Imagine if the cold war was still raging and Russia put its best man against America’s best man to decide the fate of the world in a winner-take-all mixed martial arts contest.

We would all be speaking Russian today my friends.

Luckily the cold war is over, but the war of words over who deserves to be called the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world has just begun.

Last Saturday, while Russia’s Fedor Emelianenko blitzed his opponent in Southern California before a worldwide audience, Brazil’s Anderson Silva dismantled yet another foe in Las Vegas in front of an American audience.

Both achieved destruction in less than one round.

So who is the best fighter, Fedor or Silva?

We’ll take a look at what several experts say on the subject in a moment, but first … the facts.

Silva, 33, has systematically destroyed or beaten a number of fighters from middleweight to light heavyweight. Since signing with Ultimate Fighting Championship, the agile Brazilian has knocked out Rich Franklin, Chris Leben, Nate Marquardt, and won by submission over Travis Lutter and the great Dan Henderson.

Last Saturday, at the Palm Casino, the lean Silva (22-4) caught James Irvin’s kick and simultaneously fired a right that dropped the big light heavyweight. Then he rapped several blows to the side of the head and two more to the chin on the downed fighter and that was it. Fans were stunned.

You see, it’s supposed to be more difficult when the UFC middleweight champion moves up to the heavier and stronger light heavyweights. After all, Irvin had just destroyed Houston Alexander with a single blow. That’s Samson-like power.

It didn’t matter to Silva. The Brazilian played drums on Irvin’s head like one of those musicians on Copacabana Beach. It was a samba like beat that didn’t end until Silva danced around the Octagon a minute after the referee motioned it was over.

For the last year more than a few MMA experts have tabbed Silva the real pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Especially since that Russian guy was fighting guys much lighter or slower than him.

Over the past five years or so, Emelianenko has held a tenuous hold on the mythical title of the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter. But the lack of a real threat as an opponent  left experts with capricious attitudes toward the Russian.
In stepped Tim Sylvia.

Sylvia was a two-time UFC heavyweight champion who stands 6 feet 8 and weighs about 265. And unlike the other giant -- Hong-Man Choi of Korea -- the American fighter out of Iowa has good speed and was never overwhelmed by any fighter, including Randy Couture, Andrei Arlovsky, Antonio Nogueira and others.

It was supposed to be Alydar vs. Affirmed, or Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, or even Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer.

But it wasn’t.