Strikeforce Heavyweight bout: Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Odds: (+190 Henderson /-250 Emelianenko )
Betting Pick: Henderson
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In the main event of the evening, all-time great “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko will look to prevent a completely unprecedented three-fight losing streak against former two-division PRIDE champion Dan “Hollywood” Henderson. Emelianenko will no doubt be remembered as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, but back-to-back losses have many people wondering if time has finally passed him by. Henderson, for his part, is riding very impressive consecutive knockout wins, and is the kind of fighter who can test Fedor’s striking and his ground game. Fedor still has serious offensive tools, including great submissions and knockout power, but Henderson is a hard fighter to impose your will on and if Fedor really is on the back side of his career, this is going to be an extremely tough fight.
Whether he wins or loses against Henderson, Fedor Emelianenko will always be remembered as one of the most dominant champions in the history of the sport. For years, he ruled the Heavyweight division with an iron fist despite being relatively undersized for the division. Fedor’s punching power is extremely good and he has very effective submissions from a variety of positions. His ground and pound is one of his most formidable tools, as he has an unparalleled ability to dole out punishment from inside his opponents’ guards. In his first loss against Fabricio Werdum, he flattened Werdum with a power punch but was submitted when he leapt into the Brazilian’s guard trying to finish the fight. His last fight against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was a complete drubbing, as he was physically overwhelmed from start to finish. The Silva fight was much more telling than the Werdum fight, in that Fedor still looked effective against Werdum before being caught by one of the most prolific grapplers in the sport. One thing that makes this fight so interesting is that Fedor will enter with a size and weight advantage, which is rare for him.
Dan “Hollywood” Henderson was one of PRIDE’s most dominant fighters, holding both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight titles when the company folded. His stint in the UFC was not as successful as his PRIDE career, but he has rebounded nicely in Strikeforce. His last two fights have been dominant knockout wins, including a title victory in his last fight against Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. Henderson is a very dominant greco-roman wrestler who is great at using the clinch to set up takedowns, neutralize his opponents’ boxing, and work his dirty boxing game. He also has very good shoot takedowns, powerful ground and pound, and extremely scary power punching. His submission defense is good, and he does have some submissions from top position, but that is the weakest part of an otherwise very well-rounded arsenal.
This is a very interesting fight for a number of reasons. On the feet, both of these guys have one-punch knockout power and a tendency to throw wild, looping power punches, so it could well be a matter of who lands first. Fedor has the more complete ground game, but Henderson is the superior wrestler and is much more likely to wind up in top position on the ground. Fedor has submissions off his back, but Henderson has very good defense. Basically, this fight is going to come down to whether or not Fedor is still the fighter he used to be, and after watching him get manhandled by Antonio Silva, I just don’t think he is. Henderson appears to still be at the top of his game, and Fedor isn’t, and that is going to make the difference. I think Henderson will fight defensively, control the pace of this fight with his clinch game, and secure a few takedowns to score points en route to a unanimous decision win.
Prediction: Dan Henderson via Unanimous Decision.
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