'Henderson Will Beat Fedor' Luke Thomas Talks Strikeforce on The Fight Fix
by Nate Wilcox on Jul 25, 2011 1:01 PM EDT
in MMA Video
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PrintLuke Thomas joined Dustin Green on The Fight Fix to talk Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson which airs this Saturday, July 30, on Showtime. Luke mans up and predicts the huge upset in the headliner. That's right, Luke thinks Dan Henderson will beat, and possibly even finish the great Fedor Emelianenko.
You can also see The Fight Fix at CSNWashington.com.
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Full transcript after the jump.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson
Luke Thomas, Senior MMA Editor - SBNation.com
20 secs, Who has the most to gain by taking this fight?: "I think Dan Henderson has a lot to gain and so does Fedor Emelianenko. Both guys have the ability to profit here handsomely depending on how things go. The one who has more to gain is also the same guy who has more to lose: Fedor Emelianenko. Coming off of 2 losses, looking kind of old in his last one. Looking unable to hang with the elite of the division not just because of size - I think it's a bit of a crutch that some of his fans have leaned on. But realistically, a big win over Dan Henderson, particularly by stoppage, a submission like an armbar. A classic Fedor Emelianenko armbar from the guard. I think that would really rehabilitate him a little bit. Give him a little bit more life in his MMA career and provide him a platform to maybe excite American fans a little bit more."
1:04, What would a 3rd straight loss mean for Fedor?: "I think that would be the end of Fedor Emelianenko. I don't see how he can continue after that. Certainly being the victim of a Werdum triangle or a ground-and-pound from Antonio Silva is nothing to be ashamed of, but when guys lose 3 straight...they have come back in mixed martial arts. You do see that. Nick Diaz got bounced from UFC after losing 3 straight, but he did it in his mid 20's. That's very different than doing it at 34 when you're probably past your athletic prime. When you really haven't made any critical adjustments in the course of your career to keep pace with the mixed martial arts game. I really believe that Fedor, should he lose, particularly in stoppage, that's gotta be the end of him."
1:46, Is it a big deal for Henderson to be smaller than Fedor in this fight?: "It's hard to say what you mean by big deal. I sorta feel like Dan Henderson will be optimal when he doesn't go too heavy. There's clearly a tipping point and if he goes to say 210, 215, he'd be doing himself a disservice. There'd literally be a sort of extra weight that doesn't provide any competitive advantage. He doesn't wanna balloon himself. Certainly being next to Fedor at 230 he's not a Brock Lesnar kind of bricked up specimen, but he is strong, he is fast. Even though he might be the heavier guy, between the weight and the speed that might actually be kind of bewildering, particularly in that clinch position for Fedor, even though he doesn't have the best defensive wrestling. I certainly believe that it's actually better for him to be at 206 than it is for Fedor to be at 230. Fedor at 230, I really believe is kind of slow."
2:35, Who are you picking and why?: "This is a really tough one. I can see advantages that either guy might have in this fight, but I really have to go with Dan Henderson. I know that's gonna make a lot of people angry. I didn't pick Fedor to lose to Antonio Silva. I really believed he was probably gonna have enough for Big Foot. He simply was not the Fedor that we had long recognized. I think that we didn't get enough of Fedor in the Werdum fight to get a real accurate gauge on where he was at that point in his career either. I think Dan Henderson has a lot of ways to lose here. As I mentioned, I do believe that the speed and the underrated, unheralded strength of Fedor might come into play. I certainly believe that on the floor Dan Henderson can be submitted. He's been submitted by both Nogueira brothers at both heavyweight and light heavyweight. Fedor certainly no stranger to submissions and obviously a fantastic, dynamic, attacking guard that he has. But provided it stays on the feet, I don't know what to say. I kinda see Fedor gettin' caught. Something along the lines of Kazuyuki Fujita where he's gonna get hurt, and unlike against Fujita, won't be able to come back. I see Dan Henderson winning by stoppage."
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There is an old Zen saying that goes something like; “What has happened twice will surely happen a third time.”
"Stop smiling you are about to be punched in the face !"
There is a more redent wisdom, saying
…Never go full retard. ;)
"A belt only covers two inches of your ****and the rest you need to back up on your own." Royce Gracie (allegedly...I just read it somewhere and thought it was cool for my sig!)
by KGNLuc on Jul 25, 2011 1:16 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 5 recs
i couldnt agree more
Awesome post
Aaron Simpson is the 30 something Randy Couture of the 40 somethings. - Mike Goldberg
by pridedaze09 on Jul 25, 2011 1:22 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Might be a poisonous prediction for some folks,
but I was always more concerned about Fedor’s loss of speed than anything else. His body looked more out of shape then in his pride where he kinda had a fat armor over all the muscle mass. But after the Rogers fight and especially after the Bigfoot fight I’m not sure if his reflexes are still there.
So Hendo is a good pick.
"No man dies for what he knows to be true. Men die for what they want to be true, for what some terror in their hearts tells them is not true."
His physique has definitely changed, and not at all for the better. As you mentioned, before he clearly just carried some excess fat, but more recently he appears to the eye to have lost considerable muscle mass.
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Jul 25, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
well you said it better than I did ^^
"No man dies for what he knows to be true. Men die for what they want to be true, for what some terror in their hearts tells them is not true."
More hair, more muscles. Maybe M1 has sold his kettlebells...
"... All reined up in old language and old assumptions, straining to jump clean-hoofed on to a whole new track of being I only suspect is there. I can't see it, because my educated, average head is being held at the wrong angle..."
by dancingChicken on Jul 25, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Do you have a current picture to put up as comparison?
I’m curious, as some people have said he’s looking better now.
I agree Fedor has lost a step, or maybe even two
but I just don’t see how Dan can beat this guy. This is one of the few fights where I didn’t want either guy to lose. I can’t wait until Saturday night.
I wouldn’t call it a huge upset by any means. This is a close fight.
Fedor’s coming off of two losses and Dan has a style that should be tricky for him. Will be rooting for Fedor but I’m not sure who I’m picking just yet.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by Jack.Barrington on Jul 25, 2011 1:35 PM EDT reply actions
I think it could depend on how sloppy Fedor’s striking gets.
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." - Jack Dempsey
by Jack.Barrington on Jul 25, 2011 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I actually thought about Fujita the other day
And basically said to someone if Fujita can make Fedor do the fish dance when Fedor was in his prime, Henderson can definitely get the knockout.
Bloody Elbow Grappling Editor.
Berate Me on Twitter @KJGould
That was a pretty clear fluke
Nobody other than Fujita has ever wobbled Fedor. Also, Fujita has basically never wobbled anyone else standing. Lucky shots are a very real thing.
Nobody when Fedor was in his prime
Fedor is no longer in his prime and got softened up recently by Bigfoot. Hendo can still knock people out even today.
Bloody Elbow Grappling Editor.
Berate Me on Twitter @KJGould
I hope you are right Luke.
I hope Hendo gets a big win.
Me too. It’s going to suck if Hendo goes in there and gets subbed out in the first.
Follow me on Twitter: @MMANation.
back in pride fedor was fighting dudes that were around his same weight. now we get to see him fight a dude around his weight again.
If Fedor loses it’ll probably double the number of revisionist historians calling him a bum. I didn’t really like this fight when it was announced because the results could really discredit one of the all-time greats.
It might be time for Fedor to retire, win or lose.
"He's like Elvis in Korea! They love him there." - Mike Goldberg on Denis Kang
i like henderson, but all he really has (that can win him this fight) is his right hand. if fedor does his best to avoid it (and henderson is almost like chuck in how he just cocks it and follows his opponent around) there is no way henderson will beat him
by phantom5691 on Jul 25, 2011 2:47 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Luke has NO IDEA what he’s talking about. The wight against Bigfoot played A HUGE FACTOR!!! The guy had over 50lb over him. I don’t give a damn how skilled a fighter is if someone has that much weight over you, your in big trouble. Then he wants to bring up a fight that was years + ago about getting rocked by Fujita……REALLY LUKE? Henderson was ROCKED in his last fight by Feijao.
Henderson is a wild striker also and is very predictable with that telegraphed right hand that my grandma can see coming. Could he beat Fedor? Possibly but not only can Fedor TKO Henderson, he also can sub Henderson. Where as Henderson has only one ability to finish Fedor and that’s by TKO or KO.
Don’t forget BIgfoot’s really good at jiu-jitsu for big heavyweight. His ground skill combined with his weight definitely gave Fedor problems. I also think Werdum outweighed Fedor significantly.
I tend to be biased towards strikers . . . exciting strikers.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
by VeeisAnimated on Jul 25, 2011 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
"Luke has NO IDEA what he’s talking about."
Actually, I do. You may not like or agree with my reasoning, but I’m not talking from a position of cynicism or misinformation. I’m not talking from a position of ignorance or misunderstanding.
I didn’t say Fedor lost to Bigfoot not because of size. I said the size differential doesn’t fully explain Fedor’s loss. Go back and watch the video again. It’s pretty clear, actually.
I know everyone out there thinks they can do this better than me or anyone else who gets a platform to speak. And maybe the Hendo pick is wrong. But it’s made in earnest and I’ve clearly laid out reasons, pretty justifiable I would argue, for the reason. Saying I’m clueless is the clearest signal I should ignore your opinion.
Follow me on Twitter: @MMANation.
by Luke Thomas on Jul 25, 2011 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Well said
And you’re a better man than I for not pointing out how poorly written that post was.
The weight didn’t seem to be an issue when he was beating monsters in Japan.
by Phildo on Jul 25, 2011 4:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Weight is an issue when you have that person on top of you. Whenever Fedor fought a “monster” in Japan, the main concern was what would happen if that fighter got on top of him. The same thing happened when a 300lb Mark Hunt ended up on top of Fedor.
Weight is also a factor when the skill level is fairly close, not like when its Fedor against HMC or something.
To quote the Punisher, “when everything else is equal, bet on the big guy…”
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
Death before dishonor, drinks before lunch.
Never send sheep to kill a wolf.
by The American Ronin on Jul 26, 2011 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I, like so many Fedor fans do not know what to make of Fedor in his current form. He talks as if he is training a lot but one look at him casts doubt on that. He is not old by MMA standards, and if memory serves, A. Silva is around his age if not older.
Fedor just looks (to me) like he has been slacking on his fitness and in addition has not been expanding his game. In modern MMA, you are either improving or falling behind and Fedor doesn’t look like he has done much to improve his game in quite some time. I hope the training footage I saw indicates that Fedor trained hard for this fight but his physique doesn’t seem to indicate it. Even with the natural fat that he always carried, he used to have a LOT more muscle than he does now.
I am still going to pick Fedor though, probably not for any reason other than I really want him to win and keep fighting. Henderson could lose to Fedor and it would likely have no impact on his fighting future. I love watching both fighters and hope it is a fight where they both bring their A game and the best man wins.
If heavyweight isn't the toughest division in the UFC, then why doesn't someone that can kick their asses move to it? They don’t even have to cut weight!!
Fedor getting caught . . .
I don’t know . . .
- Jake Shields got hit with bombs a couple of times. He survived.
- It’s not like Fedor has been stopped by strikes in his last fight. YES, Antonio Silva was whipping that a** but Fedor was always fighting back (well at least from what I remember – I only saw the fight once.)
- Fedor can take a whole lot of damage but when he gets punched . . . he looks bad because he cuts easily. Brett Rogers cut him with his first jab (or second)
- There’s all the talk about Arlovski “was winning before” he got KO’ed but . . . yeah well, there was that KO victory.
Some fans are still saying that GSP will get caught which sounds crazy at this point but they can always point to his lost against Matt Serra. Fedor, I don’t see a point of reference for him getting caught. But then again, this is Dangerous “Dan” Henderson droppping bombs.
I tend to be biased towards strikers . . . exciting strikers.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
I think it is God’s will that Fedor wins this fight. I believe that after M-1 and Fedor shrugged off the UFC that Jesus was upset. He was pissed he didn’t get to see Fedor meet Brock. So, he did the double whammy of humiliating him in the Werdum fight and making him suffer in the Silva fight. You also have to figure Jesus loves those Brazilians. Have you seen that statue in Rio? But, now against a God-less American like Hendo inthink Jesus will be back in his corner and will wipe out and forbidden psychological technology anyone might be using. Fedor wins by God’s will. Which is a new sub he learned from Eddie Bravo.
by memitim on Jul 25, 2011 4:09 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Fedor by deus ex machina, Rd 1
A strikeforce spotlight becomes loosened by the will of god and falls on Hendo’s head just as Fedor throws an overhand right.
This kind of prediction damages my professional opinion of you Luke
Even with Fedor looking a bit slower, when it comes to trading overhands, I’d take him over Hendo every day of the week. He sets it up and counters much better historically. Hendo was nearly KO’d his last fight. Fedor isn’t getting hit standing.
“This kind of prediction damages my professional opinion of you Luke”
You have a professional opinion? Somehow I’ll manage to sleep through the night.
Follow me on Twitter: @MMANation.
by Luke Thomas on Jul 25, 2011 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
professional action figure opinions
Hey, I don’t think I’ve ever picked against Wandy. Everyone is allowed to make homer picks once in a while I guess…
by Urijah Bieber on Jul 25, 2011 8:52 PM EDT up reply actions
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