Posted by J. Jacques »
Add Comment »Its been two days since Dan Henderson pulled off an amazing first round TKO victory over the once “most feared fighter in the world” Fedor Emelianenko and there are many questions regarding the future for both of these fighters. Fedor has now lost three fights in a row, two of them in the first round, and hasn’t looked particularly great doing it. On the other hand, Dan Henderson just fought the last fight on his Strikeforce contract and is hinting at returning to the UFC for yet another title unification bout. There are several possible scenarios that can now play out.
Fedor’s Retirement
In most top level MMA organizations three losses is enough to earn you your walking papers. There are rumors that Strikeforce might be releasing Fedor in which case he should retire from MMA. The UFC will certainly not pick him up and it would just be unsettling to watch him fighter in lesser organizations. Fedor’s body of work speaks for itself and he will still go down as a true legend of MMA.
Fedor Continues in Strikeforce
This seems like a very unlikely option on many levels. Fedor’s marketability has dropped significantly after three straight losses. The Heavyweight division’s elite are all tangled up in the Grand Prix which Fedor was eliminated from not too long ago. The once anticipated super fight between Fedor and Overeem has no chance of happening now that Overeem was released from Strikeforce last week.
This only leaves a group of no-name heavyweights left to fight an aging and slumping Fedor.
Henderson gets new Strikeforce contract
If Henderson were to resign with Strikeforce there would be a few potentially interesting bouts. The first that comes to mind would be against Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi, the current Dream Light Heavyweight champion and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion, has been on a winning streak lately barring his draw against Keith Jardine. Mousasi could pose a significant threat to Henderson on his feet but Mousasi’s achilles heel (wrestling) is Henderson’s strength. Another interesting fight would be against another former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion ‘King Mo’ Muhammed Lawal. Lawal, a seasoned wrestler, was on a seven fight professional win streak until losing his belt to Rafael Cavalcante.
Henderson gets a UFC contract
This would be an extremely interesting change of events that could lead to some potentially great fights. Henderson said in his post-fight interview that he wants a Light Heavyweight title unification bout which would be his third attempt. He lost his first title unification bout against Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and his second against Anderson Silva. Current Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones is slated to defend his belt against Quinton Jackson in September. This spells for a potential Jones vs Henderson or Jackson vs Henderson unification battle. If Henderson were to resign with the UFC there are also a few interesting non-title fights that could come to fruition including Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, or Phil Davis.
Conclusion
Both fighters have some important decisions to make with their management and organizations. Fedor should strongly consider retirement if he doesn’t have to desire to fight anymore. If he does still have the desire he may have some serious roadblocks ahead of him getting another big fight in Strikeforce. Dan Henderson needs to consider what may lie ahead for him after two or three fights. If he resigns with Strikeforce is there anything left for him after a fight with Mousasi or Lawal? The time to sign with the UFC is now. His stock is high after his past three performances and he would be thrown immediately into the mix in the UFC. Henderson and Dana White may have their differences but Dana knows what the fans want and does what he can to give it to them. And that is Dan Henderson in the UFC.
Posted by J. Jacques »
2 Comments »Days and weeks before the first round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix the MMA world was teaming with anticipation of a potential Alistair Overeem versus Fedor Emelianenko semi final bout. This is the heavyweight fight everyone wanted to happen; and needed to happen. In the first round of the tournament Fedor was slated to fight the massive and heavy handed Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva. Silva, proven to be dangerous opponent, was supposed to be no match for Fedor who was coming off of his first loss in nearly 10 years. At the end of the second round all the anticipation for a Fedor and Overeem superfight was smashed into the ground by Silva. The once unstoppable Fedor has now lost 2 fights in a row and was knocked out of the tournament in the first round.
Four months later we finally get a clear picture on the direction of the tournament. On the same night as Fedor’s loss, stand-up powerhouse Sergei Kharitonov knocked out a slumping Andrei Arlovski to secure a seed in the semi finals. Last weekend Alistair Overeem also advanced to the semi finals defeating Fabricio Werdum in a lackluster and borderline embarrassing fight in Dallas, Texas. And former UFC Heavyweight champion Josh Barnett was back in action after a slew of steroid abuse suspensions submitting a one-dimensional Brett Rogers early in the second round.
Undoubtedly up until the TKO stoppage heard round the world Fedor and Overeem were the heavy favorites to win the tournament. Some were also putting their money on Werdum to take the win on the account of his devastating Jiu-Jitsu which he proved effective submitting Fedor in his previous bout. Despite impressive credentials little was said in regards to the ‘Babyfaced Assassin’ potentially spoiling the party.
Josh Barnett has all the tools needed to finish his next opponent (Sergei Kharitonov) and either victor in the semi final bout between Overeem and Silva. Barnett’s wrestling paired with his size and power is tough to handle for any opponent. Barnett rag-dolled a huge man in Brett Rogers lifting him above his head and slamming him to the mat. Almost immediately taking full mount and working ground and pound and submission attempts.
Barnett vs Kharitonov
This fight is a nightmare scenario for Kharitonov. Barnett can easily dictate the pace of this fight by exploiting Kharitonov’s suspect grappling and ground game. Once on the ground Kharitonov will have no answer for the relentless attack of a much larger Barnett. If Kharitonov brings the same plodding footwork that he used in the Arlovski fight Barnett will have this fight on the ground in no time.
Barnett vs Overeem
The most feared heavyweight striker in MMA didn’t live up to his name on Saturday night. Overeem, trying so desperately to avoid the takedowns of Werdum managed to get out struck by the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master on his feet and offer very little in return. In the end that little was enough to score a decision victory. The plan, albeit a bit boring, was very smart. But if Overeem was so worried about Werdum’s takedown’s, how will he handle Barnett’s? Does Overeem still possess the ground game he used to?
Barnett vs Silva
This match up in the most intriguing out of the bunch. Silva is strong, durable, and very resilient. Mike Kyle dropped Silva early in their bout and reigned down five minutes of ground and pound before Silva came back in round two and pounded him out in full mount. Barnett who displayed some decent Muay Thai in his fight against Monson would benefit from keeping this fight standing. Silva, who has displayed some less than desirable take down attempts would struggle with a more seasoned Barnett. This allows for Barnett to dictate where he wants this fight to take place.
Josh Barnett is the man to beat
The former UFC Heavyweight champ has all the tools to win this tournament decidedly. Barnett possesses knockout power in his hands and knees and a submission game that has landed him 4 submission wins in his last 7 victories dating back to 2008. That coupled with a top-notch wrestling game which allows him to dictate the fight is a huge obstacle for Kharitonov, Overeem, or Silva to overcome.