Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple
Agree that he's past his prime, but I believe today's Fedor would beat today's Lesnar.
Fedor's management screwed his chances with the UFC a long time ago. If he wants to stay active, who else is there for him to fight? Monson has beaten some of the UFC's top guys in the past and many consider Ishii Japan's only legitimate prospect at LHW and HW. Lumping either guy in with Shamrock or Abbott is a stretch.
Ishii looked TINY this morning. Probably due to his ambitions at LHW, but he looked 30 pounds lighter than when he beat LeBanner last NYE.
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Agreed that his management ruined his UFC shot. I think they did more damage than that. They've used Fedor's name to pad their bank accounts at every given opportunity and squandered any chance of turning him into a hugely bankable name in the process. They've tarnished his reputation by steering him away from true competition in pursuit of their own financial gains. I'd almost be willing to bet that Fedor doesn't have the option of quitting, even if he wants to. M1 has him by the balls and will use him until he's of no value. Fedor may still be tough, but he's falling way behind the pack by not fighting competitive fighters. Ishii may be a lot of things, but he's not UFC caliber, probably not even Strikeforce. The heavyweight division is weak everywhere, but the further from UFC you get, the more the talent drops off. Monson had his day, but he's in the same boat that Tim Sylvia and Andre Arlovski were in when they fought Fedor. They were past their prime and on the downside of name recognition. M1 will continue to mine those opportunities to keep Fedor as financial relevant as they can for as long as possible, and the mystique of Fedor will continue to disappear.