Frank Mir: Fedor Emelianenko Is Ducking Top Fighters in UFC

When Frank Mir owned the UFC interim heavyweight title, he always made clear that he didn't believe his own belt made him the best heavyweight in the world: Mir, like most MMA observers, said that Fedor Emelianenko is the top heavyweight. But now Mir's opinion has changed.

Asked on the DAM Show why he thought Fedor had chosen to fight for Strikeforce instead of the UFC, Mir echoed UFC President Dana White and others who have suggested that Fedor isn't interested in proving himself against UFC champion Brock Lesnar and the other top fighters in the UFC.

"I think it's an excuse to dodge the top-level competition," Mir said. "As long as he never proves it, he can keep the No. 1 ranking. If he goes into the cage and loses, he loses that. If he stays out of the cage and doesn't fight myself, Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin and some of the top heavyweights, he can always have an argument."

Mir also seemed to suggest that Fedor -- who has fought his entire career in rings -- would struggle inside a cage. Asked if Fedor would beat Lesnar, Mir answered, "In a cage? No. In a boxing ring? Possibly."

We'll find out if Fedor can fight in a cage whenever he fights for Strikeforce. But Mir is right that we won't find out if Fedor can beat the best opposition in the world.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

8-21-2009 @ 11:13AM

ruggeruf75 said...

Fedor ducking the top fighters???

You mean like you Frank Mir?????

Frank Mir is a JOKE....a washed up has-been. Fedor would get more of a challenge fighting in "bum fights" than fighting frank mir.

Im sick of the UFC bitching because fedor didnt join. After dana white repeatedly insulted him why should he?

If Dana wants Brock to fight fedor so bad, let brock fight one fight out of the UFC on neutral turf...he wont do it though.

8-21-2009 @ 12:35PM

RJ said...

Well said.

Especially the part about Mir being a joke.

He is the ultimate ass kisser as far as I'm concerned.

8-21-2009 @ 1:11PM

BILLY said...

Agreed.Amen!!!!diana whites big fat atheistic self centered mouth and his foul repulsive godless egomaniacal personality kept Fedor away!!!!diana white sucks!!!! she SUCKS!!!
Franky "goes to hollywood"...or "im still in the closet" Mir is as loopey and dopey as they get.
He is a great fighter...but he has ZERO CHARISMA.
Brock Lesnar is a real beast a knuckle dragging animal AND is on juice.He is 'roided!!!!As Mir has been!!!I 'ave been around the weights in me life.Brock is a superheavyweight at 285 monster pounds.A 'roided 285 pound Goliath.
When he beat Randy Couture who was 220 at the most it looked like the incredible hulk or the thing Ben Grimm vs.Royce Gracie.To have 50 pounds+++plus on an opponent in mma is ridiculous!!!It is very unfair in my view.
Cyborg was juiced out of her noodle when she overpowered Gina Carano a week ago.She probably got them from ms.diana white while in the USA.You can buy them like soda pop or bubble gum in Brazil.
I think that Fedor could beat any of diana whites fighters.

8-21-2009 @ 2:12PM

chilly16 said...

Fedor is fighting in bum fights. They call it strikeforce now.

8-21-2009 @ 11:23AM

neozoo said...

eventhough i think he is being honest in his conversation...i do think he could've owned up to his pre fight barbs at brock alil better.
and as far as fedor, i think on the one hand it's true about the fact that fedor can continue to claim to be #1 without ever fighting ufc guys, however, that might not hold up in the next 2 years.

and his statement, "I think it's an excuse to dodge the top-level competition," is a total tow of company line. mir knows that statement is total bullsh!t.
mir knows fedor's signing with sf had nothing to do with "dodging" top level competition. mir is just being a good company boy.
for the most part, i like mir. but, there is something a little bratty about him. i'm not really sure what it is.
there is times i like him and other times he rubs me wrong.
just an observation.

8-21-2009 @ 12:17PM

ken oba said...

Uh, this is the same guy who had trouble with Wes Simms and got his ass handed to him by Brandon Vera?

Sorry Frank, you are not a top heavy and never were. Fedor's club also has 3 cages that he trains in regularly.

As for top comp in the UFC heavies?

It would be like a chainsaw in a forest of saplings. The UFC pulled the stunt they did with the "great offer" so they would not have to deal with Dana White eating a dump truck load of crow. They never had any intention of signing Fedor.

Mir has lowered himself to parrot mascot status. Dana must have had a chat with him after his previous glowing words for Fedor were shown all over the net.

Machida would be the best comp for Fedor in the UFC and he is not even a heavy. No one else is well rounded enough, nor quick enough to deal with his fight style. They are also the two most "elusive", least hit fighters in the game.

8-21-2009 @ 1:06PM

Plato said...

Fedor is a businessman as is Dana White. This is less about fear than about money and control. Those who know Fedor know him to be fiercely competitive and to actually prefer strong opposition. He is as concerned about his legacy as anyone. Mir is a great athlete but his emotions sometimes rule his tongue. In historical terms MMA as a business venture is still sort of feeling itself out. Once things flesh out fans will get the fights they want.

8-21-2009 @ 2:53PM

hey what's up mad thinker,
a few points....
i think me n you are on the same page with the business side of all this, it seems everyoneelse gets too emotional. especially those with a dislike for either ufc or dana, or both.
mir knows he is just towing the company line and that's okay. after all, he is also looking to get a rematch with brock. additionally, zuffa has been good to mir with the announcing gig.
there are alot of people that think mir sucks and that's okay too. i'm not one of them. like i said, sometimes i like mir and sometimes i don't. when his head is into it, he is a super talented fighter.

as far as fedor goes, something i think might affect him with his whole competitive fire thing,
how motivated do you think he will stay knowing he is fighting much lesser competition?
you know it is a fact, he was not in great shape for the arlovski fight.
i'm sure he will look good for his first fight with the new deal, however i'm not sure how much after that. and in this game anyone can get caught, even the last emperior.

lastly, i'm not as sure as you with the fans getting what they want, i think greed or should i say business protectionism sometimes gets in the way.
i really like your opinion, you were really cool last time when i sort of slammned you, your response kinda made me feel bad.
i always try to be intelligent, respectful and passionate with my thoughts and you come across as that same type...so i'm sorry if i was a bit disrespectful.
wheew! i feel better now.
anyway, let me know what you think.

oh and by the way, i know nietzsche was the mad thinker, i just thought it was a nice greeting, after all, plato was one of the originals.

8-21-2009 @ 11:51PM

Plato-Rethinking said...

Awesome post neozoo, no apologies necessary. I'm actually a fan of your voluminous posting on these boards so slam my views when they deserve it; it's all good.

I'd like to respond to two of your points. 1) You suggest that "as far as fedor goes, something I think might affect him with his whole competitive fire thing, how motivated do you think he will stay knowing he is fighting much lesser competition?" This is THE big question. My sense is that, over time (if he keeps winning) his native competitive fire will push him into the UFC. I personally think he knows his legacy will be hurt if he doesn't eventually (business be damned) fight the best fighters. And clearly, without question, the best fighters are in the UFC. 2)You suggest that you are not as sure as I am "with the fans (eventually) getting what they want, i think greed or should i say business protectionism sometimes gets in the way." I totally agree but I think that "eventually" it will make good business sense to actually give the fans the fights they want. Fans pay the big bucks for fights so hopefully the market will dictate who-fights-who. The sad truth of it all is the "protectionism" you note is an indictment of human nature as selfish and for that I don't see an easy answer.

Rock on neozoo, "the man, the legend."

8-21-2009 @ 1:18PM

Lado said...

FRANK mir ducking best fighters
dis dude is a fukkin clown FRIDE HAD THE BESSSST FIGHTERS EVER HE fEDOR BEAT them all WTF is this clown sayin ...if this clown name some Lesnar steroids freak show had fought in pride he would be the easy target to choose from he sucks wow he beat mir and coture mir is coture is ok nothin special

8-27-2009 @ 4:10PM

billy said...

Frankie goes to hollywood relax dont do it! Mir and Diana White have been spotted by private eyes being together in Las Vegas holding hands,necking,kissing and alot worse.
Frankie goes to Hollywood was so wounded that his lover Diana i hate God White KISSED ON THE MOUTH on you tube!!!!!!!!the steroid ape Chico Ortiz .... They had a lovers fight about this infidelity!!!!
Frankie got Diana in a .... submission hold ...ahem ......
Our Jenna Jameson was also very upset.
Only she can play around with same sex " lovers " not her idiot boyfriend chico ortiz.

8-21-2009 @ 1:35PM

jmend25 said...

LOL! I am sure Fedor is terrified of Frank Mir and rookies that have have less than 12 fights in their MMA career.

8-21-2009 @ 3:08PM

godinbed247 said...

Sorry to bust all you Afredor nuthuggers bubble but part of Mir's statement was right. If Afredor wasn't dodging top level competition then why did he go to strikeforce for a contract that wasn't even 25 percent of what the UFC offered him, there's nobody over there. Sure he kicked ass in pride, but what have ya done for me lately? Sylvia and AA both who were on the decline and both who got knocked out in their last fights in the first by guys they would hae killed had they been even close to their prime. Afredor is a can crusher PERIOD

8-21-2009 @ 3:44PM

Eric said...

Sorry, but not only is your logic flawed, your data is incorrect ...

Arlovski was on a 5 fight winning streak with 4 KOs when he got into the ring against Fedor.

Sylvia's record was 24-4 with 16 KOs when he faced Fedor.

Syliva was a legitimate top 10 heavyweight when Fedor destroyed him, and Arlovski was the #1 contender in the heavyweight division.

I swear, some of you Fedor haters sound like bloggers for the UFC.

8-21-2009 @ 7:57PM

Niv said...

I have to agree with Eric here, what are you talking about? Every Fedor hater parrots the same old diatribe, he's ducking competition, he left the big money to spare himself, he beat washed up fighters, etc, etc.

Fedor has taken all comers as Eric pointed out both Sylvia and Arlovski are not washed up. Sylvia beat Gonzaga then lost a hard fought five rounder to Couture. Couture a year and half later fights Brock, and Brock is crowned the best for beating Couture. How is that possible when Couture's last win was a year and half before to a so called washed up fighter?

Arlovski was on a tear before he ran into Fedor, but that means he's washed up now, five straight wins with ko's means nothing.

As for the money issue I thought that was proven to be all a bunch of bs, 6 fights for 30 million was never offered, and we don't know any of the finer details, so why hate the guy for signing on his own terms?

I've got news for the UFC crowd, anyone who wants to lay claim to being the best HW in the world needs to fight in Strikeforce, because that's where the best fighter in the world resides today.

It's ridiculous to call the winner of Carwin vs Brock as the best HW in the world considering combined they have fought less than half of what Fedor has in his career. Brock's on his 5th fight in the UFC and Carwin is on his 4th. That's laughable that people can buy into the hype, if this isn't evidence that the UFC HW division isn't that strong what will it take for you guys to see that?

Brock has one decent win, that's over the earlier mentioned Couture, but he was 45 years old and coming off a one and a half year layoff as stated before. He won and lost one to a washed up Frank Mir, and he beat a tough but way past his prime Heath Herring, whoop dee do. That can hardly be the requirement to be considered number one.

Carwin on the other hand has big power, but he was being schooled by Gonzaga before he threw the bomb that ended the fight. It was the only offense he was able to amount, luckily it was all he needed, hardly a performance that makes him a world beater.

So once again, who's better than Fedor?

P.S. Sorry for the long winded rant.

8-21-2009 @ 3:35PM

blessed0314 said...

Fedor doesn't want to lose his top heavy weight ranking thats way he didn't sign with the UFC. Strikefroce is no were near the ufc in top fighters. Strikefoce has one top pound for pound fighter in the world and thats Fedor, now the ufc has 9 out of the 10 in the world. Carwin or brock would be a nice match up but thats not the really problem. It would be easy for Anderson Silva to make that weight. Even a super fight at 205lbs. The same with Machida or Henderson and thats the really problem he doesn't want top fights its that simple. All you dana haters can't see past dana to see what the ufc really is THE BEST MMA COMPANY with the best fighters!!

8-21-2009 @ 3:58PM

Freudor said...

I would really like Mir and Lesnar to fight Emelianenko just to end the BS.

Fedor has more wins in the first round than all of Lesnar's, Carwin's, Cain's and Mir's combined in the UFC in all fights. This is the guy who picked apart one of the most feared strikers in K-1 and mma with a badly broken right hand that he later admitted was "useless" in the fight. Bas & Mauro both commented on his inability to use the hand in the fight. Those that saw his performance (I thought he would lose) were almost slack jawed at the strategy Fedor used to defeat Mirko. The Nog destructions? On the ground & standing, it made no difference.

To think a bunch of scrubs with "potential" who have been hyped to the moon against a guy who moves like a lightweight (his past oppenents description) and has been labeled the heaviest puncher most have ever faced by his past comp should say something.

Fedor is an eel on the ground who bites like a great white shark. To think he is simply going to stand in front of Lesnars bull rushes, get taken down and lay there while Lesnar does his Donkey Kong impression is comic.

Brock will continue to have success in the UFC, but he would be badly embarrased, badly, by the baddest man on the planet.

Brock is good, make no mistake, but Fedor has literally been fighting formally since age 6 when he started judo, and later sambo.

The idea of Fedor being scared of anyone but God is just comic.

This anti Fedor propaganda needs to stop. Respect the man who is the heart and soul of mma and represents what it should be about.

8-21-2009 @ 4:16PM

Heart and soul of mma? I wouldn't go that far! Much respect to Fedor no question the best heavyweight in the world. Problem is that to stay the best you must fighter the best and he won't be doing that at strickefore. So his rateing will take a big hit.

8-21-2009 @ 5:35PM

DRAGON said...

It's more than obvious by his press releases and the way he spoke, Fedor leaves it all to M-1. He was nothing when they discovered him and turned him into something. You cannot knock the guy for being loyal. It just sucks because we don't get to see the fights we would really like to see. Doesn't mean it will NEVER happen. Right now, Strikeforce's numbers pale in comparison to UFC's. At the gates and in viewers. They couldn't even break $1 million at the gates. How do they plan on paying a 7-figure fighter like Fedor, while doing 50/50 collaboration? When Fedor wises up and decides to walk on his own, without a leash, then hopefully he'll come to the UFC. I just don't see Dana offering the same amount of money they did now. LOL

8-21-2009 @ 8:06PM

One thing no-one considers is if the sport keeps growing at its present rate and becomes accepted as a mainstream event, then where will the real money come from?

The NFL doesn't need a single person in a stadium to make money these days, their profits are largely generated by corporations and massive network contracts.

Keeping this in mind with the CBS affiliation that Strikeforce and Showtime have there is huge potential down the road.

No one knows the terms of the UFC deal, I doubt the UFC could work out a long term deal better than a network can afford. I don't know if that was a consideration here, but I wouldn't be surprised if Fedor's group was looking way down the road.