Emelianenko vs. Arlovski - War of Words about to be War of Fists
by Nick Meyer
Usually in most mixed martial arts main events, the pre-fight hype involves a manufactured “rivalry” between the two fighters in order to drive ticket sales and pay-per-view buys.
In the case of the Affliction: Day of Reckoning on Saturday night, the rivalry is real. The only odd thing about it is that this time the main conflict is between one of Arlovski’s trainers and Emelianenko, who happens to be the best fighter in the world according to many observers.
Freddie Roach, the legendary boxing trainer who’s working with Arlovski heading into his fight with Emelianenko, criticized the MMA legend’s ability to strike, saying that he is flat-flooted and has no technique. He also complimented Fedor’s ground game but added that his aggressiveness could be used against him in the Affliction main event for the heavyweight championship.
There are two schools of thought regarding this fight and the effect that those comments could possibly have. The first school revolves around the idea that Arlovski is now much-improved and ready to cash in on his immense talent, giving him a real chance of upsetting the Russian superstar.
The second school of thought is that Fedor will come into the ring more motivated than ever before to prove a point, and that such a mental state could lead to some big problems for Mr. Arlovski.
The BetUS MMA odds for this fight have Fedor a heavy favorite at -375 to +235 and that’s for good reason.
Arlovski polished his boxing technique and has legitimate knockout power but Fedor definitely has a more well rounded game and he is probably a better athlete despite his notoriously pudgy appearance. Roach said he thought that getting over the fear of losing to Emelianenko is one of the most important factors that will decide the fight, and while there is some truth to that, it’s also Emelianenko’s amazing ability to control the pace of a fight and to thrive in all different situations that makes him so difficult to beat.
Fedor can win this fight via submission, ground-and-pound, knockout, and everywhere in between while Arlovski most likely has to either knock out or out-point Fedor standing up to have a chance to win this one because his jiu-jitsu game isn’t nearly up to the same standard.
Roach thinks Arlovski has the boxing skills to win but Emelianenko is not the kind of fighter who will allow his opponent to dictate the style of the fight and he will do his best to change levels and turn the fight into a scramble should Arlovski manage to start out-boxing him.
While Arlovski definitely has a puncher’s chance of winning this fight, Fedor Emelianenko is easily the better bet and a solid wager. Despite the not-so-attractive odds because he simply doesn’t lose. Until Emelianenko actually shows some cracks in his armor, he’s simply too good to bet any sort of substantial amount against. Throw a few bucks behind Arlovski if you’re feeling lucky on betus.com. If not, go ahead and make a wager on Fedor because he’s always the safest bet in all of MMA.
