For years, Fedor Emelianenko has been touted as the undisputed heavyweight king of the world and one of the very best fighters pound-for-pound. Yet, in the wake of declining UFC’s prodigious contract and signing with Strikeforce, he has become a lightning rod of speculation and derision.

A legion of disgruntled MMA fans and of course, the thoroughly exasperated Dana White, have accused him of refusal to face the best competition available.

In short, Fedor has polarized the fighting community with his move to Strikeforce.

Cynics and detractors ridicule Fedor as nothing more than an overrated paper champion.  Citing his perceived avoidance of tough competition to coddle his legacy, they have called him a coward and “f***ing joke,” courtesy of Dana White.

On the other hand, many of his loyal followers counter that he is still among the very best fighter pound-for-pound and he does not have anything to prove by taking on the likes of Brock Lesnar in UFC. Behind the heated verbal spar between the two camps is a key issue that every debater implicitly seeks to address:  “How good is Fedor Emelianenko?”

Regardless of the accusation that Fedor is a coward or overrated, his achievement throughout his illustrious career cannot be diminished — having compiled a 30-1-1 record with the only loss coming via controversial stoppage, Fedor boasts a pedigree that is without a doubt unparalleled, especially compared to that of other fighters in the heavyweight division.

Having reigned as the undisputed heavyweight king of PRIDE and the MMA world, he has triumphed over the cream of the heavyweight crop, including Mirko Cro Cop and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice) in their prime.

For all his achievement, the scant number of bouts and the top level opponents he has faced since the dissolution of PRIDE feed his detractors’ arguments.

His last four opponents have been Matt Lindland, Hong Man Choi, Tim Sylvia, and Andre Arlovski.

While a highly regarded fighter, Lindland is a middleweight and suffered a considerable size disadvantage against Emelinanko.  Victories over Choi and Sylvia had not done much to validate his lofty status.  Arlovski was a consensus top ten heavyweight who seemingly had the tools to dethrone him:  One can only guess whether Arlovski could have picked Fedor apart had he not suffered a mental lapse in the fight.

The relative inactivity and the less-than-stellar quality of opponents he has faced in the past two years are legitimate grounds for doubting the effusive praise he receives.

Granted, the evaluation of a fighter is often swayed by the mercurial disposition of the MMA fans.  The “what-have-you-done-recently” mentality of the fans shift their opinions on fighters after one or two fights.

Anderson Silva, for example, faced a storm of criticism and ridicule after his anemic performance against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites — for many easily jaded fans, the feared P4P king had turned into a coward who cannot finish clearly overmatched opponents.  Then, he restored the tide of public opinion in his favor by venturing to light heavyweight and making Forrest Griffin look like a toddler.

In Fedor’s case, his dominance in PRIDE and achievements throughout his career still wield considerable influence in placing him atop the heavyweight and perhaps pound-for-pound hierarchy; however, the further his glory days in PRIDE recede into the past, the more people will question whether he is still the same indomitable fighter he once was.

In this regard, the perceived weakness of Strikeforce’s heavyweight division does not help to bolster his reputation.  Considering that MMA world undergoes periods of flux on a regular basis, until he tests himself against a top-ranked opposition, no one can know for sure whether he is still as dominant as he was in PRIDE.

Elsewhere, some critics have made their case on a technical ground.

Throughout his career, he has struck fear into his opponents with his ferocious ground-and-pound, extraordinary physical strength on par with any heavyweight, and fluid grappling.  Moreover, his prowess across the board is accentuated by the fluidity with which he transitions from one realm of fighting to another.

As complete as his MMA arsenal is, Fedor is not without visible flaws.

He has never been the most technical striker, as lacks head movement and lateral mobility in  his stand-up.

He possesses a granite chin, anvil of a fist, and uncanny quickness in charging forward to unleash his power shot.  For all his forward momentum, however, he lacks the versatility and nimble footwork of more accomplished strikers.

If Andre Arlovski accomplished anything in the short duration of the bout at Affliction:  Day of Reckoning, he has shown that a striker with sound techniques can frustrate and perhaps defeat Fedor.

His technical lapses in striking, particularly in terms of defense, has made him susceptible to absorbing punishment from his opponents.  Notably, Kazuyuki Fujita and Mirko Cro Cop have managed to inflict visible damage on him during their PRIDE bouts.

Fedor’s cast-iron chin and unflappability in the face of adversity have helped him weather power shots en route to victories.

With over 30 fights in his career, however, even the heavyweight king of the world is bound to experience the toll of the cumulative wear and tear.  The willingness to “take one to give one” makes him increasingly vulnerable in a division stacked with heavy hitters, as he approaches his mid-30s.

He has yet to display a sign of deterioration in his chin, and only time will tell whether and when he will fall prey to powerful strikes.

Also, thanks to Mo Lawal, another potential chink in the Last Emperor’s armor has been brought to attention.

In his interview with ESPN’s MMA Live in the wake of Josh Barnett’s withdrawal from the headlining bout with Fedor in Affliction:  Trilogy, Lawal contended that Fedor has mostly fought opponents who are larger but slower than himself throughout his career.

He claimed that a smaller, explosive, and dynamic fighters like himself and Vitor Belfort would give Fedor all he can handle — certainly an interesting opinion even though its validity needs to be established.

Given a synopsis of Emelianenko’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the accomplishment as a fighter, how does one give him a fair rating as a fighter?

In the end, wading through a sea of opinions to come to an objective verdict on Fedor Emelianenko, or on any fighter for that matter, becomes an endless task.

In the case of Fedor, the task involves two complicating factors.  His reputation is largely founded on his undefeated run in PRIDE that cemented him as the undisputed heavyweight and pound-for-pound king.  On the other hand, the scant number of bouts he has had against less-than-stellar opposition since the demise of PRIDE gives rise to questions about his current fighter merit and rank in the MMA world.

The only way for the MMA world to come anywhere close to settling the debate is to see him fight a legitimate, top-ranked opponent — be it Brock Lesnar or otherwise.

In Strikeforce, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, and Brett Rogers pose decent challenge to him but victories over them likely will not make a convincing case of his reputed number-one status.

Perhaps he is still the formidable heavyweight king of the world, as his fans claim; however, until he fights the best opponents the heavyweight division offers, no one will know for sure.

Regardless of how he performs against top level opposition in future, his extraordinary achievement thus far in his career will remain intact.  No matter how much his detractors try to denigrate him, his legacy in PRIDE will speak for itself.

More importantly, though, the fight will give an up-to-date look on his ability and place in the MMA world:  Is he still the same, seemingly invincible fighter, or have other fighters caught up with him in the heavyweight or pound-for-pound hierarchy?  Maybe then the MMA world can put aside the speculations and flesh out the “how good is Fedor?” debate.

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