UFC President Dana White slipped backed into old habits when talking about Saturday’s Strikeforce main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson.
Clearly forgetting that he was now ultimately responsible for promoting the fight between two legends of the sport, he explained what he thought was the problem with Emelianenko’s third fight in the Strikeforce cage: “So I actually think this fight, as far as Fedor is concerned, it’s a lose-lose for him. If he knocks out Dan Henderson, he knocks out a 185-pounder. If he gets knocked out, he just got knocked out by a 185-pounder.”
White is hardly alone in holding such an opinion, with many seeing this is as an entertaining fight with little on the line for either fighter except bragging rights. However this reading of the fight is wrong, for Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson are in fact fighting for their future at the top table of MMA. Both men’s contracts with Strikeforce are up after this fight and they need to impress if they’re to secure the best possible deal from Zuffa.
Emelianenko is coming into the fight coming off two defeats, and a third may just force Strikeforce to cut their ties with ‘The Last Emperor.’ While he’s by far the biggest star in the promotion, his contract is prohibitively expensive if the organization cannot feature him in the main event of its shows.
While excuses were made for his losses to Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Silva, a defeat at the hands of a man he outweighs by almost 20 pounds would seemingly confirm that Emelianenko was yesterday’s man and much like a Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria — no longer capable of going toe-to-toe with the best in the world. A victory, on the other hand, would set up marquee matches with either the winner of the Grand Prix or even his former nemesis Werdum. Indeed if M-1 Global was willing to compromise with the UFC we may finally get the chance to see Emelianenko inside the Octagon.
Henderson as the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion may seem safe, but reports of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem being fired show that gold doesn’t necessarily spare you from being cut by the UFC. Speaking to me earlier this year Henderson himself admitted that “there isn’t a clear No. 1 contender” at 205 lbs in Strikeforce with the division short on name fighters.
Squaring off against a man billed as the greatest fighter of all time is his last chance to secure a marquee victory in Strikeforce and so fully regain the momentum he lost with the defeat to Jake Shields. That’s crucial because the organization whose championship he holds may not be around for much longer — and you can ask any WEC Champion how much secondary titles mean inside the Octagon. Only a win against Emelianenko would get people excited about Henderson challenging Jon Jones or Anderson Silva for a UFC Title, big money fights that Henderson made clear to me he would “be up for anytime.”
On Saturday night the last-ever Pride FC Heavyweight Champion will face the last man to hold the organization’s Welterweight and Middleweight titles, but Fedor vs. Henderson is not about history. It is instead about the future with each man knowing that only a victory guarantees them more big money fights in the future.
In a young man’s sport, only one legend will be left standing after Saturday night.
