I was a guest on Bloody Elbow Radio last night after the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva post-fight press conference. I was asked for my impression of Antonio Silva and his performance as well as what's next for him. What stuck out to me most about Bigfoot's performance was just how thoroughly dominating he was of the Russian.
Fedor Emelianenko Beaten By Antonio Silva Worse Than Any Other Fighter
Antonio Silva’s win over Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva wasn’t just historically relevant, it was physically unprecedented.
I scored the first round for Emelianenko, but a case can be made that Silva also won the first round especially given the late takedown he scored before the bell. But it’s the second round that deserves special attention.
Before we get to the numbers, it’s worth considering why this is noteworthy. It’s not just that Silva crushed a top-ranked, highly-respected fighter. It’s that he beat a fighter known for comebacks. Emelianenko is known for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat over and over again. Bigfoot’s performance stands out because even when take inventory of all the moments where Emelianenko has been hurt, rocked or controlled, not one even comes close to the second round methodical demolition Silva turned in last night.
Fedor's been rocked by Kazuyuki Fujita, slammed directly on his neck and back by Kevin Randleman, controlled by Mark Hunt, pushed around by Andrei Arlovski, bloodied by Brett Rogers, body-lock slammed by Matt Lindland, takedown down by Ricardo Arona and even triangle-choked by Fabricio Werdum. But not one of those fights stand us statistically to what Antonio Silva did to Fedor last night. Look at the numbers, i.e. gruesome details:
He landed 28 significant strikes in the fight, eight more than any previous opponent in Fedor’s career.
He landed two takedowns, tied with Mark Coleman (twice) and Kevin Randleman for most landed in a fight against Fedor.
He attempted three submissions, tied with Fabricio Werdum for most attempted in a single fight against Fedor.
He executed six passes, three more than the previous high by a Fedor opponent.
That is literally unprecedented.
The defining signature of Silva’s win is that there can be no call to luck or small mistakes that were capitalized upon by intrepid opposition. This was not serrendipity or a mental lapse from “The Last Emperor”. This was a deconstruction by a clearly superior fighter.
When was the last time you’ve ever seen Fedor stuck and suffocated in mount? Critics point to Silva’s size as contributing to Fedor’s problems last night and that’s true, but the real difference for Silva was skill. His size didn’t hurt him last night, but it was technical superiority that sealed Fedor’s fate.
Admittedly, Silva had a huge body of footage to review in order to gameplan for Fedor. And that footage shows Fedor has always played open, loose guard. An excellent passer who can physically control on top was destined to give Fedor fits. Antonio Rodrigo Noegueira reversed position from bottom guard to on top half guard in their first fight, but was unable to advance as the round bell sounded.
I'm not sure how far Silva can advance in the tournament, but he's got a better shot than most realize. Of all the tournament participants, he's got some of the best wrestling, level-changing and top control. Some may point to Josh Barnett, but his inactivity makes confidence in his performance ability dubious.
Silva is set to face the winner of Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum. Stylistically, he's got his work cut out for him against Werdum, but he's got an excellent chance against Overeem. Overeem's standing skills are beyond compare among tourney participants, but the last two wrestlers he faced were Chuck Liddell and Ricardo Arona. Both of those fights were at light heavyweight and Overeem lost them both. If he has wrestling skill and a guard game, he's going to have to prove it.
Antonio Silva was once the super heavyweight who was intriguing, but without championship promise. Now he's the first man to annihilate Fedor Emelianenko. How far can actually he go? What accomplishments can he actually put together? No one knows, but we'd be foolish not to pay attention.
There was a “Bigfoot” sighting last night in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And this time, he isn’t going away.
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