Saturday, July 30, 2011, Strikeforce/M-1 Global presents Strikeforce - Fedor vs. Henderson live from the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The event features a heavyweight showdown when promotion light heavyweight champion, Dan Henderson (27-8-0) goes toe-to-toe with legendary Russian, Fedor Emelianenko (31-3-0). Below you will find our picks for the evening's main-card.
Tarec Saffiedine (10-3-0) vs. Scott Smith (17-8-0)
UFC veteran Scott Smith has the kind of style that caters to fans and television ratings; his hands contain within them plenty of power, which is confirmed by 14 [T]KO victories. But at 32 years of age, Smith has shown little evolution as a fighter, resulting in a 3-4 run since mid-2008 including consecutive knockout defeats to Cung Le and Paul Daley, most recently. Saffiedine's camp and knack for hitting submissions will have him well prepared for this one. In 13 professional fights the 24 year old Belgium national has never been stopped and will score more points down the stretch to take a unanimous decision or late submission stoppage on the back of superior grappling.
Tyron Woodley (8-0-0) vs. Paul Daley (27-10-2)
With 20 [T]KO victories on record, Paul "Semtex" Daley could very well be one of the most dynamic strikers in the sport today; the 28 year old fighting out of Team Rough House strung together four straight wins before his April 9, TKO defeat at the hands of former welterweight champ, Nick Diaz. However, the Brit's take-down defense has always been an issue and the Nottingham native has never developed much of a ground game; a less experienced version of the UFC's Josh Koscheck, expect Woodley - who trained with KINGS MMA in Huntington Beach, California in preparation for the bout - to put this fight where he feels most comfortable, on the mat. Daley will not have the answer to Woodley's high-level wrestling. Woodley via unanimous decision.
Tim Kennedy (13-3-0) vs. Robbie Lawler (18-7-0)
Of all the great strikers featured on this card, you could flip a coin between Robbie Lawler and Paul Daley for the most explosive. Lawler has thrown fewer jabs than low-kicks in his 10-year career that has seen 15 [T]KOs in 18 victories to-date, including some of the most devastating knockouts in the sport's young history. Limited in submission defense, Lawler is at least a difficult man to hold down who often finds ways to escape back to his feet; how successful Kennedy is in doing just that will dictate how this fight ends up, as it is unlikely he'll get the better of Lawler over three rounds primarily standing. Determined to make his stamp as a legitimate top-flight middleweight, Kennedy - who will sport an unmarked shirt in protest of apparel company, Ranger Up, being rejected by Zuffa's sponsorship clearance panel - will to do just enough over three hard-fought rounds, en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Strikeforce Women's Welterweight Championship
Miesha Tate (11-2-0) vs. Marloes Coenen (19-4-0)
This fight appears to be as evenly matched as any scheduled for Saturday night; Miesha Tate has been on the shelf for nearly a year, coming off a knee injury she sustained during training in 2010. Her pace while grappling and smooth transitions make her a handful for anyone on the ground, but she will have to continuously ground the champion over five rounds while avoiding an aggressive submission attack that has defined Coenen's career. Both of these women are more inclined to submit than [T]KO their opposition, but it's Coenen's 14 career wins via the method, over a careen spanning nine years, that stands out when comparing the two head to head. Tate has fought beyond the third round before (in her first ever fight) and perhaps more importantly, she has proven capable of grinding out decisions in close encounters, but our Pick is "Rumina" as the champion retains her title with a late submission stoppage, perhaps taking advantage of some rust Tate has surely accumulated over the past 12 months.
Fedor Emelianenko (31-3-0) vs. Dan Henderson (27-8-0)
Dan Henderson is one of those special athletes that defies age in perhaps the most physically demanding sport on the planet today. A co-founder of Team Quest in Portland, Oregon, Henderson has posted consecutive wins since returning to the 205lbs ranks and has been victorious in five of his previous six bouts. His right hand is a threat to any man who stands before him, and his offensive wrestling has always been among the division's best. Emelianenko will not take Henderson down, but the opposite is a very real possibility. Both long-time veterans, and former champions of their respective weight classes in PRIDE Fighting Championships, it's likely that each man will test themselves standing before this fight hits the ground. Seldom has either one of these competitors been caught while standing in their storied careers, in fact, there isn't a knockout loss between them in 69 professional bouts at the highest level of the sport. I expect Henderson to hit a take-down or two, but a scramble will see "The Last Emperor" gain an advantageous position at some point, as he swiftly locks onto a submission, utilizing his size advantage to hold on for a second round stoppage.
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