Anderson Silva vs Fedor Emelianenko: P4P Revisited

Wow.

That is all I can say after Saturday's fights. We saw some impressive heavyweight tilts, and 2 of the greatest fighters on the planet showed why they are considered the best MMA has to offer. It took a combined total of one minute and thirty seven seconds for both Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko to utterly destroy their opponents.

Fedor was more than impressive in his 36 second destruction of a game and legit heavyweight in Tim Sylvia. Many thought Timmy had the stuff to land a big shot on Fedor and possibly put him out. Any who doubted Fedor's ability and position in the sport were silenced faster than they could say, "Fedor ain't that good," or "This ain't Japan." Fedor, with just absolute pinpoint accuracy, clobbered Sylvia with punches on the feet and floored him. After the fight hit the ground it was just a matter of time and Fedor locked up a choke and had Tim tapping quicker than his last fight. Fedor has re-cemented himself among the top of the heavyweight division without question.

James Irvin never saw it coming. All he new was that he threw a kick and woke up a few minutes later on the ground. Anderson Silva's wake of destruction is now spilling over into another weight division. I admit that I had some reservations about Anderson moving into the 205 pound division. I was unsure as to how well his power would translate to the marquee weight division in the UFC. I also questioned his chin at the new category. Well, he answered my first concern with an emphatic kaboom. Off of a defensive move where we saw Anderson catch a James Irvin leg kick, Anderson proceeded to return fire and throw a right hand that was the equivalent of a brick of C4 that landed square in Irvin's grill. With the punch, Irvin was all but unconscious and ate a few more "bites" from "the Spider" before referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to put an end to "the Sandman's" misery. As impressive as Fedor was, I don't think Anderson is going anywhere on the p4p list with the combo of his resume against top 10 fighters and a more than successful move up a weight class.

Fedor vs Anderson Silva.

I think it is safe to assume that Anderson could move anywhere between 185 and 220 pounds and get to the right weight in shape. So let's play a little "What if Dana was gone and the UFC could make the fights fans want to see." How would Anderson perform against Fedor at heavyweight? I know a lot of fans think he would not have a chance, but I would not put it past Silva to be able to hold his own in that fight. Fedor would not be able to do to Silva what he did to Sylvia. Anderson is too fast and his counter striking is a danger to Fedor. On the ground, I'd imagine Fedor has a slight advantage there as he has shown more of a proven ground game than Anderson has in his previous fights. However, Silva has shown that his BJJ is ever improving and his status as a black belt is becoming more legit with every foray onto the ground. In a straight up fist fight, I believe Anderson has the advantage. Although most thought that was the case when Fedor fought Cro Cop, but Silva is a different beast. His footwork is better than Cro Cop's and his hand speed is as fast if not faster than Fedor's. And I have to believe that if Fujita could rock Fedor, Anderson has enough power to possibly cork "The Last Emperor." If the fight hits the ground, I see Fedor being able to find a submission. Anderson has shown some weakness on the ground in getting caught, however, he has come a long way from being the recipient of a cartoon-like heel hook from Ryo Chonan. Maybe it is over simplistic of me to go with Anderson on the feet and Fedor on the ground, but based on watching their styles, I see this fight being that easy to call. Call me naive, but I call it how I see it.

I may rustle some tail feathers with this perspective and many may scoff at the thought, but I would pick Anderson in this fight. While Fedor would be the perennial favorite, as he should be, Silva has looked better every time he fights. His Improvement from just last year has been significant. With that being said, I can see Silva working his striking game and possibly catching Fedor (If Fujita can rock Fedor, Anderson sure as hell can). He would need to risk engaging Fedor though and trying to press the action. In the past, Fedor has been the aggressor and made his opponents react to his offense. Anderson would have to negate that and open up and fully engage Fedor and use his footwork to stay away from Fedor's wild swings. Make him back up and try to land solid shots on Fedor. Although should Fedor outstrike Silva and win by ko/tko, I would not be surprised at all. Outside of Randy Couture, Fedor game plans better than anyone in the game. Not a fight I would put money on, but seeing how good Silva has been, I would not put it past him to win against anyone, even Fedor.