Sherdog.com today broke the news that former UFC Heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia will most likely fight former PrideFC Heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko this July.
Reportedly, Emelianenko himself confirmed the news today himself:
“[Sylvia] is a good fighter, a strong fighter, the former UFC heavyweight champion, which is important,” Emelianenko said via telephone from Stary Oskol, Russia. “I am looking forward to fighting him and training hard for this fight.”
The fight is suspected to take place under the new Affliction promotion that is closely associated with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Sherdog also speculates that the fight will be broadcast on HDNet.
Tim Sylvia, who recently left the UFC with one fight remaining on his contract to sign with the new Adrenaline MMA promotion, has stated on numerous occasions his desire to fight Fedor, who is widely regarded as the best heavyweight in the world.
Fedor himself desperately needs a fight of this caliber to remain in the top spot of the heavyweight pecking order, as he has not fought a legitimate heavyweight contender in nearly 18 months.
Where does this fight in July leave Randy Couture? What happens in somehow Sylvia were to defeate Fedor? Would Randy be stuck having to fight Sylvia first outside the UFC? How strange would that be?
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The Fedor circus rages on. If this fight does materialize I just might swallow some pride and root for Tim. All the back and forth with Fedor is getting old. Get in there and fight and prove why people have been calling him the best. I think Fedor will take Tim down and submit him but if Tim can keep the fight standing he has a chance. This has to have Randy shaking his head. If Fedor subs Tim maybe we will see Randy vs Fedor in the fall.
i donno about timmy keeping it up, i think all he is going to do is throw that jab and occasionally follow it up with that left. He couldnt even keep randy at bay with that tired jab so i doubt he will keep fedor at bay. (IMO). I think this will be another goodrich/zulu fight. But i do think fedor is going to try and take him down.
DAMN IT…I was just about to post this breaking news and you beat me to it.
Anyways, Fedor is going to completely destroy Sylvia within a few minutes. I mean cmo’n, if Sylvia immediately tapped out like a ***** to Nog, what chance does he have against a machine like Fedor. I expect Fedor to come out very aggressively to make a statement against Dana White and the UFC. I do give Sylvia props for accepting this fight, that is…if this rumor is true.
I apologise to any Sylvia fans for my rant, because for once, I bet my real money on him and he let me down the second he got to the ground, without even putting up a fight. I mean, the guy is a heavyweight champion and has 0 ground game? trully pathetic
sorry fellas but. … .id have to go with timmy boy on this one
What? Patrick..what are you smokin? Fedor is going to completely overwhelm “gangly”. Sylvia will fold under the pressure just like he did against Nog.
im going with fedor on this.
DR J
WHY DIDNT U COVER THE ELITEXC FIGHTS THE OTHER NIGHT?EVERY SINGLE FIGHT ENDED IN THE FIRST ROUND.
Fedor by armbar late in the 1rst.
has anyone seen the manny fight from ufn 13 i just saw it and wright when the were going to touch gloves manny threw a kick what a fagggggg,its official i want to see him get koed.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4z2s0_fightchatcom-cox-v-gamburyan_sport
Yeah that was probably one of the most classless things I’ve seen in awhile. If that had aired it would be something being talked about. Way to go Manny, you just got added to my a**holes of MMA list.
I was there live and everyone booed him immediately. It was a truely classless move. I lost a lot of respect for him with that cheap shot.
I would love to see this fight take place. At this point though, I’d love to see Fedor fight just about anyone.
sorry Doc i was out today but your editor is back…. Sherdog.com today >broek< the news that. anyways i would pick pick Fedor in this one but hes gotta get some wins in against some top guys soon because im losing faith quickly.
Finally….. something worth commenting about. Tim has a puncher’s chance no matter how remote that is. Otherwise, fedor will take down tim and sub him. People say tim is good in sprawling. In fact, he was quite good in his sprawl against nog. But as far as his sprawl is concern, fedor will still take him down with ease and sub him in less than 4 minutes.
one of the issues i see Tim having against Fedor is he taps quick when some one locks in a submission on him. im sure it has a lot to do with Mir breaking his arm but you gotta at least make an attempt to get out. Fedor WILL get Tim on the ground at some point and he WILL make a sub attempt, Tims got a ton of heart and hes gonna need it.
@ R.J.
There’s no denying that Sylvia is a tough SOB, but I always question his heart. I think he gets in over his head, and the second he realizes it in the cage against a quality opponent, he buckles. Back in the day, he used to beat the snot out of everybody…now all of a sudden, he has all this “respect” for guys like Nog that he never would have admitted to having respect for, just a few years ago. I think he’s obviously gone very soft, and even though he will put on a tough guy front, he will be quivering on the inside in Fedor’s presence!!!
lost respect for manny after that one… hes added to my piece of **** list in the ufc…
Though im a Big Tim fan, id pick Fedor for sure, the only question is, will Fedor be able to stop Tim? People may hate it and think its boring, but Tim has greatly increased his defensive skills, like his wrestling and BJJ. I could see Tim going the distance with Fedor, one things for sure, Tim isnt getting KO, hes either getting submitted or going the distance.
Heres a thought.. will the haters respect either of these guys after the fight regardless of the outcome? probably not.. If Fedor wins, they will say, “Tim sucks, why doesnt Fedor fight anyone good” .. If Tim wins they will say “I knew Fedor was overrated, he sucks”
seems like a no win situation, but in reality who gives a **** what the haters think! the real fans get to see a fight.
bv …we never agree on **** dude
@BV,
You raise a very valid point…I must say I’ve always been a Tim Sylvia hater. But, just when I wanted to back him up for that one or 2 fights, he let me down, and didn’t even put up much resistance in my opinion. We all know of Fedor’s ability to take a beating. So even if Tim keeps him away and beats him like he did to Nog with the jab…at any point Fedor could trun it around…if he gets “bored”…and decides, “okay let’s finish this”…
i see your sold on the unbeatable Fedor thing, but this isnt going to be the easiest fight he ever had. i dont think its a case of “Fedor will finish Tim when ever he wants” but more of a “can Fedor finish Tim?” if Tim can keep the fight standing and box it out, it could easily go the distance. im not a Tim Sylvia fan i dont like his style and im not going to say hes going to win, but i do think that fight would be a lot closer then people are saying.
Like DrJ said, Fedor hasnt fought a real contender in 18 months, i dont care how good you are, thats a long time man. Fedor is still #1 in my book but for his sake i hope he trains his *** off for this fight because you can bet Tim will because this is the biggest fight in Tims career.
This is how i see it…
Tim has never been knocked out
Fedor has never been knocked out
if it stays standing its going the distance
if it goes to the ground, Fedor will most likely submit Tim.
Just because someone has never been knocked out doesn’t mean thay can’t. I could see Fedor getting a TKO easily. the guy’s ground and pound is relentless. Tim has KO power if he gets a clean shot on Fedor’s chin you never know. My money is Fedor by armbar.
so very true any man could be knocked, ANY man. but the reason Tim hasnt been knocked out is because he doesnt put him self in a position to get KOed very often plus he recovers very well. Fedor has great armbars its no secret he has finished quite a few fights that way, but im sure Tim knows this and im sure hes going to do his damnedest to stay out of any spot that might end in an armbar. im seeing a decision win for Fedor for being the more active fighter and this fight not helping to raise the stock on ether fighter.
lol guys, i never said they cant be knocked out, im just using their history to predict the outcome. Judging by the fact neither guy has EVER been knocked out, its unlikely that it would happen this time, not impossible (obviously).
RJ & BVRASP
What are you guys talking about? Tim going the distance with fedor? I’m sure tim knows how to defend subs etc or ARMBAR from fedor. The question here is is he fast enough to defend it?
I disagree with general classification about haters etc. I’m fedor fan. I used to hate tim but his last fight with Nog change my mind to some extend. Haters or fan, I’m sure u can think objectively… can u not?
Let’s face it. Fedor will not TKO tim by ground and pound. However, tim will get sub by fedor if on the ground. Will the fight stay standing? I highly doubt it. Fedor took Semmy schilt down didn’t he? Do u honestly believe tim is better then schilt in speed in defending a takedown? I have yet to see fedor unable to take down anyone. Have u? The only person that perhaps woop fedor’s *** was arona years back.
I do believe that fedor has everything to lose in this fight and little to gain. If fedor beat tim, so what? People are expecting him to. If fedor lost, he is ‘EXPOSED’. If tim wins, he suddenly shot to fame! If tim loses, it’s expected anyway. So tim has everything to gain.
I hope that fedor beat tim in a quick and dominant fashion because otherwise, he will continue to be questioned of his number 1 status. I agree that fedor haven’t fought top opponent for a long time and he may have already be in his decline. Who knows. I just hope the PRIDE fedor is still around. As for tim, I suppose I will find out on July 19 if tim’s slow jab will knock out fedor? After all, if u can throw a punch, u have a puncher’s chance.
i am trying to think about objectively and it pains me oh so much to say Tim might do ok against Fedor. i think Tim does have better takedown D then Semmy and im sure Fedor can and will put Tim on his back but that doesnt mean hes not smart enough to find a way to get it back up. i think part of the reason people get subbed by Fedor is they panic and try to scramble (bottom) or finish (top) and when your flailing around with someone like Fedor sooner or later hes gonna catch an arm and rip it off, if Big Tim stays calm and applies a good game plan he could stay alive till the end. and im not saying Tim will win this fight but i think he can hang tough till the bitter end.
I agree 100% RJ, thats what i been trying to say but you know, words get twisted around.
How bout TUF last night guys? great episode man, im loving the new elimination idea.
Most notably, a guy coming from Serras camp suffered one of the worst knockouts ive ever seen. It was just one right hook on the button followed up by some hammerfists, but what actually hurt the guy was his inability to follow instruction.
The corner kept telling him to keep his mouth closed but i guess he was winded and breathing heavily through his mouth. No matter how tired you are man, you gotta keep that jaw tight, it was a nasty and pretty upsetting sight to see. He was moaning a bit while he was still semi-conscious, ive seen someone react that way while still hurt, but when he was fully awake, he stopped making those sounds. Hope nobody thinks hes a puss or something because of the sounds, its not something you can control at that point.
When he came to, he actually didnt know where he was and he didnt even remember fighting at all, he thought something happened during training or something. Hope the kids ok and if he decides to fight again, hopefully he will keep his jaw tight.
yeah man that was some scary sh*t there. it was a bit crazy to see that because i broke someones jaw before with a knee and he reacted almost the exact same way, when he went down he let out a big “HUUUUHHH” and then couldnt remember sh*t for days after. i feel almost as bad for the guy who threw the punch as the guy who took it (even though he didnt seem that upset by it) no one wants that kind of stuff to happen. you want to win the fight and all that but it sucks when you really hurt someone, i hope the guy can tough it out and continue to live his dream.
aside from all the craziness in the first bout this season looks like it shaping up to be a good one.
K1 on saturday, not too interested in the card, but one fight should be good. Semmy Schilt vs Mark Hunt, definately worth a download atleast..
Timmeh needs a can to beat on for at least one fight, he has been “top contendering” for his entire career for the most part. I think he would look good in a fight with Gonzaga, actually I was hoping for that to happen.
If Nog can take him down that easily, and Randy too (gotta give Tim a break on the back issue) then Fedor is gonna take him down like a pitbull diving on a chew toy…
My pick - FEDOR …
Further cheapens Tim’s stock… stupid timmeh, nobody cares about you doing this, they want to see Randy do it, he’s the guy that beat you… lol
In reply to my own comment … lol
I will definately find a way to watch this fight.. because it’s the first real fight Fedor will have had in 20 months….
Tim will win by keeping the fight up.
just watch.