So what's all this fuss about Fedor Emelianenko? What makes some people so sure that this quiet, soft-bodied Russian is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and perhaps, the best fighter in the history of mixed martial arts? If those ideas seem foreign to you, it's probably because his fight this Saturday night against Tim Sylvia marks Fedor's first real fight of consequence in nearly three years. The sport has grown tremendously since then and has gained a lot of new fans. For those who have never known (or those that have just forgotten), this series of articles should serve as a primer to the career of Fedor Emelianenko and answer why, until recently, he was the consensus pick for the best fighter on the planet. For the first time, FightMetric statistics from every fight in his career will shed light on the areas of Fedor's game that have been so impressive, by providing historical context and benchmarks against his fighting peers.Come back every day this week for the next installments in the series:
Tuesday: 2002-2003: The Fights that Made Fedor
Wednesday: 2003-2004: The Era of Dominance
Thursday: 2004-2005: The Greatest Challenges
Friday: 2005-Present: Mismatches and Reflections
