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By: Jason Amadi, MMATorch Columnist
This article was originally published on November 7
As nostalgic as hardcore fans of the defunct Pride Fighting Championship are known to be, it's unlikely that the "Pride Never Die" contingent will ever admit another fight could be bigger or more special than the 2005 meeting between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Because their bout was so highly anticipated and actually delivered at fight time, Fedor vs. Cro Cop has enjoyed a lengthy reign as the greatest heavyweight title fight in mixed martial arts history.
However, in many ways, what the UFC has put together for their debut on Fox this Saturday night is the second coming of Fedor vs. Cro Cop -- only better. Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos in 2011 represents everything that Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko Cro Cop did in 2005, but bigger, stronger, and faster.
Velasquez is stoic in his demeanor, relentless in the cage and is by far the most well rounded heavyweight fighter of his era, much like a prime Fedor Emelianenko. However, even in his prime, "The Last Emperor" was always lacking when it came to his wrestling and striking technique, two areas in which the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion excels.
Junior dos Santos may lack the K-1 resume that Mirko Cro Cop carried with him into mixed martial arts, but he's just as dangerous a striker in MMA as Cro Cop ever was. On top of that, he possesses a much more sophisticated defensive wrestling game than Filipovic's signature sprawl and is light years ahead of the Croatian on the ground should he actually be taken down and forced to fight there.
As stylistically similar as they may be, perhaps it isn't even fair to compare the two bouts. The fact is, it means so much more to be an elite mixed martial artist in the UFC present day than it did six years ago in Pride. Velasquez and dos Santos may not have the experience that Emelianenko and Cro Cop did heading into Final Conflict 2005, but they didn't get where they are by competing against pro wrestlers like Yuji Nagata and Dos Caras Jr. either.
Both champion and challenger head into battle this Saturday night having faced nothing but tough competition in the UFC, and they've crushed them all with relative ease. They've both been so completely dominant in their UFC campaigns thus far that fight fans across the globe will wait with bated breath just to see which one of them is finally forced to take a step backward for the first time.
In fact, another area in which Saturday night's main event really sets itself apart is in its potential to bring new fans to the sport on a global scale. The heavyweight title bout between Velasquez and dos Santos will not only be the first UFC fight to air on national television here in the United States, but the fight will also air live in 14 other countries including Brazil, Canada, and the UK.
When it's all said and done, Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos will be the answer to a lot of trivia questions. But will "greatest heavyweight title fight in history" be one of them?
Feel free to follow me on Twitter @JasonAmadi. Pride is dead; it totally is.
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STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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