On June 26, 2010, Fedor Emelianenko made a significant error that proved very costly for him.
The heavyweight icon was defending his remarkable 28-bout undefeated record in the main event of a Strikeforce show held in San Jose, California.
Fabricio Werdum was the fighter assigned the challenging task of overcoming Russia`s formidable champion.
The future UFC titleholder made the victory appear surprisingly simple, defeating Emelianenko in just over a minute.
Fedor Emelianenko`s beginner`s mistake cost him dearly
Heading into the bout against one of MMA`s most dangerous submission artists, Fedor Emelianenko held a record of 31-1 with one no-contest.
Therefore, it was a major shock when he committed a fundamental mistake less than a minute into the fight against Werdum.
During a chaotic exchange of strikes, Emelianenko managed to take his opponent down to the mat.
However, he misinterpreted what appeared to be a slip, believing Werdum was badly hurt by one of his punches.
Sensing an opportunity to finish, `The Last Emperor` made a critical error by jumping into Werdum`s guard to attempt ground and pound.
Once in that position, it quickly became clear that Werdum was not injured at all, as he swiftly secured a triangle choke.
Emelianenko struggled to break free from the submission, but ultimately had to tap out after only 69 seconds.
Joe Rogan names Fedor Emelianenko the heavyweight GOAT
In February, Joe Rogan identified the greatest heavyweight in MMA history during a discussion on his podcast.
Brendan Schaub initiated the debate by stating, “I think Cain in his prime is the best heavyweight ever.”
Rogan countered, expressing his opinion that Emelianenko is the finest big man seen in MMA.
“It’s hard to say because of Fedor,” he remarked.
“If you could get juicy Fedor from Pride, I don’t know if anybody beats Fedor in his prime.
“He was so good, dude, Fedor walked down Cro Cop when he was in his prime.
“You’ve got to remember most of that fight was standing up, and Fedor was going blow for blow with [Mirko] Cro Cop and walking him down. That Randelman armbar, he f—ing suplexes him on his head and five seconds later he’s got him in a kimura, it’s crazy. He was different, he was a monster.”
Gareth Pendleton