Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson being targeted for July Strikeforce event
Apr 10, 2011 - 7:15:41 PM Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson being targeted for July Strikeforce event

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson may be heading for a match up in July for Strikeforce, as Loretta Hunt at SI.com reports that both fighters are "onboard" for the fight.

However, plenty still needs to be ironed out, including at what weight the fight would take place, as well as where and exactly when it would happen as well. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed on Saturday after the Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley event on Showtime that this fight is indeed in the works.

Per the SI.com report, Emelianenko's camp is looking to take the fight at a 215-220 lb. catchweight, while Henderson would rather the fight be contested at heavyweight.

Emelianenko, after going unbeaten for almost a full decade, has lost two straight fights in the heavyweight division. First up was the upset submission loss to Fabricio Werdum last summer, and then he followed that up with the most decisive beating he had ever taken at the hands of Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

Henderson, meanwhile, would enter the fight having picked up two straight knockout wins in the organization. After a debut loss to Jake Shields last April for the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, Henderson moved back to light heavyweight and promptly knocked out Renato "Babalu" Sobral in December. He then captured Strikeforce's Light Heavyweight Title when he knocked out Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante in March.

The two former Pride stars would meet for the very first time in this fight. Though it was reported this week that Zuffa plans to bring Strikeforce to pay-per-view in July, Fedor's fights still need to be co-promoted with M-1 Global and that could potentially be a snag in this fight being on pay-per-view.

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Penick's Analysis: This is the fight I want to see for Fedor next. It just makes too much sense not to put together, and with both camps on board hopefully they can figure out the little details in order to make this come to fruition. If it's at heavyweight, both fighters would still likely come in around the 225 lb. mark or so, and perhaps Henderson would simply rather not cut weight for the matchup even for that little of a cut. Still, regardless of weight it's a great fight, and one that should be put together.