In 2009, Fedor Emelianenko was sitting on top of the proverbial Heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts landscape. Essentially undefeated, Fedor's aura of invincibility was such that at one point in 2008, Afflicition founder and President Tom Attencio defected from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and guaranteed merchandise sales in favor of starting a rival promotion built around "The Last Emperor". An organization, The World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) was formed, with their first event being centred around a Heavyweight championship fight between Emelianenko and former UFC champ Tim Sylvia. Emelianenko dispatched of the man known as "Maine-iac" in 36 seconds. Then, the then-current heavyweight champion, Randy Couture was brought into the ring, saying despite his issues with the UFC he'd fight Emelianenko. The stage was set : An old school Cold War battle, pitting 2 titans of their sport against one another from 2 great states, The United States and Russia.
Unfortunately, that fight did not happen. Couture would return to the UFC, lose his heavyweight title, and subsequently drop to light heavyweight, his career seemingly ending after a KO defeat at the hands (or in this case, feet) of Lyoto Machida this past April in Toronto at UFC 129. As for Emelianenko, He'd go on to defend the WAMMA belt against Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers, before consecutive losses to Brazilians Fabricio Werdum (which was nominated for an ESPY for "Upset of the Year") and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva essentially brought him back to earth.
After winning the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title this past March from Rafael "Feijao" Calavante, Another former US Olympian, wrestler, and UFC fighter Dan Henderson made a comment that despite the 2 losses, he'd like to face Emelianenko. A corporate takeover by Zuffa (the owners of the UFC) for Strikeforce essentially brought those plans to fruition.
So, Saturday night, from the Sears Centre outside of Chicago, Illinois, Emelianenko will take on Henderson. While not packing the same punch as a superfight with Couture would have, it is nonetheless essentially along the same lines : An old school Cold War battle, featuring 2 titans of the sport from 2 global superpowers, the United States and Russia.
Onto my picks :
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson - The Main event between Emelianenko and Henderson an intriguing one. Emelianenko, in the weigh-in pictures, looks to have slimmed down quite a bit, dropping from his usual 230 to a slender 221 lbs. This might give him an advantage in the speed and power department, so don't expect Henderson to try to trade with him. Henderson's best chance to take a win is by decision, by outwrestling and beating Fedor to the punch with takedowns. Fedor doesn't hold the same wrestling prowess as Henderson, but his Sambo and his positioning will frustrate Hendo. I see Emelianenko using his weight advantage to hold Hendo at bay, with the Russian ultimately having his hand raised.
The Pick : Fedor by submission.
Marloes Coenen vs. Misha Tate - The co-main event is a women's title fight between Dutch Product Marloes Coenen, versus the newly minted "Face of Women's MMA" , Miesha Tate. This is a fight that was expected to take place in March on the Feijao/Henderson card, but an injury to Tate essentially allowed a little known Liz Caramouche to step into the spotlight, dominating the "Golden Girl from Golden Glory" for 2 and a half rounds, outwrestling her before the veteran found the arm she needed to secure a triangle choke and hold onto her title. This fight might bode the same way : Expect Tate to circle outside of Coenen's power, frustrating her with combinations and using takedowns to keep Coenen off balance. If Tate can hold the position, she might be able to pound out a victory and leave with the Strikeforce Women's Welterweight title, with or without her new bosses from Zuffa looking on.
The Pick : Tate by TKO.
Also, look for Paul Daley vs. Tyrone Woodley to produce fireworks. Essentially 2 heavy bangers looking to make a statement and their claim for the Welterweight title, given Nick Diaz's recent vacating of the title and a move to the UFC.
Those are my picks. Agree or disagree? Want to get back to me? leave a comment or hit me up by email at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Twitter, at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next time, fight fans!
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