It has been close to four years since the purchase of pride and in those four years the MMA landscape has changed. The once booming Japanese MMA scene is now struggling to stay afloat. Organizations who promised to revolutionize the industry have closed up shop, stripped of parts to improve the Zuffa machine. We've seen a Natural, an Iceman, and an Axe murderer be beaten by the new breed. And we're witness the fall of the Last Emperor. There was a time when Fedor was bar none the greatest fighter in the world. Collecting a trophy case of scalps from some of the all time greats, he was considered the pinnacle of MMA skill.
However, in those four short years, we've witnessed a fighter who was no longer challenging himself against the world's best. Instead, he chose to fight against Matt Lindland and Hong Man Choi. He turned down an offer from the UFC and instead set his sights on Affliction. He'd fight against a capable yet declining Tim Slyvia, then ranked #8 in the world and earn a very fast victory. He'd win the coveted WAMMA belt, an organization hoping to become a governing body in MMA. Because they were one of the promoters, they were able to skew rankings to make his fight with Andrei Arlovski appear to be the two best heavyweights in the world clashing for the most significant belt in the world.
He was picked apart until Arlovski inexplicably attempted a flying knee which resulted in a spectacular finish. However, it didn't maintain Fedor's foothold at the top of the division. His decline in competition over the years saw a new crop of heavyweights establish themselves in the UFC's Heavyweight division. Again, the UFC would make a play for Emelianenko and again he would turn down the contract, one rumored to be the highest paying in the history of MMA. He'd sign an agreement with Strikeforce and continuously was sold as the top fighter, in spite of the fact that the best competed elsewhere.
It was during his tenure with Strikeforce that his decline truly became apparent. During his career in Japan, he had created an aura of invincibility because of his incomparable fight IQ. Instead in Strikeforce, we saw a fighter who was getting hit by Brett Rogers. Yes, the fight ended in victory for Emelianenko but it would be the first taste of his declining skill set. A bout with Alistair Overeem never came to fruition due to posturing on the part of M-1 Global made demands of an governing body which were viewed by all as extremely arrogant. He'd sit sidelined and would face Fabricio Werdum. The fight lasted just over a minute and Emelianenko had tappped to a triangle choke. Here was a man who sat in the most feared guard in MMA to win the PRIDE Heavyweight belt, tapping to an unheralded Werdum.
His last bout showed a man who looked visibly defeated. Yes, he was beaten by a much larger fighter, but that's what he built his career on. He looked tired and broken standing in the middle of the cage. A man who no longer had the fighting spirit to put on even the most basic displays of dominance. Tonight we're expected to believe that the man who spoke of retirement has mentally recovered from his bout against Antonio Silva. He faces Dan Henderson, another of his aging contemporaries in a bout that could determine just how tarnished his legacy has become. Either way, tonight will be the final time that the Last Emperor fights in Strikeforce.