This weekend sees a battle of legends occur inside the cage when former PRIDE champions Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko face off at Strikeforce : Fedor vs Henderson.
By Michael Cunningham
This will be an incredibly interesting match up to watch as Fedor is coming into the bout on a two fight skid for the first time in his career. Something truly unthinkable to most fans of the sport even just a year or so ago.
The landscape of heavyweight MMA has changed, the competitors lining up in front of ‘The Last Emperor’ are bigger and much technically proficient than some of his previous opponents back in Japan.
Henderson’s weight could be a problem going into the fight, speculating he could hit the scales with a weight as low as 205lbs. Henderson stated that it doesn’t matter to him that the fight is at heavyweight, insisting catch-weight bouts do not interest him. However, the fact still remains that the Russian could end up outweighing Hendo by almost 30lbs by the time they step in to the cage on Saturday night.
This is not the American’s first tilt at heavyweight, having faced then champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE 24, losing via armbar. They previously fought way back in Rings in 1999 with Hendo picking up a split decision victory.
Fedor will have a six-year age advantage on the 40-year-old former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion, though Henderson has always been meticulous in maintaining his fitness and cardio. Earlier this week, despite it being in the public domain since 2007, it was revealed that Henderson had been a beneficiary of a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
However, unlike Nate Marquardt, whose levels tested unacceptably high by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, the current Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion admitted to testing his own testosterone levels continuously to make sure he would not go above normal ranges.
Though Fedor has competed at heavyweight for his entire career, it must be acknowledged that both men possess one shot knock-out power in their hands.
Henderson, the former Olympian, utilises a more effective striking technique, while Fedor, as throughout his entire career, has a tendency to get reckless and throw wide looping punches which invite counters. Not something the former long-time PRIDE heavyweight champion wants to encourage for a power puncher like Henderson.
The grappling is what could really make the difference in this fight. Coming from sambo and wrestling backgrounds, both men possess extensive grappling credentials, but the advantage would have to go to Henderson, the more powerful wrestler. Though size was a major factor, Fedor looked lost on the bottom against Antonio Silva in his last loss, unable to explode back to his feet as he has in many fights.
The Russian’s seeming refusal to change up his training practices could be the determining factor in this fight. There is a lot more apprehension than ever before from fans to pick Fedor, despite being bigger and younger. However, if ever Emelianenko’s back was against the wall it’s now and he needs a performance not only to save his legacy, but potentially his career.
With both men certainly earning the highest amounts of any fighter under the Strikeforce banner, this could very well be a loser-leaves-town scenario, with Zuffa always looking to trim unnecessary expenses and Dana White having no love lost for either man.
This is a fascinating fight no matter how you slice it, and it sits on top of the bill of a tremendous card featuring the likes of Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler and women’s bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen.
The event takes place Saturday 30 July on PrimeTime, available on Sky.
Image via Twitter.com/danhendo
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