Sherdog's Top 10: Fedor Emelianenko Moments

2. Dethroning Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at Pride “Body Blow” in 2003

After his star-making performance against Herring at Pride 23, Fedor got a crack at the Pride heavyweight champion and widely considered best heavyweight on the planet, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira was viewed as almost unbeatable, with a record of 19-1, the lone loss a split decision to Dan Henderson in the Rings promotion that he had recently avenged by armbarring Henderson in Pride. Despite how impressive his stoppage of Herring was, many still had doubts about Fedor or even whether he was deserving to challenge for the crown. How would Emelianenko’s striking stack up against Nogueira’s quality muay thai stand-up? Would he even want to take it to the ground considering how many foes Nogueira had submitted off his back? And if he did, which man would have the edge? The answers were “very well,” “yes” and “Fedor.” Early on, he hurt Nogueira in the striking and from then on, the Brazilian legend felt his best chances were on the ground. However, Fedor resisted his takedown attempts and when they did go to the canvas, he ended up on top. This was seen as potentially dangerous for Emelianenko, but he proved the opposite, landing some of the most iconic, famous ground-and-pound sequences in MMA history, including a series where each punch bounced Nogueira's skull off the canvas.

Watching this fight again recently, I'm especially impressed by the variety in Fedor's ground striking. He mixes up his huge swinging punches to the head with very quick, straight punches that have no wind-up but are still fairly hard, and he is fantastic at ripping shots to the body, including the liver, as well as the head. Nogueira kept looking for the submission, throwing up several triangle choke attempts and an armbar, but each time Fedor reacted very quickly, neatly making his way out with textbook technique. Nogueira was already legendary for pulling a rabbit out of a hat, garnering a submission in fights he was losing, but it wouldn't happen against Fedor, who kept up the pressure for all 20 minutes—recall Pride had 10-minute first rounds—matching the Brazilian's famed cardio. In the final round, it was Fedor getting the takedown himself with a shockingly fast outside trip, and as the final bell sounded, he still had enough energy to pull the bloody, battered and beaten Nogueira off the canvas and extend his respect to a fellow great. The fight even evolved MMA itself, as it was an example of great ground-and-pound and submission defense defeating great BJJ off one's back, which was an open debate back in 2003. And it was one of the most iconic victories for Fedor, utterly dominating one of the greatest heavyweights ever in his prime. Even now, Nogueira finished third on the list of Sherdog's 10 greatest heavyweights ever, showing the massive chasm between Emelianenko and the rest.

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