Greatest P4P: ROUND 3

Claim to Fame
ROUND THREE: P4P, in practice
[page 6]
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I think the title Pound-for-Pound Best is decided in the real world on how a fighter fares against his own weight-class, period. The question then is of how much better [a fighter] is in his own division compared to [another fighter] in his. Therefore it is the difference in each top fighter's skill level against their immediate competition that is compared. It's actually a respectable criterion.

To gauge how far apart Fedor and Anderson are from their competition, we are going to have to collect and view all their fights for analysis. But I don't nearly have that much time to review everything. If only there was a graphic summary of their history as MMA fighters. Something that serves as a visual representation of their achievements--a proof of their dominance. But how can we acquire such academic data?

Oh, Fan Highlight Vids.

Fedor Emelianenko

Highlight Vid#1 (7:34)


Highlight Vid#2 (3:25)


Anderson Silva

Highlight Vid#1 (7:51)


Highlight Vid#2 (5:11)

There are several observations we can make from watching only these four videos; mostly concerning how each fighter fights, style-wise. But what we're more concerned about is the aforementioned over-all dominance of either fighter. For me, the following statements apply:

Fedor overcomes
Anderson overwhelms

Fedor overcomes - as a Pride heavyweight, Fedor has battled against the toughest and the freakiest opponents available. Although he has amazing stand-up with his punches I personally think the most impressive aspect of his game is his devastating ground-and-pound. Because this is very well supplemented by excellent takedown and ground control techniques, he usually gets a stoppage victory once he takes top position on the ground.

Unfortunately, "The Last Emperor" is not as invincible as fans declaring him as "cyborg" or "not-human" or "God" would suggest. Fedor has been into really tight spots and opponents have threatened to defeat him. It's just that it has never really happened. Somehow, someway, he creates a scramble or a reversal or some other situation and suddenly he's the one dominating. And really, it's DOMINATING. A few seconds later he has his fist punching the air and the referee is declaring him the winner.

In the face of defeat, Fedor overcomes.

Anderson overwhelms - I knew a time when I didn't care for "The Spider." Years, ago watching Pride, it was all about the heavyweights--Nogueira leading the pack and then eventually Fedor. The only Silva people knew at the time was Wanderlei because Anderson wasn't much of a top fighter. It was only in the UFC that Silva started receiving attention.

Every fight he has come into for the last two years have him completely destroying the competition. After a few fights, you realize quickly that, yes, his aligity and precision are amazing to witness, yes, his clinch is terrifying. Now unlike Fedor, Silva, at least recently, appears to be invincible. I don't think I've even seen him draw blood or tire yet. I don't think he's been put into a bad spot. So it's all about the efficiency of the attack for the Spider. With superior offense and intensity, Anderson Silva overwhelms whoever is in front of him.

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