Fight Magazine - Australia - April - May _

TOP 5

WHO: FEDOR EMELIANENKO

WHERE: RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION – JAPAN

For most fans this is THE

fight to make. In its debut

show back in December 2015, Rizin

filled a void that has been left in

Japanese mixed martial arts since

Zuffa purchased PRIDE in 2007. Rizin

showed the world what it was missing

with intriguing bouts, showcase

performances and a little bit of light

entertainment all mixed in to create a

memorable debut for the promotion

that is led by former PRIDE owner

Nobuyuki Sakakibara.

Fedor Emelianenko made his

highly anticipated return to

competing in mixed martial arts

when he despatched of Singh

Jaideep in the first round of their

fight. The question has been asked

since that night as to who ‘The

Last Emperor’ will fight next.

When Silva and Emelianenko were

both fighting for PRIDE in the

promotion’s glory days, both fighters

were seen as superstars amongst

Japanese mixed martial arts. The

two fought in some of the biggest

events in the company’s history.

Rizin will spare no expense to sign

Silva to their roster, there is no doubt

about that. It’s unlikely that Silva

would jump right into a bout with

Emelianenko once signed, though.

It is highly likely he’d have a warm-

up match first, but the thought of

these two Japanese MMA legends

locking horns is enough to make any

fan salivate — even if they aren’t

considered amongst the pound-for-

pound best discussions like they were

so many years ago.

Whether it’s at catchweight, at

heavyweight or at some kind of magical

nostalgia-weight, this is the fight that

needs to happen. When both men were

fighting in PRIDE, they were considered

the best of the best. Emelianenko never

lost a fight in the PRIDE ring and Silva

only lost three times in his storied career

in Japan. If the two met they would

certainly blow the roof off whatever

arena Sakakibara packed them into.

Who would win? It’s a cliché, but, the

fans would. You would. Mixed martial

arts would. It may be seen as a fight that

many old-school fans wished took place

in the prime of both fighter’s careers,

but to see it play out so many years later

would still be a treat.

CONNECT WITH US

FightAustralia fightaustralia

WHY:

50 | FIGHT AUSTRALIA fightaustralia.com.au