# MMA: Anyone watching Fedor Vs. Arlovski this weekend? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 21, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269 "2009-01-21T05:29:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Claptree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Claptree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claptree)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/21 "2009-01-27T18:12:25Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > As for Josh Barnett’s chances against Fedor - he may be a bigger guy, but Fedor has too much for him both on the floor and on their feet. IMO. I would have to agree. Everyone has a chance, it’s just part of the game, but Barnett really shouldn’t be able to win. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/22 "2009-01-27T18:43:04Z")
> [@Claptree](#): > > I would have to agree. Everyone has a chance, it’s just part of the game, but Barnett really shouldn’t be able to win. On the other hand, though, it’s usually someone unexpected who dethrones the king. No one thought Buster Douglas would beat Tyson, no one thought Matt Serra would beat Georges, etc. Even a guy as seemingly level-headed as Fedor could eventually start to relax and buy into his own hype and get knocked out or subbed by a Barnett. Plus there’s the fact that they are very close friends. Fedor might not have that killer instinct when he’s looking across the ring at his buddy, and Josh might. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/23 "2009-01-27T19:53:30Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > On the other hand, though, it’s usually someone unexpected who dethrones the king. No one thought Buster Douglas would beat Tyson, no one thought Matt Serra would beat Georges, etc. Even a guy as seemingly level-headed as Fedor could eventually start to relax and buy into his own hype and get knocked out or subbed by a Barnett. Plus there’s the fact that they are very close friends. Fedor might not have that killer instinct when he’s looking across the ring at his buddy, and Josh might. That would be funny if it became the deciding factor. The rematch would be a doozer with him and Fedor no longer being best of buds! 😃 I understand your point about the least likely opponent sometimes being the most dangerous, but Fedor just looks as if he eats, sleeps and dreams fighting once he gets in the ring. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/24 "2009-01-28T06:15:10Z")
I thought Fedor was losing the first round, but I’m happy to have been wrong. I drive with “WWFD” on my back window. “Go for the choke” is what I tell people it means. I was glad to see a legend built up instead of torn down, but I thought he was off his game at first. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/25 "2009-01-28T15:58:04Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > I thought Fedor was losing the first round, but I’m happy to have been wrong. I drive with “WWFD” on my back window. “Go for the choke” is what I tell people it means. > > I was glad to see a legend built up instead of torn down, but I thought he was off his game at first. I thought that too on the night of the fight, but upon re-watching it a couple times, I realized he was executing his gameplan to a T, and was never under any pressure. He said he was going to feel Andrei out, find his range, and then counterpunch, and that is exactly what he did, to the tune of putting Arlovski to sleep in 3 minutes. That’s what is known as a dominant performance. If you look at his face at the post-fight press conference, it doesn’t have a mark on it. Arlovski never really landed on him. ---
**Author:** ![Claptree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Claptree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claptree)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/26 "2009-01-29T17:50:43Z")
Heh, and not marking Fedor’s face is a difficult thing to do. The man gets cuts from near misses. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/27 "2009-01-29T19:55:53Z")
> [@Claptree](#): > > Heh, and not marking Fedor’s face is a difficult thing to do. The man gets cuts from near misses. Which only makes his achievements even more remarkable…not that I thought you were trying to detract from them. He’s just a remarkable fighting machine, who would only be stopped by a knockout if it was left down to him. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269/28 "2009-01-29T22:19:39Z")
aside: I like Faber, I wish I could figure out when VS is showing new fights on a regular basis. Dang it. Last fight I saw him in he lost. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mma-anyone-watching-fedor-vs-arlovski-this-weekend/482269.md?page=1)