Takeru Kobayashi and Fedor Emelianenko

Legends In Their Respective Sport

(Wiping the eyes as if you have just woken up from a deep slumber and seeing this blog title but can’t seem to put two and two together!)

Takeru Kobayashi and Fedor Emelianenko, although complete polar opposite like oil and water, have many common threads between them. For starters, they compete in sports that are relatively young and controversial to the masses. Kobayashi’s sport is called Competitive Eating while Fedor’s sport is called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Both are from countries that are neighbors – Japan to the South of Russia and Russia to the north of Japan, something like the United States of America and Canada to a certain extent. Both became household names in their respective sports through the countless victories among their fellow competitors. Consequently, they garnered such a fan base for their abilities to utterly dominate in their sport.  Both athletes became such a force in their sport that they created a cloak of invincibility that people thought would never be unveiled.

Fedor started his legendary rise up the MMA ranks in the land of Kobayashi’s birth, Japan, with the Pride Organization. The manner that Fedor would defeat his opponents was something that wasn’t seen during that era of the sport - something similar to a Rottweiler involved in an altercation with a Chihuahua. Same can be said about Kobayashi and the manner he decimated his competition. Kobayashi’s rise to stardom happened in the United States of America when he was Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion from 2001 till 2006. During this time, he even developed his own eating technique called the “Kobayashi Shake” so he can make room from more food. As a result, he would annihilate the competition by 10 hot dogs/hamburgers or more.  Through their achievements and success, both Fedor and Kobayashi became legends in their young sports. One can say they became a product of their success or not but one thing is for sure, they soon were shown that they are merely mortals.

In 2007, the whole competitive eating world was stunned by an up and coming competitor named Joey Chestnut. He defeated Kobayashi in a contest that Kobayashi had ruled for 5 straight years at the Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest. The major upset had many experts and fans alike dumbfounded by the fact that the legend had fallen by another human, something that was unfathomable. Fast forward 3 years later to another legend in his sport and the same result occurred that happened to Kobayashi. Fedor Emelianenko was fighting Fabricio Werdum, a fight many experts and fans alike thought would be “an easy fight” for Fedor but on the contrary; the fight ended in no more than 2 minutes by a triangle choke…by Fabricio! Just like in 2007 with the defeat of Kobayashi, this was a huge upset that baffled the masses. The loses dealt to both legends can be said was a byproduct of the young sport evolving and becoming more competitive or can it be simply that both legends had lost a step?

What Fabricio Werdum and Joey Chestnut accomplished was a feat that many people thought was impossible. They showed the world that their cloak of invincibility was merely a façade and they too are cut from the same cloth as every human being. Fedor Emelianenko and Takeru Kobayashi are bona fide legends in their sports. They have done so much to develop and promote their sports that they should always be held in high regard. If it weren’t for both athletes, their sport would not probably be so popular among enthusiasts and the masses. One can say that Takeru Kobayashi is the Fedor Emelianenko and vice versa in their respective sport. What lies ahead for both legends only time will tell but if July 4^th, 2011 (the day Kobayashi ingested 69 hot dogs on top of a near by Manhattan rooftop near the Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, which broke the world record unofficially) is an indicator for things to come for Fedor; well, come fight time against Dan Henderson on July 30^th, 2011, the fans will see the rise of the Last Emperor. 

(Idea credited to a fellow peer of mine and sports enthusiast Paul Michael; Thank You)