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Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier believes fellow heavyweight MMA superstar Fedor Emelianenko would have been an 'average' fighter in the UFC during his peak between 2009-11.
Emelianenko is a former Pride FC and WAMMA heavyweight titleholder who is currently competing for Rizin FF and Bellator. However, he has never fought in the UFC.
Speaking on his Debate DC show on the Vover app, Cormier insisted that 'The Last Emperor' would have been only among the top five or seven fighters in the heavyweight division of the UFC and might not have enjoyed huge success had he made the move in 2009.
"As the great Fedor gets to fight this weekend I was asked how I thought he would do during the 2009-2102 years. Here is my thought, he would have been top 5-7 (average). Ok I may have misspoke on the Cheick Kongo thing," said Cormier.
Watch Daniel Cormier speak about Fedor Emelianenko below:
Cormier also claimed that a peak Emelianenko could have possibly become champion in the UFC by beating Brock Lesnar, but would have struggled against the likes of Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos.
"I don’t believe it would be as good as many think or hope. Would he be good? Yes? Champion? Maybe , but not the Superman he was to so many," he added.
Fedor Emelianenko holds a 39-6-1 record in his professional MMA career. He announced his retirement from the sport in June 2012, only to make a comeback three years later.
Emelianenko had come close to sealing an agreement with the UFC a couple of times in the past, but the deal never materialized.
Fedor Emelianenko is scheduled to take on Timothy Johnson at Bellator 269 this weekend
Russian MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko will square off against the No.2-ranked Bellator heavyweight contender Timothy Johnson on Saturday. The duo are set to main event Bellator 269 at the VTB Arena in Moscow.
Emelianenko is 3-2 in Bellator, having beaten Quinton Jackson and UFC veterans Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen. He's suffered losses at the hands of Matt Mitrione and Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in the fight for the vacant belt.
'The Last Emperor' will return to action after almost 22 months. His last outing saw him defeat Jackson via TKO in the first round at Bellator 237 in December 2019.
