Long have many, many MMA hardcore fans heralded Fedor Emelianenko as the worlds greatest fighter, but he’s never seemed to be able to get the popularity that many of his peers enjoy, especially in North America. If the Strikeforce show, and the resultant increase in fan viewership is any indication, the Fedor train is starting to roll down the tracks.

MMA for the longest time seemed like the domain of the trash talking, hype selling superstar, but a new breed of fighter seems to be emerging, one based more on talent, and sold less on his or her words. Names like GSP, Anderson Silva, and Machida come to mind to name a few, a select group of fighters who rarely if ever bash their opponents and prefer to settle matters in the ring. Fedor Emelianenko is the flagship of that group in this aspect, not only choosing to never bash an opponent but rather giving them respect whenever possible.

Fedor seems to be coming into his own, as more and more new fans are getting a taste of the Russian’s brand of exciting fighting. Just don’t expect him to suddenly become a media sensation who calls out every opponent. In his own words, via Yahoo, it was best summed up:

“MMA is not dogs fighting in a cage,” Emelianenko said. “This is a great sport. I like to meet my opponent and show that, first of all, I respect him as a sportsman.”

Seems like Fedor’s popularity is starting to rise, and it should.

The MMA News, Opinion.