Previewing the Fedor vs. Henderson fight card
Strikeforce has always done a pretty good job of packaging entertaining and intriguing fights together for their major events on Showtime. They don’t always live up to expectations, but on paper, their main card match-ups are usually capable of piquing your interest.
Tomorrow’s event in suburban Chicago is no different. The five sets of fighters stepping into the cage should produce a few compelling encounters. Where they have historically struggled is in generating preliminary fight that are capable of drawing attention. I don’t want to jinx it, but they’re starting to turn the corner in that regard.
Bryan Humes (6-1) vs. Gabriel Salinas-Jones (4-0)
Unbeaten heavyweights are always of interest to me because quality big boy talents are hard to come by in this sport. Though he’s just four fights into his career and remains a project at this stage, Salinas-Jones is definitely someone worth keeping tabs on in the future.
The 26-year-old has earned stoppages in each of his bouts to date. His debut victory over Zak Jensen jumps off the page at anyone who remembers the man Kimbo Slice nicknamed “Linderman” on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. While Jensen is far from a world-beater, he’s a reasonable talent, and Salinas-Jones needed just over two minutes to beat him.
Humes isn’t a pushover by any means. A late cut from TUF 10, he took a big step up in competition for is last fight, graduating from beating unknowns to facing UFC and Strikeforce alum Paul Buentello at Shark Fights 11. He lost a unanimous decision to “The Headhunter” and hasn’t competed since.
The fact that Humes has been out of the cage since May 2010 looms heavily in this fight. More than a year on the sidelines and a string of injuries is tough enough to overcome; it becomes more challenging when your opponent looks like a talented kid coming off a solid win just two months ago.
Derek Brunson (7-0) vs. Lumumba Sayers (4-1)
It really is hard to gauge how talented an up-and-comer is until they’ve set foot on the bigger stage. A three-time Division II All-American, Brunson smashed his way to a 6-0 start while fighting on small east coast show. Not once did he need more than two-and-a-half minutes to finish his opponent, but that can mean many things or it could mean nothing at all.
Brunson splits his training between working with Renzo Gracie and Greg Jackson, so at least you know for sure that he’s going to be well-coached and ready to fight.
Sayers has still yet to see the second round through his first five fights. Matching pairs of wins bookend the lone loss of his career, but like Brunson, it’s hard to get a handle on his true potential at this point.
The guys he’s beaten have a combined record south of something impressive, so it will be interesting to see what the middleweight submission fighter has to offer here.
Alexis Davis (9-4) vs. Julie Kedzie (16-8)
This is a fight that shows Strikeforce is making a commitment to women’s MMA beyond just the big name stars. Both are experienced females competing in the 135 pound division, easily the deepest set on the other side of the gender divide.
Kendzie comes in riding a four-fight winning streak, and she’s faced a who’s who of female fighters over her seven years in the sport. A member of Greg Jackson’s team in Albuquerque, the knock against Kedzie is similar to that of pseudo-teammate Sarah Kaufman; 10 of Kedzie’s 16 career wins have come by way of decision.
Ontario native Alexis Davis has also been in the cage with some of the top names in the sport. She’s alternated wins and losses dating back to November 2009, a run of seven fights, and hasn’t been in the cage since beating Tonya Evinger for a second time last winter.
Neither of these women are going to challenge the winner of tomorrow’s co-main event for the title, but they’re solid additions to the ranks, and every division needs those, regardless of gender.
Eduardo Pamplona (15-2) vs. Tyler Stinson (20-7)
I love fights like this, bouts where simply looking at their records tells you absolutely nothing. That may sound weird to some people, but I like a good fight where you have to do some digging to find out what you’re in store for.
Though Pamplona has the lesser experience of the two on paper, the Black House team member is ten years the senior of Stinson. He had his first fight in 2002 and has been in the cage with veterans like Jorge “Macaco” Patino, Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons, Daniel Acacio and Robbie Lawler.
Lawler was the last man to defeat Pamplona, doing so back in February 2007. The Brazilian has run off ten straight wins since then, including a first round TKO of Jerron Peoples in his Strikeforce debut a little over a month ago. Stinson has racked up 27 fights in a little more than five years as a pro.
He’s beaten all the opponents he’s faced that you’re never heard of and added a couple wins over guys you know. But for the most part, proven opposition gives him trouble, as he’s lost to Bellator regulars Steve Carl, Anthony Lapsley and Dan Hornbuckle. To his credit, Stinson is a finisher; 18 of his 20 wins have come inside the distance.
At 25, this might be a watershed moment for Stinson. A win here gets him over the veteran yips, but a loss makes the pressure to push through against a proven competitor even greater the next time out. For Pamplona, it’s a shot at success in a high profile organization for the first time in his long career.
Ask and you shall receive.
After an accidental eye poke caused an early end to his fight with Justin Wilcox back in June, Cavalcante pleaded for a speedy return to the cage. While he gets his wish, he also got a late opponent change for his troubles. Originally slated to face Lyle Beerbohm, the recently signed King of the Cage champ will step in with Cavalcante instead.
Green has been extremely active to this point in his career, as Saturday’s bout will be his twentieth fight in three-and-a-half years in the cage. He’s had moderate success and sports a couple of recognizable names as conquests — TUF 12 alum Sevak Magakian and Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett — but dropped his only other fight on the bigger stage, losing to Dan Lauzon on the second Affliction card, Day of Reckoning.
Cavalcante needs a win here if he has any hopes of resurrecting his once promising career. Injuries and a lack of opportunities have slowed him over the last three years, and he’s been very inconsistent in the cage. He’s just 1-3 with two no contests in his last five fights, and another poor showing here could be the end of the line.
“JZ” was tentative in the opening round of his fight with Wilcox and unable to match his tempo and power. Neither of those things should be a problem here against Green; Cavalcante’s experience and sense of urgency should bring him out of the gates quickly.
Scott Smith
Scott Smith (17-8) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (10-3)
This is a pivotal fight for both fighters, as the loser is in danger of being given a pink slip.
Saffiedine is still young enough that he could be returned to Challengers events for more seasoning. He’s had moderate success there to date, earning victories over James Terry and Nate Moore, as well as a decision win over Brock Larson outside of the organization in September. He dropped a one-sided decision to Tyron Woodley in his latest.
The situation is much more dire for Smith, a tough veteran has been around the block a time or two. A loss here would leave him at 1-4 over his last five and seemingly out of options. He’s always capable of ending a fight with one well-placed punch, but he’s been out-quicked in each of his last four outings.
Smith’s ability to catch Saffiedine is what will determine the outcome of this fight. Smith needs to close the distance. The 24-year-old Team Quest product will be looking to pick and pop all night long, so the onus is on Smith to disrupt his rhythm and make this a gritty affair.
If he can do that, he can win the fight and stave off questions about his future for a couple months, but Saffiedine will not make it easy.
Paul Daley (27-10-2) vs. Tyron Woodley (8-0)
The book on Daley was written a long time ago and is well-studied by everyone in the welterweight division. “Semtex” has lights out power in both hands and throws compact hooks with crazy speed.
Daley was a couple punches away from finishing off Nick Diaz last time out, clipping the champion and dropping him twice, but failed to find the finish. Diaz bounced back and later put Daley away in what was the most exciting round of the year.
Historically speaking, this is a horrible match-up for Daley. The ground has been his kryptonite over his career and Woodley is a former All-American wrestler. It’s impressive how quickly Woodley has climbed up the ladder. His game keeps improving each time out, and he’s shown the ability to gut out tough fights, as he did against Nathan Coy.
This is his chance to show he belongs in the upper echelon of the welterweight division, not just in Strikeforce, but in the sport as a whole. If he can avoid Daley’s power, he has the potential to earn the biggest win of his career and propel himself to bigger and better things.
Robbie Lawler (18-7) vs. Tim Kennedy (13-3)
I love this fight, but it shows both everything that is great and god awful about Strikeforce all in one.
This is a fun fight. What’s crazy is that the winner is probably right back in the thick of the title chase, which is the down side of the depth situation in Strikeforce right now.
Lawler is a counter-punching veteran who has eschewed every other element of the sport in order to throw bombs and knock people out. When he connects, it’s awesome. He has alternated wins over Melvin Manhoef and Matt Lindland with losses to Renato Sobral and Jacare Souza in his last four outings.
Kennedy is a well-rounded talent whose only loss over his last six fights was a close fight with Souza for the middleweight belt. He also beat Manhoef, submitting him quickly, and now he gets Lawler after asking for him by name.
There are all kinds of ways this fight could go and it might all depend on Kennedy’s takedowns. Lawler is tough to bring down — he’s dedicated himself to being able to stuff the shot — but once he’s off his feet, he’s out of his element. Kennedy likes to engage and won’t spend the night dancing around on the outside picking his spots, so Lawler will have his opportunities.
I honestly see this fight being very similar to Coenen’s last outing against Liz Carmouche. As much as the former Marine came out of left field and laid a beating on the champ for two of the first three rounds, the Dutch veteran kept her cool and used her submission game to get the win in the fourth.
Tate is a better wrestler than Carmouche who is capable of putting Coenen on her heels and grinding out the fight on the ground. But just as in her last fight, Coenen has a huge edge in experience and the composure to stay patient if Tate puts the pressure on.
Neither has great hands, but Coenen probably gets a slight edge and if she can keep the fight standing, she’ll pick Tate apart. On the ground it’s a toss-up. If Tate can stay tight and be fairly active, she could walk out the new champion, but Coenen will be looking for submissions the whole time. All she needs is a small window of opportunity, just like her last two outings.
Fedor Emelianenko (31-3) vs. Dan Henderson (27-8)
This is a battle between two legends that should prove to be entertaining.
Emelianenko needs this win. His invincible aura has been shattered over the last 13 months and a third straight loss will certainly damage the way he’s remembered in the MMA history books. We haven’t seen many positives out of Emelianenko in his last two outings, which makes it hard to predict what we’ll get from him here.
Without any challengers in the light heavyweight division, this is the only bout that was out there for Henderson. It doesn’t make a ton of sense for him, other than adding another marquee name to his resume, but that’s enough for a Strikeforce event at this point.
This fight hinges on Fedor and what frame of mind he’s in when the cage door closes. On paper, he’s got more ways to win this fight and his size, strength, speed advantage should give him the edge over Henderson, but it’s so hard to gauge his mental state right now. He always looks so emotionless that you can’t tell if he’s excited, motivated, or indifferent, and that is the danger here.
You know Henderson is coming ready to roll and wing overhand rights, but if he doesn’t connect and Fedor has his head on straight, he could be in trouble.