mnmc10, Hunt got in to MMA much younger, and made a serious run at being great. Sefo seems to be in it for fun at the end of his career. Not a fair comparison.

Coleman was still one of the best wrestlers in the division, and his only loss since the 2000 GP was Nog. Plus, in Japan, Coleman was a juiced up 250.

I agree that the fanboys are extreme, but Fedor earned his "aura". He was usually undersized and usually not oughtright "better", on paper. Arlovski was faster and a better boxer, but fedor KO'd him on the feet. Nog was a much butter submission grappler, but Fedor dominated from within his guard. Cro-Cop was a much better striker in general with equal speed, an awesome sprawl and an unparalleled ability to get back to his feet if he was taken down, Fedor beat him up on the feet, took him down and kept him there. Coleman and Randleman were monster wrestlers with power, Fedor beat them both off his back. Etc., etc., etc., Fedor's "aura" comes from a decade of dominating guys where they're best. He never "fought smart", he just fought. Since he didn't play to their weakness, well roundedness was less important. Also, guys like Nog and Cro-Cop get kind of a bad rap. Nog had great BJJ and good boxing, in his prime, he was well rounded, now he's slower, can't move as well, doesn't react quickly and his chin is shot. Cro-Cop was the best striker at HW, had great defensive wrestling and BJJ, now he won't commit to strikes, won't throw when he has openings, is losing the reflexes for sprawling, hugs off his back instead of wrestling out, and is losing his chin. Nog and Cro-Cop from 2005 were two of the best, most well rounded guys out there, better than many today. Velasquez is completely unproven against strikers, and Dos Santos against grapplers.

Most fans don't respect what Fedor's done because they just don't know. If you didn't see Fedor's run in context, it doesn't look as impressive. I was not fortunate enough to see his Pride run live, but my interest in MMA coincided with a knee surgery, and with shear dumb luck I found Pride DVDs. I got to watch his entire run without any foreknowledge or preconceptions, within the context of history. If you don't understand were these guys were in the early to mid 2000's, and only know them now, they look like cans. But all fighters fade, Liddel had the same "aura", but people didn't shit talk him or rip apart his career (which is easy to do) when got KO'd in his last several fights.