Who are the top 5 fighters who could beat "smart" Fedor?

Out of all the fighters out there, who do you think could have a chance of beating Fedor when he is fighting intelligently?

(Mine in no particular order):

1. Overeem
2. JDS
3. Barnett
4. Velasquez
5. Bigfoot

To be honest, looking over that list, I think Fedor would have a very good chance of KOing most of those guys. Overeem, Velasquez and Bigfoot would probably get KO'd with maybe Overeem being the hardest match up (tall, guillotine choke, knees). Even if Velasquez got Fedor down, he isn't a submission guy so I think Fedor could get up or submit him and of course Bigfoot in mount is bad news but if Fedor fights him like Cormier did or gets on top of Bigfoot he wins.

Barnett would lose in the stand up I believe but would have a good chance if he could get Fedor down and get on top. JDS I am not sure about, he only punches and he has that chance of landing something but Fedor has a great chin, he is also way more rounded with punch combos, kicks, takedowns, submissions, GnP.

I still favor Fedor over every other HW out there. He could lose sure, but I think he has a better than 50% chance against all of them. When other fighters get old they get washed up, when Fedor gets old he becomes a solid top 10 HW.

I might actually throw Kharitonov on there over Velasquez.

I agree with your list, and the order. I also agree that Cain may be beat, I've never been sold on him and regard him as a largely unproven commodity, and his get sparked out so quickly by JDS doesn't add to his stock.

Right now, I favor Overeem over Fedor. JDS is another still a little bit unproven commodity to me. I give him the second best chance to beat Fedor, it is difficult to say who'd deserve the edge. In a ring, Fedor. In a cage, maybe JDS. Barnett and Fedor are two guys who know each other really well. I'd favor Fedor slightly, I think, but it would be a fight where each guy knows precisely what to expect, which would probably add some intrigue, and perhaps make it into a very competitive fight, regardless of the winner. I think that right now, I favor Fedor over Velasquez, after Velasquez getting sparked out, and in consideration of his recent string of potentially career threatening injuries, as well. I'd favor him over Silva in a rematch, especially in a ring, but I think Silva will always give him a tough challenge based on his sheer size plus his style. I see Overeem presenting a very difficult stylistic match up for Fedor, and I also consider Overeem to be the current #1 heavyweight in the world. Once more, I'd hope that fight happen in a ring to give Fedor his best chance.

Honorary mention for Cormier. His worldclass wrestling would surely present a threat, and his hands have come along nicely and could be a threat. I see Fedor having the edge in the standup still, for certain, and a big experience edge. It would be a tough fight, but as of right now, I'd have to favor Fedor. I am favoring Barnett for similar reasons, experience and well roundedness basically, although Cormier is a phenomenal wrestler, a great athlete, improving quickly as a fighter, and he seems hungry, as an up and coming undefeated new contender.

In the ring I think Fedor can beat anyone, he´s still undefeated in the ring. Barnett and Overeem are the biggest threats to Fedor. If Fedor fought like he did in his last two fights I think he would beat Werdum, Bigfoot and Henderson.

Only Overeem and Barnett, both are all round MMA fighters.

Yes, I think Overeem would be a big problem for him due to size and style. Judging by the way the Arlovski fight was going, I think JDS's boxing might be problematic too and judging by the amount of trouble Bigfoot put him in, anyone with size and good top control such as Barnett or Velasquez would be a problem.

I agree about the cage too. In the Henderson and Rogers fights, he didn't seem to have any answer to being roughed up against the fence. And in the Bigfoot and Werdum fights, a lack of positional awareness in relation to the fence seemed to be a factor.

Watching the Ishii and Monson fights, there's definitely been some positive changes and, perhaps most importantly, he's been fighting with a much cooler head. I did notice he was still leaving himself open and off balance with his striking on a number of occasions though, which is what cost him in the Bigfoot fight.

monaroCountry wrote:Only Overeem and Barnett, both are all round MMA fighters.

This