Sherdog’s Top 10: Deceptively Dangerous

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1. Fedor Emelianenko

Give a novice MMA fan a picture of “The Last Emperor” and a picture of a heavyweight with an action-figure build like, say, Cheick Kongo. Then, ask him to match the fighter with the appropriate record. Based on looks alone, it is entirely possible that the resume of the man recognized by many as the greatest pound-for-pound competitor of all-time would be assigned to Kongo, an imposing specimen who has been a solid middle-of-the road heavyweight in the UFC.

Forget for a moment the recent three-fight losing streak that has robbed Emelianenko of some of the mystique that he spent the better part of a decade building. Here is a man who was essentially unbeaten -- save a hokey doctor’s stoppage loss to Tsuyoshi Kosaka -- from May 21, 2000 to June 26, 2010. During that time, the stoic Russian defeated the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Mirko Filipovic and Mark Hunt, to name a few. And he did it all while sporting a doughy physique that belied his killer instinct.

Emelianenko did not need washboard abs to accumulate what was essentially a 33-fight unbeaten streak, and his relatively placid demeanor added to the illusion that he would be an easy out on fight night. The reality is pre-fight theatrics and intimidation tactics have never been Emelianenko’s thing -- he always preferred to let his hands do the talking in the ring. Since his losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva and Dan Henderson, more people have called for a move to 205 pounds.

Emelianenko appears to be set in his ways as an undersized heavyweight, and that is just fine with his legion of loyal fans -- not only does his build make him deceptively dangerous, but it also makes him more appealing to the layman.

Honorable mentions: Igor Vovchanchyn, Jens Pulver, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Miguel Torres, Kazushi Sakuraba.