In a recent interview, mixed martial arts UFC Hall of Famer Bas Rutten has talked about the return of the MMA Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko. He was asked if the thinks Fedor can still be vicious inside the octagon just like the old days.
Rutten did not even have a slight hesitation to answer when he was asked about this. He said that he definitely thinks Fedor can still do some damage when he steps back in the octagon. Based from his experience, Rutten said that he felt great when he came back to compete at 42 years old. That was until the injuries came back. He said that he had a lot time on his hands- he had a break from fighting for almost four years, he had more than two months to prepare and he was in the best shape a month before the fight. “I go ‘man, this is so awesome, I feel so great’ and then all the injuries came back,” he added.
He further continued saying that he thinks a fighter as dangerous as Fedor will always be vicious inside the octagon. Like in this case, he thinks The Last Emperor has a great ground game and he is good everywhere so there’s no reason for him not to try and fight again. “I think he can make a big impact,” he further added. He was quick to note, though, that he thinks maybe Fedor feels that now he’s had a good rest and best comeback training, his injuries are gone. Fedor retired a few years ago because of because of his injuries. Rutten says that if Fedor’s previous injuries will not disable him now that he’s back, then The Last Emperor will be unstoppable.
When Rutten was asked if he thinks Fedor still has a mixed martial arts UFC title run left in him, his answer was definitely a yes. “I do think so, I do think so. I mean I’ve been watching this guy over the years, and every time he amazes me,” he said. He said that when inside the octagon, Fedor will seem to move weirdly, but actually he is already making his move. “It’s like on the ground it’s almost like he’s baiting you. He moves a little weird and then you think ‘oh nah, I shouldn’t do that,’ and the fighter probably who is fighting thinks the same and then ‘boom’, there’s the submission,” he said.
Rutten further added that everything happens really fast because Fedor already has it in his veins. Everything goes so easy and quick that you will realize it is all because of muscle memory. Rutten said that in even though Fedor is not getting any younger, he can still go big during the fights. “He only needs to connect once, we know this. And you make one mistake on the ground, as well he’s very good as well.”.
With all these good things that he said about Fedor, Rutten thinks that Fedor shouldn’t be fighting at the MMA heavyweight division. “The guy is like 225 pounds, that’s like you just lose, lose 15 pounds or something and then fight at 205. What an animal he would be at that,” he said. Although he believes that Fedor is playing at the weight he is most comfortable with, he will probably have a strategy as to how he will defeat someone like Bigfoot. “If you have a guy who cuts down from 285 to 265, who was on the day of the fight 275 again, and then you’re 230 pounds or maybe a little less and the guy has technique and he sits on top of you and he has control. Yeah that’s just a lot of weight difference,” he further added.