Fabricio Werdum delivered a shocking upset in June 2010. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
5. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Wedum
Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Werdum” | June 26, 2010 -- San Jose, Calif.
Showtime
It was, at least when it came to MMA sites, the day the Internet broke. That is what happens when the sport’s mythical pound-for-pound torch bearer, a man who had not lost in nearly a decade, dives into the guard of one of the world’s most skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners. From beginning to end, it only took 69 seconds.
Emelianenko escaped his opponent’s first armbar attempt, but Werdum quickly latched onto a tight triangle. The Brazilian spent the next few moments alternating between the armbar and triangle, gradually manipulating Emelianenko’s left arm into the point of no return. The Russian had made a habit of surviving precarious situations over the course of his brilliant career, but there would be no improbable comeback on this night.
“I put Fedor in trouble with my best weapon -- my triangle. I took away his balance,” Werdum would later say. “And when he went in my guard, I knew I was going to win the fight.”
Meanwhile, Emelianenko was as stoic in defeat as in he was in victory.
“The one who doesn’t fall doesn’t stand up,” Emelianenko said. “I was concentrating on the strikes. That’s why I made the mistake.”
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