Antonio Silva was destroyed by Daniel Cormier. | File Photo: Sherdog.com
When I wrote about ”The Curse of Fedor” in June, I was pretty sure Antonio Silva would buck the trend of Fedor Emelianenko opponents having letdown performances against future foes after giving the Russian a tough go.
The defeat of Silva -- who masterfully used his size, crushing top game and ground-and-pound to get a corner stoppage against Emelianenko in the grand prix’s opening round -- only reinforces the Curse’s effects. What’s interesting is the reflection of fans on Silva’s poor showing against Cormier in relation to what his victory over Emelianenko means.
It is one thing to admit that the once-great Emelianenko is obviously having problems against world-class competition but entirely another when those fighters perform poorly after giving themselves an unprecedented career boost by daring to compete, or even win, against the once-invincible Russian.
What it means depends on who you ask. For me, it only reinforces the fact that Emelianenko is the most accomplished heavyweight in the history of the sport and the best that has ever competed at that weight. I am confident that the Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos winner on Nov. 12 will pose a strong argument against Emelianenko on that second claim. Until then, let us appreciate the Curse as it stands.
Jason Probst can be reached at Jason@jasonprobst.com or twitter.com/jasonprobst.