Does a night's sleep help put it into perspective?

It does a bit.

And for the people that have been watching Fedor Emelianenko since his prime, we knew this day would have to come eventually.

For his fans, it is the heartbreaking fall of a superhero. Someone that always seemed to float above the mortals turns out to be human after all.

For a fighter that drew so many comparisons to boxing great Mike Tyson—inside the ring—it is fitting for Fedor to go out much the same way as Iron Mike did, six years ago.

By the time Tyson entered the ring against Kevin McBride in 2005, his previous multi-dimensional attack had been reduced to an obvious blitz of knockout punches that no longer caught anyone off guard.

These were not the pinpoint accurate shots that so confidently found their opponent in the past. These were punches of desperation, simply hoping for a quick ending, not expecting one.

This was a fighter that was not enjoying being in the ring. There was no drive, no motivation, no heart left in the shell of this beloved superhero.

It was apparent then that the story was over. And after watching Emelianenko winging his deadly hooks only to be easily taken down and his face pounded into a swollen mess by Antonio Silva, it is clear that his chapter has closed.

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Could he continue on and remain relevant in the heavyweight division? Maybe.

Should he? I think he was done before this fight was even made.

He has money, a family, a legacy. At age 34, how much longer could we realistically expect him to be great?

Sure, there are fighters like Bernard Hopkins and Randy Couture that defy the odds and continue to achieve great things well into their 40s. But these are not men that experienced that greatness at a young age.

Couture was already in his thirties before he even competed in MMA.

Hopkins arguably didn't reach the top of his sport until his 2001 knockout of Felix Trinidad at 36-years-old.

These are men who suffered a mixture of failures throughout their twenties. They built up a drive that would force them to repeatedly prove themselves.

In the case of Tyson and Emelianenko, from a young age all they ever knew was success. They never learned how to recover from a loss because their egos were built solely on winning.

They were millionaires before they ever were forced to face defeat. Those mental tools to rebound can not be developed when your legacy, finances, and self-image are already secure.

Since taking his career to America, Emelianenko has not been willing to bring all of his tools into the ring. His mindset has been that of getting a knockout as quick as possible and going home.

That can only work so many times.

This is not a case of a fighter's body breaking down and not being able to perform or sustain like it once had. Unlike Chuck Liddell or Andrei Arlovski, whose desires have not wilted but the physical aspects will not allow it. This is a man that simply does not want to fight anymore.

For all of the similarities between Tyson and Emelianenko inside the ring, their personalities could not be further apart outside of it.

Tyson was a brash, unbalanced, confused roller-coaster who could never find any foundation in his life during his career. After years of financial negligence, he was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2003.

With no other choice, he disguised the shell he had become and fought on for years, desperately trying to dig himself out of the hole he had created.

Emelianenko on the other hand has always been a calm, respectful, calculated rock who appeared to find steadiness in religion and tradition.

I have no idea what his financial situation may be, but if I had to guess, I would assume it to be secure.

Will he continue to fight on? That is anyone's guess. But, in a perfect world, this would be a fitting conclusion to such a dynamic era.

And to Emelianenko's detractors that may not be as deeply rooted in his career, I feel somewhat sorry for you.

While I often wish I hadn't been too young to fully experience Tyson's championship reign in the eighties, I am grateful I was able to see a legend in Emelianenko while he was still invincible.

The present does not change the past.

We knew this day would come, and no matter what Emelianenko decides to do from here on out, I consider myself lucky.