Barnett vs Emelianenko At Affliction III
by Robert Sargent
Confirming months of speculation, Affliction has announced that #1-ranked heavyweight and WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Champion "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko will defend his title against "The Babyfaced Assassin" Josh Barnett at Affliction III.
The bout, which pits the #1- and #2-ranked heavyweights against each other, will be a tough test for Emelianenko as he looks to retain his title against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Emelianenko (30-1-0, 1 NC) is coming off of a one-punch knockout of Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski at Affliction: "Day of Reckoning" in January, and previously bested a third former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia, in just 36 seconds at Affliction: "Banned." He is unquestionably the best heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts history, and a man whom many feel is the greatest mixed martial artist, period.
Barnett (24-5-0), however, has only been defeated by three men in his storied career. He was bested on three occasions by 2006 PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović - though two came as a result of injuries - and holds 1-1 records against heavy-hitting Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo and former PRIDE and UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. All other challengers have come up short against the catch wrestling and submission ace, including Randy "The Natural" Couture, whom Barnett defeated in 2002 to become the youngest UFC Heavyweight Champion in history.
Though Emelianenko is widely regarded as being undefeated, with his lone credited loss coming by way of a cut from an illegal elbow strike in a RINGS tournament in 2000, there have been rare instances in his career where opponents have had him in trouble. Barnett will be looking to take advantage of any opening afforded to him, and a victory over his friend, Emelianenko, would be one of the biggest wins for any fighter in the history of the sport.
In Emelianenko's 2003 bout with Japanese star Kazuyuki "Ironhead" Fujita, Emelianenko was nearly knocked out early in the fight before recovering and coming back with a rear naked choke for the win. Similarly, in his 2006 PRIDE Heavyweight Championship defence against former K-1 star Mark Hunt, Emelianenko found himself trapped underneath his larger opponent for much of the first round and was nearly submitted by a Kimura from Hunt at one point. In true championship fashion, Emelianenko recovered and submitted Hunt - ironically, with a Kimura - moments later.
The relevance? Fujita was never known for his striking, and Hunt's ground game was extremely limited, at best. Despite this, both individuals managed to put the reigning WAMMA Unified Heavyweight Champion in danger, and Barnett will be looking to do the same.
Though Emelianenko rarely finds himself in any notable trouble when he fights, Barnett's takedowns and submission wizardry could very well prove to be the key to solving the stoic Russian. If Hunt could control Emelianenko for eight minutes and even secure submission holds, Barnett will be more than capable of doing the same. Whether he can get Emelianenko down, however, is an entirely different story.
Barnett is not a superstar in North America the way that Arlovski and Sylvia were during their UFC tenures, but he arguably poses more of a threat to Emelianenko than either of the other two ex-UFC champions. Arlovski and Sylvia were expected to pose problems for Emelianenko on the feet - and Arlovski actually did in the opening two minutes - but both of them fell in less than one round. Barnett, however, is one of the most intelligent fighters in the sport and will be wise enough to avoid the punching power of Emelianenko.
This highly-anticipated battle comes down to which fighter will be able to impose their game plan. If the fight does stay on the feet, Emelianenko is likely to add Barnett's name to the list of fighters who have recently tasted his power. However, if Barnett can take the fight to the ground, he is savvy enough to avoid the trademark armbars from Emelianenko, and could potentially dethrone the man whom many feel is unbeatable.
This is the sixth time that Emelianenko will compete against a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he possesses a perfect 5-0 record against them as he heads into this monumental fight. Barnett has won four straight fights since his loss to Nogueira, and also holds a past victory over Emelianenko's larger brother, Aleksander.
Many discount Barnett in this bout, but he has the tools to pull off the upset, and 2009 has already featured a number of unexpected results in high-profile fights. Lightning may strike again when he battles Emelianenko.
Affliction: "Trilogy" takes place on August 1st at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and also features the likes of Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Gegard "Young Vagabond" Mousasi, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort, Paul "Semtex" Daley and "The Thoroughbred" Jay Hieron, among others. A stacked card, to say the least.
