Brazilian jiu-jitsu Black Belt Fabricio Werdum appeared to be in over his head when he signed to fight the legendary fighter from Russia, Fedor Emelianenko.Werdum (14-4) didn’t waste any time in locking Emelianenko up in a triangle choke shortly after …
Brazilian jiu-jitsu Black Belt Fabricio Werdum appeared to be in over his head when he signed to fight the legendary fighter from Russia, Fedor Emelianenko.
Werdum (14-4) didn’t waste any time in locking Emelianenko up in a triangle choke shortly after he was dropped 30 seconds into Round 1. “The Last Emperor” tried to fight it off but succumbed to the pressure of the two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion’s submission, tapping out 1:09 into the round.
The former UFC and Pride veteran will be fighting this weekend at Strikeforce in Dallas, Texas. His opponent is top-10 heavyweight and current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem (34-11). The three-round bout will not be for the title, but it will be for a spot in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinals.
The quarterfinal bout will be a rematch of their 2006 fight where Werdum submitted the “Demolition Man,” who is the only fighter to have held championship titles in both kickboxing and MMA at the same time. Since that loss, Overeem has gone 11-4, with three of those losses coming within a year of submitting to Werdum.
The other quarterfinal bout includes Brett Rogers vs. Josh Barnett, which will be broadcast on the same card.
Don’t forget to check out Sal DeRose’s “knockout of the day” article, here!
The UFC may bolster the thickest stable in every weight class, but Strikeforce more than holds its own in the heavyweight division.
The infusion of guys like Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, and Antonio Silva has turn…
The UFC may bolster the thickest stable in every weight class, but Strikeforce more than holds its own in the heavyweight division.
The infusion of guys like Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Fabricio Werdum, and Antonio Silva has turned a dying division into Strikeforce’s premier weight class.
On June 18, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix continues with two monumental quarterfinal match-ups.
The June outbreak of MMA keeps on rolling, and it’s Strikeforce’s turn to host the festivities. In preparation for the upcoming event, Bleacher Report counts down the top-10 fighters on the Strikeforce heavyweight roster.
UFC 131 is water under the bridge. But that doesn’t mean the MMA summer is over. Far from it.At the Strikeforce event on July 30, Fedor Emelianenko will try to find that misplaced cloak of invincibility he dropped somewhere along the way several months…
UFC 131 is water under the bridge. But that doesn’t mean the MMA summer is over. Far from it.
At the Strikeforce event on July 30, Fedor Emelianenko will try to find that misplaced cloak of invincibility he dropped somewhere along the way several months back. His opponent, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, is looking to reaffirm his importance in the face of Father Time and a changing sport.
Though there’s nothing on the line in this heavyweight matchup, and a win may not vault either man into any new title conversations, it is still a hotly anticipated clash between two old lions of the sport, each looking to prove he can still hunt with the alpha males.
Here’s a head-to-toe breakdown of this red-letter date on the MMA calendar.
Filed under: StrikeforceThe Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson fight card features a Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko main event on July 30 and emanates from the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman States, Ill.
The superfight between former PRIDE champions will be at a catchweight of 220 pounds. Fedor finds himself on a two-fight losing streak after getting bounced from the Strikeforce Heavyweight GP by Antonio Silva. Meanwhile, Henderson is moving up in weight after capturing the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt over Rafael Cavalcante in March.
This year’s NBA Draft is pretty slim in talent; there isn’t a ton of depth or potential star-power to be had, past the top two picks (and, to be honest, both of those guys are pretty shoddy). However, there are some players projected to be late-fi…
This year’s NBA Draft is pretty slim in talent; there isn’t a ton of depth or potential star-power to be had, past the top two picks (and, to be honest, both of those guys are pretty shoddy).
However, there are some players projected to be late-first round, early-second round draft picks that could become gems if the smartest teams select them.
These are usually players that didn’t get a ton of props because, despite whatever success they may have had, didn’t play in a Division I school; Additionally, these are also players on deep teams in college which saw them as the second-best player despite being crafty as a leader.
Whatever the case, there are always a handful of these dudes in each draft.
Fedor Emelianenko was once considered to be the best fighter to have ever lived. Now, having lost twice in a row, his aura of invincibility has shattered and many are doubting the Russian sambo expert.Fortunately for Emelianenko, he has been given one …
Fedor Emelianenko was once considered to be the best fighter to have ever lived. Now, having lost twice in a row, his aura of invincibility has shattered and many are doubting the Russian sambo expert.
Fortunately for Emelianenko, he has been given one last chance to redeem himself (and perhaps retire with a win) in the form of a fight with current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion—as well as former UFC and Pride champion—Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson on July 30th, 2011.
Had this fight been announced in the heydays of Pride, it would have been a dream match for MMA fans all over the world.
However, both fighters are now past their primes and in the twilight hours of their careers (specifically Emelianenko) and the fight doesn’t represent a “superfight” so much as is represents a “last hurrah” for two legends.
Still, the fight is happening and is being hyped up by many a fan as something that will be epic and memorable—a classic in the making.
But is it really? Does the fight actually make any sense?
The answer is twofold.
It doesn’t make sense when you consider that Dan Henderson is currently coming off of a victory in which he captured the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship from Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.
Emelianenko, on the other hand, has lost two straight. Only in Strikeforce does losing two fights in a row earn you a fight with the title holder from another weight class, even under Zuffa ownership!
Despite this obvious flaw in matchmaking, the fight does actually make sense in other ways.
First, it makes financial sense. Zuffa is intending to get every last penny out of Emelianenko that it can. What a better way to do it than put him up against another big name in Dan Henderson?
Second, should Emelianenko lose it will assure Zuffa’s victory over posterity. What this means is that if Emelianenko loses to Henderson (which is very likely; don’t forget that it was predicted on Bleacher Report MMA that Emelianenko would lose to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva), Zuffa and Dana White will undoubtedly boast that Emelianenko couldn’t even beat “UFC reject” Dan Henderson.
When one examines the fight very closely, the pros outweigh the cons, and the fight ultimately does make sense. If Fedor wins, great! Zuffa made money off of him and may be able to put him in another big fight. If Fedor loses, even better! Zuffa made money off of him and can now forever cast Fedor Emelianenko into the annals of MMA history as a false god worshiped only by misguided Pride fans.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu Black Belt Fabricio Werdum appeared to be in over his head when he signed to fight the legendary fighter from Russia, Fedor Emelianenko.
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