The Sprawl 6.26.09: Volume 27 - Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Josh Barnett

Posted by Alex Mattis on 06.26.2009

"The Last Emperor" will put his legacy on the line against a former UFC champion, in what will arguably be the most epic and important heavyweight fight of the year. Come inside for a closer look!

Hello all and welcome back to "The Wednesday Sprawl!" Hope all is well with everyone. Well we're fresh off the heels of the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale. Holy balls, was that main event spectacular or what? It was a great card that left me more satisfied than UFC 99. Anywhoo onto this week... Last week I did my mid-year report, discussing the happenings of '09 thus far. Amazingly enough, the best is yet to come. The next 6 months in MMA promise to be excellent. While I'm greatly anticipating UFC 100 and its title fights, as jakked as I am for Silva-Griffin, as epic as Nog-Couture could be, one fight this summer has grabbed my attention more than any other. August 1st will be the night of arguably the biggest fight of the year. On August 1st Fedor Emelianenko will step back into the ring and battle Josh Barnett. Finally... LET'S GET DOWN TO IT!!!

The greatest human being to ever step into any combat sport is Fedor Emelianenko. Very few people not named Dana White would try to argue that. Fedor has built a legacy for himself that no one else in MMA has come close to, and it may be awhile before someone does. This man of mystery is widely considered to be the most feared man on the planet and rightfully so. His last two fights are proof of how dominant he can be and how intelligent of a fighter he is. Now he has a chance to not only cement his #1 ranking but to also advance his legacy even more. This fight has been discussed for a great while and an impressive win for Fedor in this one will show his supremacy and truly show that he is the best in the world. We know he is going to show up ready, there aren't many questions to have about Fedor going into this fight. The real questions lay with Barnett.

Many have questioned Fedor's training techniques in preparation for this fight

On the other side of this colossal showdown is "The Baby Faced Assassin" Josh Barnett, one of the best heavyweights in the world for years now. The man who many thought peaked with his UFC title win has constantly been proving critics wrong. Barnett has fought any and everyone that has been put in front of him, earned his place in the division, and has shown that he is one of the most well-rounded heavyweights in the entire world. The biggest test of his career awaits him on August 1st. Barnett has battled the best but this is still a step up in competition. Josh is going to be fighting the best fighter in the world. This is his opportunity to solidify his spot in history as one best ever and as the man who beat Fedor. Many believe that he has what it takes to give Fedor some problems and possibly beat "The Last Emperor." Come the first of August we will all see if Josh can rise to the occasion and do what appears to be the impossible.

"Now now. I'll say goodbye, but don't you cry... I'll be back again someday."

The significance of this fight is enormous. At this point in the sport's short history we are getting huge fights and the best in each division are being paired against one another but I don't remember the last time a fight had been talked about for this long and not taken place. Realistically speaking, this fight has been dreamt about for four or five years. Really think about, this is the #1 heavyweight in the world fighting the #2. It's arguable that we got the same thing in the Arlovski-Fedor fight, but because Fedor reign has reeked of such sodimizing dominance it's been rare that we see him go against his clear-cut #1 contender thusly making this fight even more interesting. Tack on the fact that this is literally the biggest non-UFC MMA fight that can be had and we've got the biggest fight of the year. It certainly is my most anticipated.

Come fight night questions are going to be answered. What has the past taught us about both these fighters? Let's start with the challenger. Josh Barnett has always proven to be a crafty, well-rounded veteran who can find a way to win no matter where the fight goes. What he also posses is incredible heart, you can never count out "The Baby Faced Assassin." His title win over Randy Couture is proof of that. Barnett lost the first 8 minutes of a 9 minute fight. Everyone thought Randy had it in the bag but Barnett found an opening, didn't let up, and sealed the deal. That's always been Josh's shtick, leave one opening and he'll take full advantage of it. He is great at formulating gameplan's and adapting, just look at his fights with Nog. His run in Affliction has shown, keep in mind these were over sub-par fighters, that his striking is greatly improved and that he has great top-game. He won't want to roll with Fedor, but if he uses his improved striking with a well thought game-plan he could present something to Fedor. Most importantly, Josh is an intelligent fighter. You have never seen him take an unnecessary amount of punishment or ever put himself in harm's way. The problem here is that he has taken a fight against Fedor, putting himself directly in harm's way. Josh may be able, however, to use his mix of heart, skills, and brains to give Fedor some new challenges. Now on to the champion. Known all around the world simply by his first name. One of the most intimidating men to ever live. Fedor Emelianenko. The man has no weak point in a fight, anywhere it goes he has the advantage. One of his strongest points is his patience. Look to his fights with Cro Cop or Arlovski. Then again he can take you out faster than you can "Lemme tell you how you're feelin' right now" like he did with Sylvia and Zulu.

Whatever the case, we have got a fight for the ages on our hands. While you can never count out Barnett, he is going to have to summon something fierce to be able to dethrone "The Last Emperor." Two of the classiest men in the history of the sport are going to step in to the ring on August 1, 2009 and give us an incredible athletic contest.


The intensity leading into this fight is ridiculous

Well, that's all for me this week. I'll see you right back here next time.

Remember feedback, as always, is welcome at [e-mail] or directly below.

Take Care,
-Alex