Why John McCarthy believes Fedor Emelianenko is the GREATEST MMA Heavyweight of all time 💪

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Ed Draper is joined by legendary MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy to discuss a range of topics from how Bellator will line-up once it returns, his thoughts on Fedor Emelianenko being the greatest heavyweight of all-time and a look inside the mind of an MMA referee. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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[@mps9649]

He is the GOAT period. Others may come close but one and only Fedor..The Last Emperor

[@isaacalzate8262]

Even with khabib I will NEVER see another fedor he not ONLY is the best russian but the best P4P fighter of all time be beat Olympic gold medalist mark Coleman and heavyweight KICKBOXING world champion shimmy schultz

[@mickmc1705]

Definitely the best fighter mma has ever seen. I don't think anyone could take him in his prime and he doesn't and has never taken steroids like silva,Jones or ngannou. Most fighters who are clean and won't to keep an incredible record retire around 32 like Khabibe, who is 2nd to Fedor, bc at the 30 most men start losing t and you have to start juicing to keep up. I think Fedor lost his 1st fight around 35 bc he wasn't juicing to keep up. Marciano retired at 32 or 33 to keep his record perfect.

[@benheatherkrieger79]

@@isaacalzate8262 just so you're aware even Khabib has publicly stated that Fedor was the best ever!

[@Zundopolis]

Fedor was absolutely terrifying in his prime. Definitely one of the greatest to ever do it.

[@TruthSeeker-rn1tm]

The greatest.

[@zyonharmon2951]

He’s right Fedor is the best ever

[@grahamjonathan762]

Fedor = GOAT

[@asforemita]

John is right, Fedor reached 31-1 while that 01 loss should have been a N.C. Let´s not forget the guy is 182cm tall and holds that kind of win streak at heavyweight division with rules that allowed kicks in the head and stomps... That being said what I think its more impressive about him is that he is able to defeat wrestlers, strikes and grapplers on their own game, he defeated K-1 champions, ADCC champpions, all americans, UFC champions, etc... In his prime if he fought a tank my money as on him.

[@ericwilson9811]

Wow people are measured in cm? How many millimetres tall is he? jk

[@asforemita]

@@ericwilson9811 182cm is 1820mm... How can people nowadays still use the retarded imperic model?

[@arnaldooppitz9107]

@@ericwilson9811 also 182cm is around 6 feet 1 inches.. just in case lol

[@Nenad-ICXC-Shuput-GFAMMA]

Fedor fought all them roided up and all shapes and forms, big huge stocky, short quick fast strong roided up the gills, never complained. And held the heavyweight title for over a decade .

[@cheetoyeeto1232]

I mean we never know if he juiced. He fought in pride ffs. They encouraged juicing. And he defended just thrice.

[@simdoran8516]

Fedor never used steroids as he has got natural power and his natural body shape shows that.

[@Nenad-ICXC-Shuput-GFAMMA]

@@simdoran8516 exactly

[@NostalgicMem0ries]

never really lost in his prime also

[@kriswilliamson659]

He never complained cause he was on the juice too 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@theredpill1318]

Fedor is the greatest fighting man in all of recorded human history

[@Nirotix]

Fedor is the GOAT! He comes in, does his job, and leaves the ring exactly how he came in. He doesn't celebrate, toss his hands up, he cares about his opponents. He is by far the best MMA fighter of all time.

[@Crossfire2003]

Fedor is the greatest heavyweight MMA fighter of all time!

[@alrubaiyatturjo4562]

Fedor is the GOAT......I am a huge khabib fan but watching fedor's fight footage and reigns he is the GOAT....Even khabib admitted this

[@TruthSeeker-rn1tm]

How anyone can compare Khabib's career to Fedor's is beyond me. There is no comparison. Their careers are worlds apart. To say Fedor has done a lot more is a massive understatement.

[@bpo1975]

Fedor is the Michael Jordan of MMA.

[@ricardopereira6873]

John knows whats up. The perfect MMA ambassador.

[@Hhhlll7778]

He is not an author in this subject

[@BeBopScraBoo]

@@Hhhlll7778 he literally wrote the rules of the early ufc competitions.

[@aurelpetrisorbicu806]

FEDOR. GOAT

[@arturito1206]

UFC Champs Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Big Nog, Quinton Jackson, Frank Mir, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, all DEFEATED by this man He was also supposed to face UFC Champ Randy Couture but fight was scrapped because Randy was threaten contract retaliation from UFC. Also UFC Champ Josh Barnett, but fight was scrapped because Josh tested positive for steroids and the whole event and company tanked. Every one knows PRIME Fedor Emelianenko around 2004-2008 was unbeatable then and NOW. He will always be the GOAT

[@AntonOlwage]

Fedor 14:02

[@dchook100]

Thanks bro.

[@under90seconds]

thanks

[@under90seconds]

If John McCarthy says he is the best ever, than he is the best ever. Period.

[@nathanjohnston8386]

Yo sky are actually getting interviews with great people now, big john= GOAT

[@crazydiamond91]

fedor, the greatest!

[@rainchazzer6308]

Fedor in his prime was the best heavyweight ever. I think he destroyed more UFC Champs than any other fighter in history (Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Big Nog, Quinton Jackson, Frank Mir, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski) aside from other belt holders.

[@arturito1206]

Don't forget he was supposed to also face Randy Couture and Josh Barnett both UFC champs

[@jamesoncurry5224]

all in their primes btw

[@ijkbkbns9716]

All those dudes were bums. Ngannou woulda smashed him.

[@cain948]

@@ijkbkbns9716 Ngannou can't even bit Derick Lewis who have a very bad Cardio and dreaming that he will beat Prime Fedor 😂😂😂

[@arcrides6841]

​@@ijkbkbns9716Bums? Yet Heavyweight UFC Champs. What does that make you sir? Since you make no sense at all I'm guessing Fedor was indeed the best at this stuff.

[@satyainkathmandu]

Fedor = GOAT. Never forget.

[@alifarokhi3785]

Finally someone with great representation and knowledge breaking down who is real GOAT. Bravo big john

[@DogsWallop]

GSP SAID IT MIKE TYSON SAID IT JON JONES SAID IT FEDOR IS THE GREATEST FIGHTING ATHELETE OF ALL TIME

[@damasek219]

I also believe Fedor might be the greatest ever. Definitely the greatest heavyweight, but probably even the greatest fighter of all. He fought the best heavyweights of his era. He fought monsters who were obviously on steroids and he beat them all. He was super fast and agile for a heavyweight, his wrestling and grappling was superb. When I see him, how quick and agile he is with all that weight, I must say I believe he would destroy any UFC heavyweight.

[@ijkbkbns9716]

Stipe woulda pieced him up & Francis woulda broke his jaw

[@kratosofspartareal]

@@ijkbkbns9716 😂

[@arcrides6841]

​@@ijkbkbns9716you should do more comedy like this

[@petercoderch589]

Except for the few grey hairs on his chin, John hasn't aged almost nothing since UFC 1 in 1993. He is one of the very few non-fighters who is an absolute legend of the sport.

[@kevthegoat8774]

Fedor Emelianenko's resume has wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Tim Sylvia, Andrei Arlovski, Frank Mir, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Ricardo Arona, Chael Sonnen, Heath Herring, Semmy Schilt, Kazuyuki Fujita, Mark Hunt, Jeff Monson, Brett Rogers, Rampage Jackson, Renato Sobral, Pedro Rizzo and Timothy Johnson.

[@user-rv2ce3gg2c]

Впечатляющий список

[@lagunacorona]

Fedor when undefeated after winning the pride championship for 19 straight fights. Nobody will ever come close. The HW crown is THE CROWN all others are just novelty.

[@Nirotix]

One clear thing sets Fedor Emelianenko apart from most MMA fighters, along with Kevin Randellman. He and Kevin had respect for their opponents. Something that seems lost these days.

[@Aditya2149]

Fedor The Greatest Ever.

[@timontour8487]

Legend

[@deineko]

Big John is cool, one of the most reasonable and professional men in industry. Nice to watch his work, pleasure to see him

[@renevanderschuur4811]

So happy to see this , cause in a lot of reactions some try to bring him down ..Fedor the g.o.a.t

[@MrDanny110605]

yeah it's generally the modern MMA fans that doubt Fedor is the greatest of all time , because they wasn't around to see it . Pride had the best fighters back then too , there is a reason Dana White wanted Fedor in the UFC really badly , although he wouldn't admit it . FEDOR EMILIANENKO = ALL TIME GOAT

[@renevanderschuur4811]

@@MrDanny110605 thank you and nice to hear

[@trevorclausen2994]

This is one of the many true DemiGods of MMA.

[@mokaddemabderrahim6119]

Emelianenko Fedor is definitely the greatest of all time ! Why ?!! Cuz he was extremely undersized for a heavyweight he was a very small heavyweight and at some point in his climax he was almost undefeated by seeing the way he destroyed his opponents that says a lot and showed how really good he was

[@luf4rall]

I love Fedor. He destroyed his opponents in his prime and his body shape was inspirational.

[@watchmanonthewall14]

When Big John has something to say, I tend to listen very carefully.

[@Dhdhfufjdnb]

Whatever said by whoever, we old MMA fans know that Fedor was the Michael jordan in the sport of MMA period.

[@DonMIFC]

John McCarthy was literally at UFC 1. Not watching in the audience, he was reffing the damn fight 😂 And people have the audacity to argue with him and discredit his opinion. Big John is right, Fedor is the GOAT

[@larncieldarknciel440]

I do believe Fedor can defeat Francis, if he fights like pride Fedor. The guy who wrestles, grapples, and strikes. Francis is a giant with long reach and power, but he doesn't have the cardio to go 5 rounds of pure action. If Fedor gets him down in the first two that guy is history. The problem is that Fedor is not fighting like Fedor he just want to strike now. Fedor is a better striker than Francis, but Francis is huge and has a lot of power. He has his one punch knock out opportunity.

[@arnaldooppitz9107]

if Fedor and Francis fought on their respective primes Fedor would demolish Francis.. of course Ngannou will always have a (huge) punchers chance, but Fedor in his prime would be too fast and too techinical for Ngannou. He would throw an overhand right and transition right into an sambo clinch takedown and then pummel Francis head and TKO him or sub him as he would be trying to get back up

[@arnaldooppitz9107]

wouldnt really be that different from his fight with Hong Man Choi (I know Francis is a much better fighter than Hong but even Francis probably would have some trouble with the giants size). He would strike a little, get into a clinch and take the fight to the ground. Even if he ends up on bottom, Fedor would be more than able to sub or reverse Francis (hell he reversed little nog more than once), just like he did CHoi

[@larncieldarknciel440]

@@arnaldooppitz9107 Francis is not technical. the guy is wild and because of his Size he is hard to reach or hit clean. He just power through People's punches like they are not even a threat to him. 2023 Fedor has no chance to beat Francis. He will just stand and trade with Francis like he has been doing with everybody instead of fighting smart like he was during his pride days.

[@arnaldooppitz9107]

@@larncieldarknciel440 never said he was technical and never said Fedor 2023 would beat him lol

[@larncieldarknciel440]

@@arnaldooppitz9107 When You said that if they fought in their respective primes Fedor would win. I basically said you are right, but I was trying to explain why Fedor wins, so we don't look like two fanboys

[@kevinrampersad9202]

Pound for pound the greatest mma fighter of all time - in my view

[@NostalgicMem0ries]

i laugh about comments below... wtf no one from heavyweights even can be mentioned in same league as fedor, only who could be interesting to see fight him in prime, are john jones, khabib and gsp, yes all are not in his weight class, but back in pride fc days it didnt matter 100kg guys fought 60 70 kg guys and lost.... thats why it was entertaining

[@theredpill1318]

I believe jones is naturally about fedors size hes just a weight bully that cherry picks and juices. Jones would never even step in the cage with fedor even for a picture

[@user-kk1gj1uq9n]

Pride-time Fedor was an absolute weapon.

[@johnnieclemons2921]

Greatest baby

[@jerssjyo9u184]

There is no doubt he is the best heavyweight ever.

[@robertwilson3275]

Fedor in his prime was probably the greatest heavyweight in mma

[@johnny5805]

When Fedor was Fedor, in his prime, remember how he used to grab and sambo throw his opponent SO fast ! There was nothing they could do. Nowadays he's just a head hunter who turned his back on his sambo.

[@maltfusion6743]

John please Comment on Mark Hunt.

[@justinfletcher7630]

Being a ref must be anxiety filled knowing to nit stop too early Def not too late

[@dirtycrawford1917]

Unless ur asking in weight classes , there is no question who is the Greatest

[@nathansiegel6799]

Prime Fedor vs McGregor and Aldo at the same time Im drinking vodka and betting on the Russian

[@maltfusion6743]

Can I ask John? Mark Hunt

[@joshsajan3982]

I mean he isn’t wrong

[@jamesoncurry5224]

GOAT. Period.

[@MattOriginalP]

Yes

[@andymrkipling]

Pity you couldn’t of splashed a bit more cash and got the UFC.

[@KILL3RP4NC4K3]

BT Sport coverage is much better than what Sky would do imo

[@Nenad-ICXC-Shuput-GFAMMA]

What are you talking about, bellator pays their people much more then ufc.. besides the stars, such as McG and Brock and GSP. But over all Bellator paye more of them more.

[@elis9387]

@@Nenad-ICXC-Shuput-GFAMMA get a grip 😂, prelims bellator get 1k show 1k win. Minimum ufc is 10k/10k

[@andreazernovski5853]

Fedor is the best of all time...

[@Joker-qh7fq]

I think Fedor its the goat of Mma in the world just not only goat uf but entire mma. But i'd like to see s fight prime Fedor vs Ngannou now

[@arturito1206]

Fedor WIN by submission

[@kevthegoat8774]

I'd take Fedor by decision

[@maltfusion6743]

John McCarthy Is Boston Strong Police.

[@maltfusion6743]

Mark Hunt.

[@tylervinson9250]

fedor is the goat

[@Mars_The_Quest]

Fedor the best

[@januarioapolinario9720]

You don’t need to be an expert in MMA to figure that out🧐

[@ElBribri]

For Fedor click here: 14:00

[@alexsveles343]

Fedor had one problem tho....That is drinking a lot milchakes. Even tho he did train alot everyday...He had a bit of a chubby dadbot apearance. I wished he fought in ufc...but ufc just picked up when he was thinking about retirement

[@maltfusion6743]

Big John for politics.

[@midnite8729]

What policies do you like of his? Like he's even said them before 🙄 Stop being so dumb

[@HittoTheAssassin]

Steve mazagait and Mario Yamasaki where terrible refs

[@tuncaycakici118]

Fedor the GREATEST MMA Heavyweight of all time who nows better than Big John

[@defaulttyler1316]

My stipe fanboy is gonna come out but i think he's better, you gotta realize that his level of opponents he have faced is extremely good, quality over quantity, with wins on amazing fighters like Werdum, Jds, Ngannou, Cormier, Arlovski, Overeem. Fedor also has a great resume, just not as good. Also stipe has avenged 2 out of his 3 losses. The UFC overall has better fighters then the other options.

[@kyleolson279]

JDS, Arlovski, Overeem we're all over the hill when Stipe fought them. Francis was still green he has shown improvement recently though. Fedor beat Nog 2x, Cro Cop, Arlovski, T. Sylvia, Mir, Coleman 2x, Randleman, Herring, Hunt, Schlit, Sobral. The HW division has been on a downslide for years. It was at it's best when Fedor, Nog, Cro Cop, Barnett, T. Sylvia, Arlovski, Kharitonov, A. Emelianenko, Rizzo were at their best.

[@kyleolson279]

@Xftbllplyr I agree Stipe's legacy wins so far are Werdum (38 yrs old) and DC (40yrs old). Everyone else he beat has been washed up (JDS, Arlovski, Hunt, Overeem) or in the case of Francis inexperienced. Fedor beat prime Nog 2x, Cro Cop, T. Sylvia, Arlovski, Coleman (he was still at his best the 1st first). Not to mention Fedor's long winning streak. During that streak he displayed a much more versatile and deeper skill set than Stipe.

[@defaulttyler1316]

@@kyleolson279 Some good points, although overeem wasn't washed up he just wasn't on peds, he's still getting wins today. Werdum being 38 isnt an excuse, he was very motivated and on a win streak, jds and arlovski sure they were gone, also when stipe fought Dc he was 37 and Dc was 40.

[@kyleolson279]

@@defaulttyler1316I do consider DC and Werdum great wins.(but those are Stipe's only great wins)Overeem has been stopped by strikes so many times between MMA and kickboxing it's almost laughable. The fact he's still contender shows how weak hw is today. Stipe should not be mentioned as HW GOAT. Fedor and Nog are the only guys that deserve to be in the HW GOAT conversation. They both have deep resumes. Josh Barnett has an underrated resume and is right behind them in my opinion.

[@ljubomirradisic]

@@kyleolson279 I 100% agree with you. Prime Fedor is the GOAT.

[@sandorhartig3957]

People we Are talik about a guy wha Is 110 kg and 185 cm, but......his speed Is more like worp speed, fast like a snake and submision Are.....beyond............just see how Kevin randleman throws HIM on his neck!!!!!..........and Fedor won, by submision witch Is my favorite 'cuzz that 3 tap Is the worst for the loser!!!

[@user-ru5go6wm6d]

106kg and 183sm

[@perunseles8791]

RussianAmerican vs RussianRussian

[@daisymontague9515]

I think we are biased heavily because of nostalgia. Similar to how people talk about how great Andre Giant or Babe Ruth was. Fedor was great in PRIDE because most of his opponents were inexperienced. Not to mention PRIDE feeding Fedor. When faced with less-skilled opponents, of course Fedor looked like he was S-Tier while most of opponents ranked significantly lower.

[@BeBopScraBoo]

he beat former ufc champtions 7 times. pride had a better heavyweight division than ufc. back then in america, athletes of heavyweight size could do other professional sports or become UPS drivers and make more money than fighting in UFC.

[@johnhorne3052]

This is a ridiculous take. Minotauro Nogueira is widely considered one of the absolute best heavyweights of all time (and for good reason). Fedor (who is the same age) dominated him twice. Both times in their 20's.

[@larncieldarknciel440]

We might get to see Fedor fight Francis. Francis is a free agent. After he gets defeated in boxing. He is very likely to go to Balletor. A fight between Fedor vs a UFC champ, a current one would determine whether or not Fedor could have been a UFC champ

[@nathansiegel6799]

I might be the biggest Fedor fan ever outside of Russia but Fedor is too old to fight Francis. Bader caught Fedor and Fedor was basically done. If Francis fights Fedor and lands it would make what Fajita did to Fedor look like childs play.

[@loozer9598]

Why does this "reporter" look like he's filming on a potato in his shed? Tangled earbuds and a bunch of crap behind him. Worse than amateur.

[@drummerboy16n53]

Francis, Stipe, Cormier, Jones, overeem maybe, and tons of UFC heavyweights and light Heavyweight that would move up, could easily smash Fedor with no effort. I would love to see overeem vs Fedor that would be amazing. Did that already happen? Idk. All of those would be great. Cormier and Fedor would be the craziest superfight ever. Jones vs Fedor would be not as good as the Cormier one but would be pretty nice

[@richardmosqueda5387]

Thats funny all the Fighters u named all Say fedors number 1 except Overeem cause he’s a hater like u 🤣🤣🤣🤣Plus the fighters u named are in two different time eras but in his prime FEDORS The best no one can match his 10 year domination nobody

[@KONAMAN100]

You have to look at Fedor prime years, and that rules out the last years, sorry Fedor. In prime, back in early 2000s he was a big headache for anyone. On feet and on the ground. Beast.

[@mps9649]

@Joe Mama2..Mate you come across as someone who is a newbie MMA fan..hence its understandable that you make this statement above.

[@drummerboy16n53]

@Xftbllplyr 👌

[@drummerboy16n53]

@@mps9649 I'm not a newbie why do people think someone with a different opinion is a casual or newbie it's so annoying I have been watching combat sports for 6 years

[@lex6794]

He didn't spend enough time fighting in the UFC, that's the best league with the best fighters. He refused to fight Overreem 2x when he was the champion in Strikeforce, The goat wouldn't turn down a fight. Francis would pound him into a pulp and Fedor could be in his prime.

[@kriswilliamson659]

Fedor cant be the best,he never beat the best.dc has a better record than fedor,stipe has a better record than fedor ,and i guarantee francis takes his head off. Verdum is even better than fedor lmfao big john is losing it lmao

[@Rayyning]

He demolished the best of his era. He went 31 fights undefeated while being relatively under sized. Stipe and DC are great, no doubt. They are not Fedor. You talk as if Fedor is supposed to be in his prime right now. He’s been over the hill for about 10 years or so.

[@theamazingcj5708]

He did fight the best lmao. 9-1 against ufc heavyweight champions and he beat many greats in pride. 10+ year unbeaten streak.

[@erikd131weaver7]

Fedor is the GOAT

[@arturito1206]

PRIME Fedor 2004-2008 Beats all this guys

[@kriswilliamson659]

Fedor was definitely on roids lol

[@arturito1206]

maybe, can't really argue. There's a good chance

[@fat12boy52]

He is very wrong

[@charlieoronzon7108]

And your nick is very right