Opinion: The Fedor Dilemma

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If this week’s report is true, then the long-awaited arrival of Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC is poetic. It’s a thing of beauty for the likes of Dana White and the Fertittas, who have been hunting “The Last Emperor” for what feels like eons. But the times have changed since prospective Fedor showdowns with the likes of Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar were considered the biggest fights that could be made in mixed martial arts.

Ever since Emelianenko’s shocking 2010 loss to Fabricio Werdum, the man who was once considered the greatest fighter of all time has taken quite the tumble from glory. A doctor stoppage loss to Antonio Silva and a first-round ransacking at the hands of Dan Henderson sent Emelianenko spiraling into mediocrity. After winning three fights against substandard competition, Emelianenko retired from the sport in 2012.

Now, after three years away and at the age of 38, Emelianenko is returning to MMA, and it appears the place that offers the most visibility and financial security is the UFC. For Emelianenko, financial security comes along with a few caveats, including the potential destruction of an image that longtime MMA fans want to see preserved.

The perfect storm would be Emelianenko getting his groove back to march through the heavyweight ranks while Werdum fends off all comers. It could lead the two into an epic rematch at UFC 200, a remake of a significant moment in MMA history when the “Emperor” was undressed by the most unlikely of challengers.

However, the likelihood of that taking place has the odds stacked against it. Given Emelianenko’s age and time away from the sport, the UFC would have to handle him with kid gloves in order to carry him to a title shot next year, and that’s not really the way Dana White operates.

White has never been about protecting Emelianenko’s image so much as seeing if the Russian could hold his own against the UFC’s crop of heavyweights. The UFC president takes great pride when fighters raised under the Zuffa banner show their dominance against the rest of the MMA world.

Were Emelianenko to get beaten down by the likes of Travis Browne or Junior dos Santos, it’s not as if White would be upset. White has never held champions from other MMA promotions in high regard, but the opportunity to sign the greatest fighter never to set foot inside the Octagon has been one of White’s biggest challenges to date. Should he land Emelianenko, the catch would easily be noted as his most significant signing to date.

The thing White and the rest of the UFC know is that this isn’t the same Emelianenko that ran roughshod through a division for nearly a decade. The man that was stopped by an undersized Henderson is certainly not the one who was crowned Sports Illustrated’s “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s. This is about the name and the name alone. If Emelianenko is able to win any meaningful fights during his stint in the UFC, that would simply be the cherry on top of the victory sundae, as White would be able to milk whatever tread is left on Fedor’s tires until the wheels fall off of the Sambo specialist.

Were Emelianenko to get destroyed in his first UFC fight, then all bets would be off. The UFC, regardless of what they paid for Emelianenko’s services, wouldn’t blink and would simply move on to the next fighter. Emelianenko, on the other hand, would be broken. More importantly, considering that there are legions of new MMA fans who have never had the chance to see Fedor fight, it would tarnish his image immensely. And there isn’t a price tag on a legend’s place in history.

Emelianenko now finds himself in a precarious position where his bank account and image may not be in sync. We’ll see which is more important to him.

Andreas Hale is a content producer for Jay Z's LifeandTimes.com and editor-in-chief of PremierWuzHere.com, as well as a frequent Sherdog.com columnist. Check out his archive here.