Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski
The main event of the evening is a hotly anticipated showdown between two of the top Heavyweights in the world. Fedor Emelianenko, former RINGS Champion and PRIDE Champion and current WAMMA Heavyweight Champion will attempt to defend his #1 Heavyweight title against former UFC Champion Andrei “The Pit Bull” Arlovski. Odds are Fedor -400 / Arlovski +300 currently.
Arlovski made a name for himself knocking people’s heads off inside the Octagon. UFC could almost release a Knockouts DVD with nothing but Arlovski fights on it. After dropping two of three against Tim Sylvia, though, Arlovski seemed to lose some of his focus, turning in a series of lethargic and underwhelming performances which led to his parting ways with the company. Since his split with UFC, he has looked like the fighter who stormed through the heavyweight ranks, showing aggressive standup, lethal accuracy, and overwhelming knockout power.
Even so, a few questions still remain about Arlovski. Against Roy Nelson his standup looked superb, but he was getting easily controlled on the ground before a questionable standup. The biggest question, though, is his chin. Arlovski can dish out punishment with the best of them, but his ability to take that punishment has been called into question multiple times.
Fedor Emelianenko is, without question, the #1 heavyweight fighter in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Fedor has fought many of the top heavyweights in the world and still sports a record unblemished outside of a freak cut loss from an illegal elbow. It is hard to point out the biggest strengths in Fedor’s game because he is ridiculously well rounded and continually defies expectations. Against Mirko Cro Cop and Tim Sylvia, fight pundits expected Emelianenko to use his grappling abilities, which are unmatched in the Heavyweight Division, but he confounded them by handily defeating both in the standup.
Against world-class wrestlers Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman, Fedor proved his versatility by easily submitting both.What it comes down to, in the end, is that Andrei Arlovski is a great fighter and Fedor is a legend. He is just a better fighter in every regard. I expect him to frustrate Arlovski for a while on the feet with his awkward but effective boxing, but in the end I see this one going to the ground. Fedor has a good chin, but there is no point standing in front of Andrei Arlovski if you can avoid it, which Fedor certainly can.
Fedor by submission, round 2.
