• View topic - Brock Lesnar: Surpassing Fedor’s Legacy in Three Easy Steps

"Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes. What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If you succeed a great man, you will have to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making."

Fedor Emelianenko, has been considered by many (but not all) as being the best heavyweight fighter in the world for the last eight years (and yet, most people I talk to have never even heard of him).

Several mixed-martial arts publications and websites currently rank Fedor as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and many analysts, as well as former and current fighters, consider Fedor to be the greatest mixed-martial artist of all time (sorry...but that honour goes to Bruce Lee ).

Rumour has it even that Fedor once stubbed his big toe and wiped out the entire country of Kazakhstan in the process.

Oh wait...that was Chuck Norris .

My bad.

Either way, whether it’s just perception (which is nine-tenths of reality anyway) or fact, Fedor Emelianenko has earned the respect and admiration from his fans as the reigning king of MMA and nobody, not even the great UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, can take that away from him...or can he?

And speaking of Lesnar, what’s a guy gotta do to get a little respect around here?

After all, Lesnar does have a record of 4-1 inside of the Octagon (oh wait...that’s just one of the problems).

Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight championship with a record of only 3-1, while Fedor didn’t win his first championship (PRIDE) until he had a record of 13-1 (which included a win over Bobby Hoffman, who Fedor never actually fought, but still got credit for the win on his record).

It is clear that in order for Lesnar to gain the same level of respect and admiration that Fedor currently has, he is going to have to follow a very similar path to success by matching and eventually surpassing the achievements of “The Last Emperor.”

Lucky for Lesnar, I just so happen to have three suggestions that could potentially help him out.

Step One: Fight lots of “Tomato Cans” because many fight fans only respect large, unbeaten records

Unfortunately, it has gotten to be all about quantity in MMA—not quality.

I am starting to get a strong sense that MMA is going to be taking this page away from the boxing industry, which will become an unwelcomed trend that will affect the quality of all future fight cards (Bobby Lashley, anyone?).

Not saying that Fedor doesn’t have some quality wins on his record, such as a prime Nogueira and more recently, Brett Rogers , but let’s be perfectly honest fight fans—there are a lot of names on Fedor’s win record that only add to the conspiracy that has become Fedor’s success in MMA.

Lesnar may only have a few fights under his championship belt, but they are all impressive when you consider his inexperience in the sport and the dominant fashion in which they were all won.

Why Fedor ever fought Tim Silvia for his 30th win is beyond me.

How exactly does that secure and benefit his legacy in any way?

Step Two: Fight Fedor

“Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.”

Sorry, but I find it incredibly hard to believe that Fedor could beat Lesnar. This is a debate that has been raging on amongst hardcore, extremist MMA fans ever since the threat of Lesnar appeared on the horizon.

So why ruin the fun, right?

Fedor refuses to fight Lesnar, not because he is afraid of Lesnar, but because he has more to lose than adding a loss to his otherwise perfect record.

The myth, the man, the legend—all will get flushed once Lesnar destroys Fedor in such a way that it will make Mir’s decimation seem like foreplay.

If Lesnar doesn’t find a way to make this fight happen (hey Brock...hop on a plane and get your big ass over to Russia), he will forever live in Fedor’s shadow.

This must become Lesnar’s top priority No. 1, or he will absolutely regret it.

Fedor knows this.

Step Three: Stop stirring up so much controversy

“The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you.”

Some fans refuse to believe that Lesnar is as good as he is because they don’t like him as a person. They refuse to root for a guy who behaves so ignorantly.

Then again, Lesnar was never likely going to be fully accepted as a result of his involvement with the WWE anyway, so knowing this likely hasn’t helped Lesnar with that rather large chip on his shoulder.

Lesnar had a shot at redemption after he got sick, which from a public relations standpoint, almost never happens, and he absolutely blew it .

He had better start volunteering his time at the Sick Kids Hospital or something, because his whole attitude of not caring what the fans think, or whether or not they like him, will be something that he will look back on in his life with disappointment.

I know I initially stated three suggestions, but this one is for sure the most complicated.

There is no easy solution for Lesnar’s ailing relationship with the fans, especially for a champion who publicly appears to care less.

Yikes.

I just hope that at the end of their careers, we will remember these two men as they are, instead of how we wanted (or needed) them to be.

By my standards, Fedor is a simply a better “champion” than Lesnar, and that has nothing to do with wins and losses.

Respect. Honour. Attitude.

via mmacrypt.com

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