UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier believes that heavyweight MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko would have been “average at best” in the UFC.
At one point in time just over a decade ago, there was a legitimate chance that Emelianenko would sign with the UFC. However, it didn’t end up happening, and it never did in the years since then. As far as Cormier goes, that’s all good because having Emelianenko fight in the UFC wouldn’t have changed anything. Speaking on the Debate DC show, the former UFC champ says Emelianenko would have struggled in the UFC.
“We’re talking a window of 2009-11. (That’s) where the UFC dealt with Fedor or at least tried to make something happen. The UFC was interested for a long time, until he went to Bellator and then obviously he’s off limits,” Cormier said (h/t MMAFighting.com). “But all the time, Fedor kind of flew around, fighting in organizations, things can still be done. Versus Brock Lesnar, I’ll give you that. I think he beats Brock Lesnar. But outside of that, I don’t think Fedor competes very well in the UFC. I think that, honestly, Fedor not going to the UFC allowed for the intrigue to stay, but the reality of the situation is he would not have done well against those guys like JDS (Junior dos Santos), he wasn’t beating Cain Velasquez, he would have struggled with guys like Cheick Kongo. He was not beating those guys that were at the top of the UFC at that time. I’m certain of it. I know you’re gonna say, ‘ Well he beat this guy, he beat (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira and he beat Frank Mir.’ For as great as he is, he would have been, at that time in the sport, average at best. I’m telling you. Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC between 2009-11, average at best.”
