Friday, March 18, 2011

STRIKEFORCE NEWS: Fedor Emelianenko considering drop to light heavyweight, bout with Dan Henderson this year

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

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Strikeforce is currently looking at putting together a bout between Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko, with all parties showing interest in the fight.

According to a report from Fighter's Only, sources close to Emelianenko state he is giving "serious consideration" to dropping to light heavyweight for the bout. Per the report, Emelianenko was approached about the fight prior to last weekend's event in Columbus, where Henderson defeated Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante.

For his part, Henderson has said multiple times that he'd be interested in a fight with Emelianenko, and he told MMAJunkie.com this week he'd be willing to go up in weight for the fight. However, if Fedor makes the drop to 205 lbs., Henderson's title would likely be on the line.

Nothing is yet set, of course, and when it comes to Emelianenko negotiations could continue, but for now all sides seem to be headed toward this bout at some point this year.

Penick's Analysis: As I said on Sunday this would be a perfect fight for both fighters, and I'm glad Strikeforce is looking that direction. I don't know if Fedor can make a cut down to 205 lbs. having never done it before, but if he drops just a little weight he'd be ready and available for a catchweight bout at the least. This is a fight that could be very good for Strikeforce, and it would be an extremely entertaining matchup. With Henderson picking up two straight knockout wins, fan interest in him in Strikeforce is at a high, and it's an interesting fight for Fedor that takes him out of the heavyweight tournament picture after his loss to Bigfoot Silva. I hope they can get this together, as it would be a great fight for all involved.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_8690.shtml

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