Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson's (27-8 MMA, 2-1 SF) career has often mirrored that of Fedor Emelianenko (31-3 MMA, 1-2 SF) throughout the past 10 years.The two both competed under the Rings banner around the start of thew millennium, and each migrated to PRIDE during the glory years of the now-defunct Japanese organization.
Now the two will step in the cage to face each other under the Strikeforce banner, and the two seem to be headed in very different directions. For one, the "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Henderson" main event could mean the end of the line.
"[The Emelianenko vs. Henderson] fight is really two legends in the sport of MMA," Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Pound-for-pound, these two are really on the all-time list of greatest fighters, ever, in their respective weightclasses.
"Fedor, anytime he fights, it's always an event. Same thing with Dan. You have two guys that are really legends. It's going to be a really special, special night."
It's hard to argue Coker's point. If an independent MMA Hall of Fame existed, both would be first-ballot entries. With careers spanning more than a decade, each fighter's résumé reads like a who's who of the sport's landscape.
But Henderson is 5-1 in his past six fights, including two-straight victories under the Strikeforce banner. Meanwhile, Emelianenko has dropped back-to-back outings to Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum. Coker stopped short of calling the bout a "must-win" for Emelianenko but admitted three-straight losses for a headliner could prove problematic.
"I don't want to judge Fedor one way or the other, but I would say having three losses in a row would diminish the value tremendously," Coker said.
Henderson, who has followed the career of "The Last Emperor" over the past 10 years, declined to comment specifically on what might might be causing Emelianenko's recent hard luck. However, he does believe motivation might prove part of the problem.for the longtime PRIDE champion.
"I think the fact that it seems like his game hasn't changed or gotten better in the last two or three years or since he left PRIDE (might be part of the issue)," Henderson said. "I don't know. It doesn't seem like his heart is into it the last couple of years. That changes outcomes of fights sometimes."
Emelianenko, notoriously reclusive in his spare time, has reportedly looked to change up his routine with training sessions in Holland. A renewed partnership with his brother, Aleksander Emelianenko, has also been rumored.
At 34 years old, could this possibly be Emelianenko's last stand? Coker isn't sure if it's the end of the road or just the inevitable bad luck that's bound to follow an incomprehensible 27-fight win streak.
"The fight with Fabricio Werdum, he's a dangerous guy," Coker said. "I think that Fedor went in there – and I think he said this – and felt like he could get out of it. He went in there, he got caught, he pulled himself out, and then he went back in there again and got caught for a final time.
"I think maybe he was a little bit over-confident with Fabricio. And 'Bigfoot' is just a big giant. Somebody like that mounting you and punching, it's a situation I don't think anybody would want to be in – even Fedor Emelianenko."
by John Morgan
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