Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
Winds of Change
Feb 16, 2011
Was
this Fedor Emelianenko’s final walk to the cage? | Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
For nine years, Fedor Emelianenko stayed undefeated. For more than seven years, he ruled the heavyweight division. Now, we might have seen “The Last Emperor” for the last time.
On Feb. 12 in East Rutherford, N.J., Antonio Silva battered Emelianenko for the duration of their second round in the cage, forcing a doctor stoppage after 10 minutes and handing the Russian his second loss in a row. The eye-opening upset sends Silva into the semi-finals of Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix, while Emelianenko has indicated retirement might be next for him.
Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix has already shaped up to be one of the dominant MMA stories of 2011. A wild and entertaining first leg of the tournament, coupled with the potential retirement of one of MMA’s legends, only further solidifies that notion. The first portion of the grand prix has already proved more eventful than many imagined, and half the bracket still has yet to take to the cage, including ranked entrants Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, set for battle in April.
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