Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey believes Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest fighter of all time.
There are few things MMA fans love more than debating greatness. Naturally, names like Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Demetrius Johnson are thrown into the “GOAT” discussion. UFC CEO Dana White and others agreed, calling Bones the greatest fighter of all time.
As he said in a recent interview, talk sports mixed martial arts, Ronda Rousey was asked to participate in the debate. The former UFC women's bantamweight champion is currently on a press tour for her new book and recently dubbed herself the GOAT of women's MMA. This quickly drew criticism from former rivals such as Cris Cyborg.
But when it comes to mixed martial arts in general, Ronda Rousey has to give it up to Fedor Emelianenko. “The Last Emperor” finally retired from combat last year after her historic career. Despite never having fought in the UFC, the Russian has defeated multiple former champions, including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Frank Mir, and Mark Coleman.
Ronda Rousey explained in an interview that she is personally a fan of Fedor Emelinanenko's sambo career. While that's a big reason why she likes the legend, she also praised his famous fight against Mirko Cro Cop in 2005. Rousey added that this match is probably her favorite MMA match of all time.
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Former UFC champion Ronda Rousey names Fedor Emelianenko as MMA's GOAT
“Besides me?” Ronda Rousey said with a laugh when asked in an interview with TalkSPORT MMA who she would choose as the best fighter of all time. “I'm just a Fedor nerd [Emelianenko] you. I think Fedor had everything at that time. He also has a connection to judo, and I'm a big judo nerd. Sambo is basically Russian judo, so I have to say he. Him vs. Cro Cop is my favorite match of all time. ”
Ronda Rousey believes Fedor Emelianenko is a goat, but she doesn't believe he's perfect. When asked how a fight between the Russian and Jon Jones would go, the former UFC champion said:
“Oh, hey, Jon Jones won't even have to train and he'll win. That's just the most Jon Jones thing ever. He'll get off a boat from the Bahamas, get in there and win. That's It's like, “Fuck you!'' I practiced as hard as I could, and then Jon Jones showed up and won!''
What do you think about these comments from former UFC champion Ronda Rousey? Do you think Fedor Emelianenko is in the GOAT conversation?
