Fedor's New Year's Eve Freak Show Fight

Satoshi Ishii, the 21 year old judoka who just took home the gold medal in Judo is calling out Fedor Emelianenko. From Dave Meltzer:

In Beijing, China, after winning the gold medal in the superheavyweight division in judo this past week, Japan’s Satoshi Ishii said he wanted to fight "Emelianenko Fedor," as the legendary Russian fighter is known in Japan.

Ishii, 21, has never fought MMA style. The idea of the match may sound laughable to MMA aficionados, but New Year’s Eve in Japan is traditional for gimmick performers, whether they be Japanese entertainment personalities, giants, or athletes who were successful in other sports, doing fights. With Ishii becoming a national hero in Japan and the sport fading in popularity, such a match would draw the kind of interest that Emelianenko against a top fighter could never do.

Link

I'm not sure why the author called this a freak show. Pawel Nastula held his own against two top HWs in Pride for his first two matches. You never know, this fight might not be as quick as one might think.

Is it comfirmed to be MMA rules?

It's Satoshi Ishii though, not Pawel Nastula. I guess it's a freakshow because Satoshi has never fought in MMA before.

There's not a lot to it right now, it's basically just someone calling out Fedor. It is interesting though that someone who just won a gold medal at the Olympics is going to call out the #1 P4P fighter. Fedor seems to love to take up these kind of matches. It will be interesting to see if he responds.

Ishii's gonna be confused when he realizes there may be no wrestling involved at all. Even if there was, Fedor would out wrestle him.

Could be Fedor's wished-for NYE fight, health pending. This is basically a Japanese national hero vs. a Japanese icon as Fedor is still hugely over in Japan. From a financial perspective, this is the kind of match they need to build a show around.

---

Posted by Wolfenstein

It's Satoshi Ishii though, not Pawel Nastula.

---

I used the comparison because both are gold medal judoka and had never fought in MMA before.

As for freak show, when I hear the term I think of one or more participating fighters having a physical attribute (as opposed to a skill differential) that makes the fight interesting (size, speed, strength), rather than just a match where the competitors have very different experience levels.

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

you dont need to say.

The New Years eve show is pretty much only for the Japanese fans, something that they want to see (their own athletes face the best, even though their athletes might not be at that level)...So it was expected that this match would be against someone popular in Japan, and not necessarily a top fighter. Its like a gift to them for being loyal, and I for one dont mind. Olympic gold medalist vs Fedor is sure to bring in big ratings.

EDIT: Also i think is important to consider, even though DREAM has put on great fights, their ratings have been pretty bad, and a fight like this can bring the rating up to where they want them to be, and that could get the promotion more noticed.

lol when i heard "freak fight" i instantly thought
dont tell me Sapp is gettin a shot at him

but this isnt a freak bout. Fedor will still dom, but it isnt a freak bout. bet it lasts longer than Tim

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

Posted by Aether

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

He needs to fight somone.

---

Posted by casey64

---

Posted by Aether

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

He needs to fight somone.

---

and there's plenty of fighters who deserve a shot. Why Fedor likes to take these fights is beyond me.

---

Posted by JimiMak

---

Posted by casey64

---

Posted by Aether

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

He needs to fight somone.

---

and there's plenty of fighters who deserve a shot. Why Fedor likes to take these fights is beyond me.

---

I guess he thinks there easy wins, sorry I dont like fedor.

Well hi last "freak show" fight lasted longer then his "top comp" fight so people should just shut up about it.

---

Posted by JimiMak

---

Posted by casey64

---

Posted by Aether

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

He needs to fight somone.

---

and there's plenty of fighters who deserve a shot. Why Fedor likes to take these fights is beyond me.

---

Because the Japanese fans have been loyal to him over the years, so he gives them a fight they want to see. To him it doesnt matter who he's fighting, its abo about giving back to those fans and giving them a show they want to see. Arlovski vs Fedor wouldnt do half the ratings a fight like this would.

---

Posted by juanez13

---

Posted by JimiMak

---

Posted by casey64

---

Posted by Aether

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

He needs to fight somone.

---

and there's plenty of fighters who deserve a shot. Why Fedor likes to take these fights is beyond me.

---

Because the Japanese fans have been loyal to him over the years, so he gives them a fight they want to see. To him it doesnt matter who he's fighting, its abo about giving back to those fans and giving them a show they want to see. Arlovski vs Fedor wouldnt do half the ratings a fight like this would.

---

i was gonna re-post what u wrote the 1st time, which was a legit answer that obviously was ignored

if u know ur stufff, this fight actually makes a lot of sense....

yeah exactly what juanez said. The japanese fans are what got him where he is, and this is the kind of stuff they like. It's not a big deal if he does ONE show a year for them against less than stellar competition to show his appreciation to his real fans (most casual fans in north america have no clue who he is). As long as he continues fighting the top heavyweights in Affliction afterwards I don't see a problem with this. He's going to beat everyone anyway.

I think it's crazy for anyone to say he just wants to take easy fights... Sure he's faced some cans, but that doesn't erase his long list of top notch competition, including his most recent fight.

Ok so he's too hurt to fight Arlovski but he can fight someone 0-0 in mma?
wtf. I am also not a fan of Fedor, what's his deal?
I wont like em until he fights arlovski or Randy that's how it's gonna be.

---

Posted by Jesse_Canadian_MMA

Ok so he's too hurt to fight Arlovski but he can fight someone 0-0 in mma?
wtf. I am also not a fan of Fedor, what's his deal?

---

He's not allowed to fight in the US you see, as said by the NSAC...who, by the way, have no power in Japanese MMA.

Fedor has beat a who's who of heavyweights in the MMA world... he should be allowed to give back to the Japanese fans who made him a star there. He made Sylvia look like Zulu.

If you aren't a fan of his by now, you don't deserve to be one.

Juuuuuuuuuuddddddddddddddooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
yes i just yelled this

---

Posted by TimW001

---

Posted by Jesse_Canadian_MMA

Ok so he's too hurt to fight Arlovski but he can fight someone 0-0 in mma?
wtf. I am also not a fan of Fedor, what's his deal?

---

He's not allowed to fight in the US you see, as said by the NSAC...who, by the way, have no power in Japanese MMA.

---

True, but that's only part of the answer. If he were to fight in Japan while under suspension in the US it could have an effect on him fighting in the US for a while. Assuming Fedor wants to fight in the US again... and that's a bigger "IF" than people realize... Fedor needs to abide by the suspension.

That said. There is a pretty good chance he can heal and have a doctor give him clearance by the end of the year. Jesse's question is kind of silly considering the difference in when the fights are supposed to take place.

I'd rather see Fedor fight the best in the world. If Ishii trained mma I imagine he could be pretty good. Too bad he hasn't. This fight doesn't bother me really though. Big time MMA in Japan is hurting and this match will help it survive. Japan has one of, if not the, richest combat sports histories in the world. What kind of fan doesn't want to see that history survive and continue? Japanese MMA has always involved that element of style vs. style... and Japan's best vs. the world. It may seem outdated to us in the era of all-around fighters, but mma was originally built on this concept.

In the end, sometimes things don't happen as they should. In a perfect world, all the fighters would fight the best fighters on worldwide PPV, with nothing but the outcomes of fights determining the matchups. There would be no blowhard middle-aged white guys trying to get their face all over the product, calling themselves promoters, there would be no financial or managerial concerns from the fighters. It would snow half an inch every Christmas Eve, and after opening up your presents the next morning (and you got everything you wanted) you and your Grandpa (who is fit as a fiddle) would discuss the "Super Bowl of MMA" coming up on New Year's Eve. "I can't wait to see Fedor vs. Anderson," your Grandpa says to you as you nod your head in agreement. Then your wife, Jessica Alba, takes you back in the bedroom for a quickie before Christmas dinner.

As it is, we'll have to make due with what we get.

I guess we should just call Rulon Gardner VS Yoshida a freak show fight as well.LOL


I don't see a problem with this.Hell,maybe the dude will last longer than Timmy.

well if this guy is seriously calling out Fedor.. do you not think he is going to try and cross train as much as possible in the mean time? Also as stated Fedor can fight who he wants... he has earned that.. let him do this show it would be great for the sport in Japan plus i think else where.. a Olympic gold medalist in Judo going into MMA will probably raise a lot of eyes to take a look at the sport around the globe... and if the guy can hold on for even just a few minutes it would be fun to see.. plus does not Fedor have a judo back ground as well.. I thought I read that somewhere? this could be very interesting to watch.. I still think fedor would win but does not make it an uninteresting match..

I think that this is great for MMA. Did he ask for Fedor publicly? I mean did you the media get this? If the everyday American isnt a fan of MMA, but they where watching the Olympics... this could be great. Someone wins a ******* GOLD MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS. (most think that that is the pinnacle of his career) Then he goes on the call out Fedor ( a Mixed Martial Artist), the less than knowledable sports fan might question how serouis MMA is. I mean, he basically told the world that there is another step, something bigger and better. We may not see it that way because we know about the judokas and how they transfer over to MMA, and the japanese may know, but the average Olympic watcher doesnt. Maybe, i'm exzagerating. IDK. I just think that he just publicly put MMA on the same level if not above that of the Olympics. Hmm, sorry, just rambling.

---

Posted by juanez13

---

Posted by JimiMak

---

Posted by casey64

---

Posted by Aether

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

Need I remind you he just demolished Tim Sylvia in well under a minute?

---

He needs to fight somone.

---

and there's plenty of fighters who deserve a shot. Why Fedor likes to take these fights is beyond me.

---

Because the Japanese fans have been loyal to him over the years, so he gives them a fight they want to see. To him it doesnt matter who he's fighting, its abo about giving back to those fans and giving them a show they want to see. Arlovski vs Fedor wouldnt do half the ratings a fight like this would.

---

that's a BS excuse and you know it. Everyone else takes crap for not taking the best fights but he gets excuses made for him.

---

Posted by Naturaldisaster

need I say, once again fedor is not fighting the top competition?

---

The ******* fight is a weak rumor at this point. Tim Sylvia must be your favorite fighter.

the reason people are backing him up is because he has legitimate reasons for doing this, it's not like he's ducking anyone, he broke his hand and can't fight in the states.

The fact that he's circumventing his suspension to put on a show for his japanese fans after breaking his hand only makes him more badass IMO.

People get criticized for ducking fighters or not taking fights they are able to take. He doesn't have the option to fight Arlovski, if he did, the fight would still be on. That's exactly why people are defending him.