MMA Mailbag #1: Fedor, Arlovski, And Penn/Fitch Winner

Added on Feb 18, 2011 by John Petit in

UFC & MMA

I asked for some questions on Twitter, ( www.twitter.com/scream13 ), and I got a pretty good response. So please forward me your questions there in the future, and I will try and make this a regular column. Here is MMA Mailbag number 1 for your reading pleasure.

Q: Will Fedor Emelianenko fight again? Are they going to put him back in the Heavyweight Grand Prix?

After I watched his fight against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, and Fedor started talking about retiring, I really thought he was done. I was also upset that Gus Johnson could be the last person to talk to him in the cage. The Fedor we saw in that fight wasn’t the fighter we are used to seeing. He looked defeated after the takedown at the beginning of the second round, and I have never seen him react the way he did. There is more then one way to get out of full mount, and it seemed like Fedor only knew the buck and roll escape. That will never do against a 280lbs Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.

To get to your question, yes, we will see Fedor fight again. According to his management and Strikeforce co-promoters M-1 Global, we will know a date and an opponent in the next few weeks. Many have speculated that he will face the loser of Alistair Overeem and Febricio Werdum. This is likely to happen if they don’t need an alternate. However, Strikeforce will try to get him in the tournament any way that they can. I only say this because they have aspirations of doing a pay per view this year, and I don’t see it being successful without Fedor in the Tournament.

Q: Do you think Andrei Arlovski should continue to fight since he has been knocked out in his last four fights?

Firstly, while Arlovski has dropped his last four fight, Antonio Silva did not knock out Arlovski. Silva won by decision. Many people are under this misconception since the announcers from Strikeforce said it on the air during the broadcast.

This may sound like a flippant answer, but I am not a doctor, and if I was I wouldn’t speculate on someones health without reviewing the patient. That said, from an analyst point of view, I would say he should consider ending his career, but he should included a medical staff in his decision. The last two times he was knocked out were both pretty violent KO’s, and they weren’t flash KO’s. Both times he was out for a small chunk of time, and thats typically a bigger a symptom. As a fan of the Pittbull’s, I want what he wants. He knows the risks he is taking, and if he wants to continue to fight I will still be a fan of his. I would also hate to see him have long term injuries as he is such a nice guy.

Q: How do you feel about the winner of BJ Penn and Jon Fitch getting the next shot at the welter weight title?

The uproar of upset people when Dana White announced this kind of shocked me. Either way it sets up a rematch if GSP wins against Jake Shields, but I feel both fighters are deserving of the shot. Fitch has only lost once since 2003, and that was to GSP. BJ Penn just knocked out Matt Hughes in 21 seconds, and Hughes was probably a win away from a title shot himself. At the least he is a top ten opponent. BJ Penn rubbed some people the wrong way after his fight with GSP, and I think thats where a majority of the backlash is coming from. These people need to remember how good Jake Shields is before they start writing him off. Shields is good enough to beat any welterweight on any given day. Everyone thought Strikeforce was feeding him to the lions when they scheduled the Dan Henderson fight, and Jake proved a lot of people wrong.