comp was that tight and healthy, Fedor was Fedor though, everyone acknowledged him as the best, fans and opponents.
It's too bad we never got a chance to see him lock horns with Josh Barnett, whether in Pride or in the ill-fated Affliction event. A win by Fedor would have been further validation of Fedor's dominance over UFC heavyweights.
