My Favorite Fighter
My Favorite Fighter
He’s under sized. Listed at 6 foot and standing closer to 5’10, he’s under sized for the heavyweight division. Not only was he short, but he weighed in well under the 265 pound weight limit. He wasn’t jacked, he didn’t have a 6 pack. What he did have was a bit of a gut. He looked average. He could be your Dad or your neighbor. No way could he be a heavyweight
As a kid it’s fun to glorify the big guy. Professional wrestling made an entire business out of it. Andre the Giant, The Big show, The Undertaker are all larger than life characters that kids all over the world watch in amazement. They were never my favorites though. I liked the Rocky Balboa’s. I liked the little guy with heart. The guy that would give it literally everything he had even if it looked like everything was stacked against him. I liked to think that skill could overcome size. I found characters like Ninjas and Karate masters, like Mr. Miyagi, fascinating. They were never scared of the big bad guy in front of them. They were skilled and they knew it. They stood there, stone faced in front of the larger opposition. They weren’t scared despite the odds and neither was my favorite fighter.
He didn’t speak English. This is enough to turn some people away now, let alone 20 years ago. How could you market a fighter that doesn’t speak English? You will never get the Chael Sonnen or Conor McGregor sound bites. “Who Da Fuck is that guy”! But that wasn’t his style anyways. My favorite fighter was a stoic. He walked to the cage with no emotion at all. He stared through his opponents in a way that was more intimidating than any scowl. He looked bored. His body language wasn’t of someone who was about to get in a fist fight. It looked like he just rolled out of bed. He didn’t need to psych himself up for a fight, but his opponents did and that’s where he got his edge. He took this mental edge into every fight. He spoke more with his eyes than Chael or Conor ever could with a mic.
He never fought in the UFC. What?! All the best fighters are in the UFC. He was Dana Whites white whale. He was never willing to bend the knee. He was never willing to sign a contract he didn’t agree with. He knew his worth and he was a man of principal. While the UFC heavyweight division was playing musical chairs with Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, Andre Arlovski, Randy Couture, Big Nog and Brock Lesnar, he remained undefeated. Not only was he undefeated, but he was fighting 4 to 5 times a year against arguably better competition. His record looks more impressive now. We now know who was just hype and who was the real deal. He may not have ever fought in the UFC, but he fought the best.
He fought past his prime. He’s tasted defeat on the biggest stages. He’s lost to fighters who would have had no business ever being in the ring with him in his prime. He was never a sore loser. He was as humble in defeat as he was in his wins. He always showed respect to his opponents and even more impressively, he never lost faith in himself. He never thought of himself as the best ever. He treats this as much more than a sport. It’s a way of life. He is a true martial artist. Learning in his victory’s and even more in defeat.
My favorite fighter is fighting for the final time on Saturday night. He’s 46 years old and is fighting for the Heavyweight Championship. You can guarantee he will come in undersized. His belly is even a little bigger than it used to be. He’s well past his prime, but he will make that walk to the cage the same as he always has. He will stand in front of the big bad guy and he won’t be afraid. Despite the odds, The Last Emperor, Fedor Emelianenko will fight and fans like me will be watching in awe of our favorite fighter one last time.