Let's face it, fighters are simply intimidated when they walk into the ring with Emelianenko. He always looks as if he's going for a walk in the park before destroying them. And if you go by his 30-1 overall MMA record, that calm demeanor of his appears to be a good thing.
That said, predicting what's going to happen when Emelianenko takes on Josh Barnett at Affliction: Trilogy isn't all that easy to do. You see, Barnett isn't intimidated like the rest of Emelianenko's opponents usually are. He knows his Russian opponent is dangerous and tough, but he also believes that he is. In fact, Barnett has gone on record predicting a victory.
The musings of a crazy person or is he dead on? Here's one opinion.
What Fedor Emelianenko brings to the table: Emelianenko brings so much that it's hard to summarize. First, despite the fact that he's not all that big, Emelianenko is one of the pound for pound physically strongest heavyweights in the world today. He also possesses excellent takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills, which is something that one might expect from one of the best Sambo practitioners in the world. Beyond that, Fedor has tremendous power in both hands and is better than most give him credit for in a technical striking sense, particularly when he's inside (see his Cro Cop and Sylvia fights for confirmation).
Emelianenko's cardio and toughness are also hard to match, and he's grown into an above average submission fighter from both his guard and the top position. That said, despite the fact that he's looked good on his feet against the likes of super striker Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and more in the past, Fedor was being riddled with punches against Arlovski in his last encounter before hitting home with that devastating power of his. Could there be weaknesses in his technical striking skills that were less obvious before? Further, his trainer, Vladimir Voronov, spoke of some possible training issues leading up to his fight with Arlovski to MMAWeekly.com.
“If he wants to keep winning, he can’t be spending too much time on these commercials and these movies,” Voronov said. “Afterwards, after the win. For a fighter, the most important thing is work, work, work. Fedor wants to keep winning, and keep winning well. He needs to train professionally.”
Trouble in paradise?
What Josh Barnett brings to the table: Weighing in at 250 pounds, Barnett is a big, strong guy. Utilizing his catch wrestling skills, he's submitted nearly two-thirds of his opponents. Along with this, he is very capable of ending fights early from either his back or the top position. Barnett also possesses outstanding takedowns, takedown defense, and ground control skills, and his striking has improved to the point that he's above average in that regard as well.
There's really nothing that Barnett does poorly.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett Affliction Trilogy Prediction: Too many people are giving Barnett no chance at all here. Fact is, he may be the most dangerous opponent Emelianeko has ever faced when you consider how the two match up. With the exception of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Emelianenko has never gone up against a ground fighter with Barnett's level of skill. Taking things a step further, remember when Emelianenko put Nogueira on the ground and pounded on him in their second encounter? Well, what people forget is that Nogueira actually sunk in some submissions during that fight only to watch Emelianenko literally power out of them with inexplicable strength. Now on one hand, Emelianenko is a far better submission fighter these days. On the other, Barnett is a very big and strong submission fighter. Just pulling out of one of his submissions once he latches on could be a tall order.
Along with this, through the first two rounds, if this fight gets to and stays on the ground, expect Barnett to do well and maybe even finish his opponent (if he gets on top, Emelianenko is in trouble). Will this cause Fedor to try and keep things standing, at least until submission-stopping sweat starts to build and his opponent starts to fatigue?
Guess is, yes.
This is a tough call. Here's the first question: can Barnett take this fight to the ground? Answer- that's going to be tough to do consistently. He's a strong wrestler, but Fedor is a very difficult guy to get to the ground. Second question: if this fight stays on the feet, who wins? On one hand, Barnett is a very technically sound stand up fighter with good power. On the other hand, he doesn't show as much explosive power as his adversary on his feet.
In the end, the betting odds are way too far in Fedor's direction in this one. People just aren't giving Barnett the chance he deserves. That said, best guess is that Emelianenko will be able to keep himself out of terrible danger on the ground early in the fight, which is when he'll be most susceptible, and will hit home with more power shots on his feet than his adversary. Eventually, expect Emelianenko to wear Barnett down enough that he feels comfortable taking him to the ground and pounding away. That said, this is a close one that could go in the other direction by way of an early submission or TKO due to ground and pound. Still...
Fedor Emelianenko wins by way of unanimous decision.
