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Which Top Team is Tops?
by Bachir Ayoub, Team IronLife.com Writer
With the emergence of the German Top Team and the already established Russian and Brazilian Top Team, many MMA fans are beginning to scratch their heads about which "Top Team" is actually tops. The German Top Team has just been formed and is comprised of fighters who are well established in Europe but who have yet to truly branch out and test the international waters of MMA. The Russian Top Team's most successful, and arguably most popular fighter, Fedor Emelianko  has joined the Red Devil Sport Club along with his brother Aleksander. The Russian Top Team still has many quality fighters, but is definitely a bit weaker with the absence of Fedor. The originator of the "Top Team" is the Brazilian squad, who from top to bottom are filled with the most proven and recognizable "Top Team".
If two Top Teams weren't enough, on March 3/2004 the German Top Team let the mixed martial art world know they have arrived. Many of the fighters have competed in grappling tourneys and have been fairly successful in their matches. Most of the fighters are largely unknown but have various fighters who are champions in their disciplines. The two fighters that I am banking on making a splash in international competitions in the near future are Andreas Schmidt and Peter Angerer. Andreas is a Luta Livre black belt and a six time European submission champ. Based on his accomplishments he seems to have the tools to give any opponent a formidable challenge. Angerer is an ADCC vet and was SHIDO middleweight champ until he lost his title to Shonie Carter. Other stand-outs are Daniel Ackerman and Andreas Stockman. Both have MMA experience and should help the relatively new team establish itself. I can't wait to see these guys show up in PRIDE or UFC, so I along with the rest of the MMA fan base can take a closer look.
Next up are the new and Fedor-less Russian Top Team. The absence of the hard hitting and former PRIDE HW champ Fedor has left the team depleted. Andrei Kopylov still has to be feeling pain after the beating he received from BTT member Ze Mario Sperry. In that battle of the "Top Teams" the Russian's definitely came up short. Mikhail Illoukhine failed to show up in his one and only PRIDE appearance against Quinton Jackson. He barely got a chance to highlight his grappling skills before he was quickly  assaulted and abused by Rampage. The only glimmer of hope that I can possibly see coming from the Russian Top Team is the adventurous brawler Volk Atajev. I've seen a couple of this guys fights and he can bust out a spinning back kick that will either put you to sleep or make you take notice. The Judo and Sambo base that makes up the Russian Top Team will definitely help his ground game. Volk is the only hope the Russian's have in staying in the "Top Team" race and regaining a fraction of the glory they have enjoyed in the past.
The final team that will be looked at are the reigning "Top Team" champs, The Brazilian Top Team. I don't think I have to bore anyone with the fight stats and titles the BTT has held. The two pillars of the BTT, Mario Sperry and Antonio Minotauro Nogueira, are showing no sign of slowing down. Nogueira was thought to have been unstoppable but was destroyed in his fight with Fedor. He regained the respect that he had while he was on his undefeated streak by stopping another seemingly unstoppable fighter, Cro Cop. Sperry's fight with Murilo "Ninja" Rua is still one of the best fights I have ever seen and both men earned my eternal respect by throwing down with reckless abandon. As long as the BTT continues to drop opponents at their current pace, teams may share their name but none can share their legacy.
* Article by Bachir Ayoub, Team IronLife.com Writer.
* Back to This Issue's Frontpage
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