No Mountain Too High

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No one represents the old guard in mixed martial arts any better than Dan Henderson, an old-fashioned gunslinger with the willingness to throw caution to the wind, sometimes to his detriment, in order to please and entertain the masses. In the 14 years since he entered the MMA arena, he has faced world-class submission grapplers, feared brawlers, wily tacticians, axe murderers, phenoms, ninjas, piranhas and peers mentioned among the greatest fighters of all-time.

After 35 fights -- 27 of them victories -- in five organizations, the idea of a blockbuster matchup still gets Henderson’s blood pumping. Just such an encounter awaits him when he meets the incomparable Fedor Emelianenko in a heavyweight main event at Strikeforce/M-1 Global “Fedor vs. Henderson” on Saturday at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

“I don’t think Fedor’s just another name,” Henderson says.

Emelianenko has enjoyed an unprecedented amount of success in his career, as he once went 27 consecutive appearances without a loss during a stretch of dominance that lasted nearly a decade. The stoic 34-year-old sambo stylist has defeated five former UFC champions -- Mark Coleman (twice), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and Kevin Randleman -- along with 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland and four-time K-1 World Grand Prix winner Semmy Schilt.

In terms of sheer dominance, Emelianenko has no equal.

“I don’t know if he fears me at all,” Henderson says. “He probably shouldn’t if he’s in there to win. I think we both know that we’re both dangerous and need to be careful out there. I’m not afraid of him, and I’m pretty sure he’s probably not afraid of me.”

A two-time Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling, Henderson’s blistering right hand has become one of the most recognizable weapons in MMA. The punch short-circuited Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in March and delivered the Strikeforce light heavyweight crown to Henderson’s crowded mantle of achievement. Henderson, who turns 41 next month, has no desire to deviate from past history. He prefers to stand but will wrestle if the situation calls for it.

“In most fights, I tend to try and knock the guy out, but I don’t forget about my wrestling,” Henderson says. “I can rely on my wrestling, clinch and take him down if I need to, but I’m also looking forward to being able to stand and bang with him.”

Henderson draws Emelianenko at his most vulnerable point. “The Last Emperor” will enter the cage on a two-fight losing streak; he submitted to a first-round triangle choke from Fabricio Werdum in June 2010 and lost on a second-round doctor's stoppage against Antonio Silva in February. In those two outings, much of the Emelianenko mystique was shattered.

“Anybody that has their back to the wall -- and coming off two losses like that -- is definitely more dangerous,” Henderson says. “I think he’d still be trying to hit me with the same punches he would have if he’d won his last two fights.”

His recent downturn notwithstanding, Emelianenko still carries with him one of the sport’s most potent offensive attacks. He has finished 21 opponents inside the first round, a third of them in 69 seconds or less. Team Quest head boxing coach Gustavo Pugliese, who has worked alongside Henderson for the last three years, has studied Emelianenko’s tendencies in advance of the July 30 bout.

“Like every other fighter, I watch tapes and look for patterns and bad striking habits he has during fights,” Pugliese says. “I see mistakes and qualities that we then can match with Dan’s strengths and weaknesses to put together a game plan. There are no myths in getting ready for Fedor. We treat him like any other high-quality opponent.”

Late in his career, Emelianenko has added the one-punch knockout to his already lethal repertoire. Henderson has never been knocked out as a professional, but the power of the man standing before him remains a cause for concern inside the Team Quest camp.

“He’s very dangerous because he hits hard, like a mule,” Pugliese says. “We have to be very cautious with anyone that can hit hard like that. He also has very good timing, which means he can hit you when you’re trying to hit him, and he usually catches you first. Technically, he has some flaws -- he gets wild and reckless -- but you don’t have to have good technique to hit someone when you have good timing.”

Emelianenko, who weighed in at 230 pounds prior to his loss to Silva, will enter the matchup as the larger man, having spent his entire career at heavyweight. Henderson plans to check in at or near 206 pounds and does not believe size will be a factor in the outcome of the fight.

“It’s tough for me to gain weight,” he says. “I did plenty of weightlifting for this and plenty of eating. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. I’m not going to feel outmatched or small in there.”

Pugliese agrees with the assessment and believes steps can be taken in training to combat the size disadvantage with which Henderson will be confronted.

“It’s not the first time he’s fought someone bigger than him, so size is not an issue,” says Pugliese, who connected to Team Quest through UFC and Pride veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. “The issue is getting perfectly fit to carry a bigger guy and still have your arms fresh to throw punches.”

Pugliese and Henderson first discussed the idea of a possible matchup with Emelianenko more than a year ago, while the Russian was still undefeated and hailed by many as virtually invincible.

“When Dan first presented the idea to me, it was even before he fought Jake Shields,” he says. “He told me that by going to Strikeforce the fight would be easier to make, and he wanted it bad. At first, I smiled at him and said, ‘You’re crazy.’ And he asked me, ‘Why? Don’t you believe I can beat him?’ I said, ‘Yes, I believe you can, but it’s more work for me.’ Having said that, I think Dan will fight anyone he thinks he can beat, and, as a trainer, I think this is the best time to fight Fedor.”

The showdown with Emelianenko represents the final fight on the contract Henderson inked with Strikeforce in late 2009. He has not yet defended the 205-pound title he won from Cavalcante almost five months ago at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and with the UFC’s March purchase of Strikeforce, there are no guarantees he will get to do so.

“I have no plans on going anywhere,” Henderson says. “I’d like to defend that Strikeforce belt and go from there, but we’ve got to figure everything out at the same time. I think regardless of whether it’s the last fight or the first fight on my contract, I’m always trying to go out there and be exciting and finish fights. That’s probably the thing that’s gotten me paid more over the years -- just going out there and trying to finish the fight.”

Even at 40, Henderson does not anticipate having a difficult time finding employment in Strikeforce, the UFC or elsewhere.

“I guess it’s a question mark that will be answered after this fight,” he says. “I don’t know what to expect, but I’ve been around a long time and done enough in the sport. I’m not real worried about it.”