It took less than five minutes for Dan Henderson to stop Fedor Emelianenko, and hand “The Last Emperor” his third consecutive loss. Henderson’s patented right hand caught Emelianenko cleanly on the jaw and brought him to the ground, where Herb Dean was forced to step in mere moments later. Billed as a matchup between two of MMA’s biggest legends, fans may have also witnessed the end of the losing legend’s career.
The fight started with Emelianenko pushing forward and attacking Henderson with a flurry of punches. After the two combatants broke away from the clinch, Emelianenko came forward once again, this time dropping his opponent to the canvas. However, Henderson was able to get back to his feet and respond with the blows that dropped Emelianenko and led to his defeat. While he was not prone on the mat, Fedor was not responding to the attacks from Henderson, and the TKO stoppage was registered.
This defeat marked the third on Emelianenko’s resume in less than a year. And many have begun to call for the retirement of the 34-year-old man who was once considered the best heavyweight in the sport. With Zuffa controlling the reigns of Strikeforce, there isn’t any reason to believe that the organization would renew his contract. Reports had been released that the bout agreement between Henderson and Emelianenko was written containing language that indicated that the loser of the fight could be released from his current contract.
Henderson’s future is also hazy, as word has not been released about any potential opponents since he claimed the Strikeforce light heavyweight title back in March. The fight against Emelianenko was his last bout on his current Strikeforce contract, so the direction of his career is currently in limbo.
From the moment that this bout was announced, I questioned what the MMA community would gain from the matchup. While both fighters undoubtedly deserve the praise for their accolades in the sport, I believe their current places in MMA aren’t as prominent. Henderson was unable to capture gold while in the UFC, losing two title bids. Meanwhile, Fedor has dropped two fights in one-sided fashion. A victory for either combatant wouldn’t make him an immediate addition to the list of the best in the sport; the majority of them are also Zuffa fighters.
With the battle over, there is no telling what is next for either Henderson or Emelianenko. It would be hard to see Henderson as a contender in the UFC’s middleweight or light heavyweight division where he was defeated by a champion and a current contender, back to back. UFC President Dana White will most likely use this situation as more fodder for the argument that they made the right choice in not signing Fedor when negotiations with M-1 Global first fell apart. How often have we seen a major MMA event end with the competitors in the final bout both nearly unemployed? Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson ended in that way, and what’s to come next is just about anyone’s guess.
