We’ve all heard the proverb “don’t judge a book by its cover.” We also all ignore this every single day as our brains subconsciously assess, filter and make judgements about what enters our retina.

Watching Fedor Emelianenko train reminded me how dangerous this is.

I have to confess, I’m pretty new to the world of MMA. I’m still learning my kimura submission hold from my uchi mata; my Strikeforce from my UFC. So, when I arrived at Fighthouse, the private gym where Fedor Emelianenko was to undertake a public workout, I was a little surprised to see that a line of around 1000 fans had already formed outside the building to watch this.

Do I really have to wait in this line for a training session? Fortunately, I cajoled my way to a media pass, despite not being on the list, and waltzed by the line to take up a spot ringside. Inside, there was a quiet hum of anticipation amongst the other media present — and there was a lot of them. I had assumed there would only be a handful. And once the fans were herded into the room the hum crescendoed to whoops and cheers as Fedor entered, amidst a swarm of photographers, cameramen and cameraphones.

I’d been told earlier that Fedor was the heavyweight champion — of something— but had little time to learn anything else about him. He didn’t strike me as particularly physically imposing. He seemed to be carrying a few extra pounds. He seemed a quiet and unassuming chap— not all bluster and arrogance like many fighting champions. Indeed, his workout wasn’t that intense and seemed to be only for the benefit of the press: a few minutes of sparring, a few skips, a couple of combos to a punchbag.

Why all the hoopla surrounding this guy?

After the event I did my research. Watched a couple of videos:

Wow — it’s truly terrifying what he’s capable of once the red mist descends upon him and the latent violence erupts from within him in a relentless flurry of punches.

One thing’s for sure I’m invested in seeing his next fight against 6 foot 5 inch, 265 pound Brett “The Grim” Rogers. An imposing figure, certainly. Nevertheless, my mind can’t help but recall another proverb — “the bigger they are; the harder they fall.”

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• Free Fight! New Fedor vs. Rogers CBS Ad
• Fedor Triumphant: Russian Defeats Rogers in Strikeforce Heavyweight Fight
• Joe Rogan on Fedor VS Brock
• Chances Against Fedor Grim for Cinderella Rogers
• Fedor vs. Werdum
• The State of MMA — Heavyweight Manimals Face Off With Unexpected Results