Coleman: Steroids 'really not part of Fedor's resume'

With Anderson Silva's legacy hanging by a thread following a series of failed drug tests, fighters, fans and the media have turned their attention to other legends of the sport in an attempt to either fortify or tear down their respective legacies.

Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko has come under fire of late, with critics pointing to the perceived lax approach to drug testing in Japan as a reason to question whether or not "The Last Emperor" fought clean throughout his illustrious career.

Mark Coleman, a contemporary of Fedor who fought him twice in PRIDE, isn't buying into the rumors.

"I know the guy was one of the toughest, baddest fighters in the world for quite some period of time and I don't know if he's ever failed any drug tests," Coleman told Submission Radio, as transcribed by BloodyElbow.com's Karim Zidan. "It doesn't really matter at this point."

Fedor defeated Coleman via arm-bar in both of their encounters, and violently reigned over PRIDE's heavyweight division for the better part of a decade.

"It's really not part of Fedor's resume and I just look at him as possibly the greatest fighter of all time for a 10-year span; and who knows, he probably could have went a little longer, but (when) you're champion for ten years it's just hard to stay so focused for so long and continue to be the champion," Coleman said. "It had to come to an end at some time, but that doesn't take away anything from what Fedor did."