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I am going to try and focus more on Sylvia's side. Fedor keeps his cards pretty close to his chest,and
is very diplomatic in his interviews.
Fri, Sep 26, 2003 - Tim Sylvia defends his world title for the first time after defeating Ricco Rodriguez,and knocks out Gan Mcgee at UFC 54,and the buzz from Sylvia,and commentator Joe Rogan,is the belief off this win,that Tim Sylvia was ready for the champion in the OTHER Promotion, Fedor Emelianenko. From what I recall most fans laughed this off,but some wanted to see it,and a minority thought Tim had a chance. At this point in time, no HW in the UFC ever held the title for very long.
Fedor had won the PRIDEFC HW title earlier that March,and other than a loss on a cut,had never been defeated in 13 fights.
After the fight with McGee, Sylvia tested positive for the banned substance Stanozolol. He voluntarily forfeited his title and was handed a six-month suspension, and fined $10,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). He later commented that the steroid usage was for shedding excess weight. Sylvia apologized and made no effort to claim innocence.
Eventually Sylvia,after two unsuccesful tries was able to regain the title in 2006,when he knocked out Arlovski. Sylvia held on to it until the next year when he lost it to Couture,where he put a listless performance,claiming he had a bad back injury,and also felt slighted that Randy would challenge him for the belt,feeling their were friends,and he was given no inkling that Couture had this in mind.
Couture defeated Gabriel Gonzaga and then tried to leave the UFC,and Syliva and Nogueira fought for the Interim belt. After nearly finishing Nogueira several times in a great fight,Nogueira was able to finally get this to the ground and immediatley subbed Tim from there.
At this time in 2007,PRIDEFC was purchased by the UFC,but were not able to obtain the contract of Fedor who was now a free agent. At this time Fedor had still not lost a fight,and was still the PRIDEFC champion at the time of its dissolution.
Early in 2008, Sylvia requested and was granted a release from his UFC contract, which still had one fight remaining on it. Sylvia cited unhappiness with pay, desire to face Fedor ,the non-exclusive contracts of other organizations, and the opportunity to fight more often as his reasons for leaving. This was the same reason Couture tried to leave the promotion,and Sylvia's former rival Andrei Arlovski,also left to do the same.
New promotion Affliction signed Fedor,Sylvia,and Arlovski to fight for them,and were also in talks with Randy Couture. In their first event the stage was set,Fedor Emelianenko vs Tim Sylvia.
Here is what the fighters thought about this when asked by SHERDOG.com
Sherdog.com polled more than 25 fighters and trainers to get their thoughts:
Urijah Faber : I think Fedor will win -- second round via armbar or GNP. But I’m rooting for Tim because he’s my buddy.
Gabe Ruediger : I’m going with Fedor. He always comes up with a great game plan and is just that dominant. Sylvia is a proper test and will put up a good fight, though.
John Hackleman: I like Sylvia to score a TKO sometime in the second, maybe even the first. I’m a huge Fedor fan because he’s like a freak of nature, but you just can’t count Sylvia out.
Nick Thompson : Fedor via armbar.
Cung Le : Fedor by decision.
Guy Mezger : I’m going with Fedor, but Tim has a good chance because of his jab. He hits hard and he may be able to keep Fedor away and wear him down. Not likely, but maybe.
Mac Danzig: On the ground Fedor wins, but stand-up is anybody’s game. People always underestimate Tim’s boxing, and Fedor has never fought anybody with a jab like Tim’s. I still think Fedor will win, but Sylvia is the toughest style matchup for a guy like Fedor, and it’s going to be a lot closer than most people think.
Dan Henderson: Fedor by ground-and-pound or armbar -- first round.
Micah Miller : I predict that Fedor wins this fight. He is more well-rounded and defeated Mark Hunt a bigger, much better striker than Sylvia.
Kevin Randleman : Fedor wins, but [he] had a long layoff. Could get drawn out, but Fedor wins.
Matt Lindland : I would like to see Tim be a spoiler. All I know is I’m excited to see it.
Jaime Fletcher: They will trade a little. Fedor will take him down. Work some ground-and-pound and then probably hit a submission. His ground is nasty, and Tim’s prone to it. It won’t be a long fight.
Nathan Marquardt: I say Sylvia by TKO round three.
Doug Marshall : I think Fedor in the first round.
Travis Wiuff : Great fight! Tim has a way of surprising people when no one thinks he can win. I’ve seen him train, and his work ethic is second to none. Fedor hasn’t fought a significant heavyweight in three years. I say Tim by decision.
Din Thomas : For years I’ve underestimated Tim Sylvia (Pictures). This time I think I’m gonna be in the minority and pick Tim and his long right hand. Come to think of it, I am a minority.
Ron Frazier: I think Fedor finally gets Tim down and submits him. But he’ll take some damage in the process. Fight goes into the third round. Fedor by armbar.
Marc Laimon: Fedor should pick Tim Sylvia up and slam him on his head, then pummel him for a TKO or submit him. But Tim could knock him out. Fedor is a way better athlete, and that’s who my money is on.
Marvin Eastman : Fedor by TKO in the third.
Richie Hightower Fedor by whatever he wants.
Troy Mandaloniz : Fedor will destroy him.
David Loiseau : It will be a very interesting fight. Fedor is a beast but hasn’t fought a lot recently. Sylvia’s been fighting top-level competition. Anxious to see how it will turn out. Not sure who will win.
Eddy Millis : Fedor subs him in the first round.
Clay Guida : Fedor by sub when it goes to the ground. Any round.
Alan Belcher : Fedor will submit him in the first.
Shawn Tompkins : I am going to go on record and say Tim Sylvia by KO in the second round. I love Fedor, but I just have a feeling for Sylvia in this one.
Charlie Valencia : I pick Fedor only because he is more athletic and better skilled. The only chance that Tim has is by KO, and that’s highly unlikely.
Pros picking Fedor: 20
Pros picking Sylvia: 5
Pros unsure: 2
From what I recall the MMA websites and some fans were more skeptical. They thought that Fedor fighting in the USA where PEDS were not allowed,would have a profound effect,and many thought Pride fighters were overrated now that some had come over and not had the same level of domination that they showed in PRIDE.
Tim Sylvia:
"I don't look at this as a great opportunity,I look at it as just another big fight and a chance to shut some of my critics up.I've fought the best,After this fight, I'll be able to say, ‘Look at three of my last four fights. I will have fought one, two and three [in the heavyweight division].' There really isn't anybody else out there who can say that.There are a lot of challenges with Fedor. He's a great striker. He has a great ground game. The list goes on and on. Obviously, I have to dictate the fight. I want to control where the fight goes. I don't want to be defensive in this fight. I need to big brother him.I've seen holes in his game,and he's definitely beatable.I definitely want to win this fight and prove a lot of people wrong. I want people to say, ‘Win or lose, Tim put it on the line. He had the balls to fight this guy when a lot of other people wouldn't.'"
The Aftermath:
Sherdog: ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The so-called experts got a break Saturday night when mixed martial arts top dog Fedor Emelianenko put to rest any and all rumors of his demise. The 36-second stoppage of former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia before a sold-out crowd of 13,988 at the Honda Center testified to that fact.
Emelianenko attacked from the get-go, pummeling Sylvia with punches and eventually knocking him off his feet. He then swarmed the downed giant, continuously punching before taking his back and locking up a rear-naked choke.Sylvia tried to fight the choke. However, he said it was over his windpipe and was very painful in addition to cutting off his air.
Great post and story here. Brings back memories. One of the most memorable scenarios in this fight was when Tim beat McGee (I think) and then ran up to the camera and yelled "Bring on Fedor"
Can't find that clip anywhere.
