As the Strikeforce hosts their event tomorrow night, the talks of possible retirement for headliner Fedor Emelianenko loom large.
Nearly unbeatable for the last decade, "The Last Emperor" recently suffered two consecutive losses for the first time in his career. In an interview with Sherdog.com, Emelianenko said he understands the importance of facing Dan Henderson, but that doesn't mean he is about to look past his opponent.
"We’ll fight our next fight, and, after that, we’ll see,” Emelianenko told reporters during a teleconference.
“I’m not thinking about what might be. Right now, I’m just thinking about this fight, and after this fight, we’ll sit down and figure out what to do next."
Unlike his last two opponents, Henderson presents a different challenge to Emelianenko, as he will be facing him in a heavyweight bout. Henderson, a natural middleweight, has not competed in a heavyweight bout since 2002 and is going to giving up considerable weight against his Russian counterpart.
Henderson might appear to be older than Emelianenko; however, he is still a dangerous and formidable opponent. "Hendo" will be entering the bout on a two-fight win streak, previously knocking out Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante; his win over Cavalcante earned him the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.
Emelianenko respects Henderson's accomplishments, and should he win at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, IL, it will be another former UFC champion added to his resume.
“Dan Henderson has been a fighter for a long time and he’s been a champion in many different organizations. For me, it’s very important,” Emelianenko said.
Perhaps what's even more important to Emelianenko is that he hopes to earn one more opportunity to wear the heavyweight crown. After rumors of the Russian heavyweight potentially moving down to compete at 205 lbs, Emelianenko doesn't envision himself at a lightweight.
“I’ve always fought as a heavyweight, and I didn’t see any reason to fight at a lighter weight," he said.
"There haven’t been any offers to fight at light heavyweight. I fight at the same weight I’m accustomed to.”
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