The sport of MMA will not tolerate dwindling motivation. In fact, it will devour characteristics like hesitation and uncertainty with primal voracity.
If your mental faculties aren't as conditioned and intact as your abilities are, the war is lost. The troops can't be expected to triumph in battle if the commands from mission control have been compromised. Intricately constructed strategies are rarely exacted with waning enthusiasm in any martial capacity.
Analyzing styles is a dynamic process. Analyzing one's mental fortitude is not: it's either present or absent. If Fedor Emelianenko is not fully prepared to engage in a schoolyard throwdown with all the lunch money on the line, the unwavering resolve and gritty fighting spirit of Dan Henderson is the only attribute worth discussing.
In a recent interview with Lowkick.com, Fedor's trainer, Vladimir Voronov, inserted a veritable landmine into one of his answers.
Obviously, Fedor grew and matured a lot since his early years in the sport. There's a lot of changes, psychological and physiological. He still has the same character. Maybe he's a little tired of the sport. He trains all the time, since his childhood, and managed to maintain all his human qualities.
Besides the allusion to "human qualities" to perpetuate the myth that Fedor's body is devoid of robotic innards, another of Voronov's observations should be framed with pulsating neon lights and arrows like the obnoxious signs that beset wayside stripper joints: "Maybe he's a little tired of the sport." That sentiment is like a politician inserting, "Maybe I'd rather work on a puzzle" when hassled on the emaciated economy.
Dan Henderson's cardinal attribute is his fierce determination. He's a true fighter to the very core. The only time he's ever yielded in combat was at the risk of parting with either consciousness or a limb, which are two things with many convenient features, and well worth keeping.
Regardless of all the technical gibberish pertaining to this clash of styles, Fedor's mentality and morale are essential over all other aspects. This doesn't mean the Russian prevails if he's game, only that he won't if he's not.
Full style breakdowns after the jump.
SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson
Most of the analysis on Hendo pertains to whether he can detonate the H-bomb, which is not necessarily a good thing against a legend who has lost only twice via cut stoppage -- and that's out of thirty-four fights in instances that were spaced more than a decade apart.
Let's give the signature slobberknocker some love since it's Hendo's best -- and perhaps only -- key to victory.
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Henderson's become one of MMA's most devastating knockout artists with nothing more than a perfectly timed and placed overhand right.
He shuffles forward in a closed stance with his head and chin tucked deep, like the world's most terrifying turtle peering out from inside his shell, and fixes his crosshairs on the jaw. Amazingly enough, Dan Henderson has never been knocked out or stopped by strikes, which allows him to deflect punches while he schedules Armageddon.
The strategy is painfully basic, which is both the honest truth and a horrible pun.
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The fighters that have avoided the blow have done it with footwork and a dedicated effort not to stand still and trade in the pocket.
Let's use Fedor's habits against Antonio Silva to the left as an example: everything is perfect until the end of the sequence when he settles in at 3:00.
You can see he commits just a little too long and throws one flurry too many, with "Bigfoot" nearly finding the range with his straight right at 2:58.
That's the kind of situation where Henderson will willingly eat the tail-end of the combination while calibrating the haymaker and burst an extra step forward to stretch his punch a foot farther back -- and just doing The Matrix back-bend won't cut it against Hendo.
Bearing in mind that "Bigfoot" has about a half-foot more height and reach than Henderson and that the strategy may have been to lure him into exchanging, the clip to the right is the ultimate example of a no-no against Hendo.
Not only is Fedor exchanging in the pocket, flat footed, hands down, and over-committing with his back against the fence, he has a chance to circle out ... but doesn't take it. Not coincidentally, the exact moment he refuses to circle hard-right is when Silva lands the glancing right hand to his completely unprotected chin.
That tiny split-second mistake can make all the difference in the world against Hendo.
Back in Pride, Emelianenko was strictly a volume puncher. His striking annihilation was exacted by unwinding a volley of his casting-style corkscrew punches, almost always in his trusty left hook-overhand right medley.
Note, in the sequence to the left, how he vaults from just outside of Sylvia's long striking range directly into his grill, jamming the counter-right hand. Any distance in between these two points is the no man's land where Hendo could catch him. Also, notice him slipping Sylvia's lazy left hand while squeezing off automatic fire.
Again, while Nog is no Henderson, Fedor is a ruthless animal in the clinch. His hip throws and trips from the body-lock are wicked.
What I love about this one is that you can see the odd angles and timing in the casting style of his punches as they torque through Nog's guard.
Most high-level wrestlers excel in both freestyle and Greco Roman techniques, but Henderson is strictly a Greco guy. Think back: you can rarely cite fights where he's dropped levels for a single or double; almost every takedown comes from an ugly tangle in the clinch.
This is the same reason why Jake Shields was able to sink and hover across the mat to snake for low singles all night long. Hendo not only stands fairly upright, but his stance is so closed that he thrusts his left leg out on a silver platter in front of him, and he's entirely fixated on flipping the switch.
Emelianenko should pursue or at least threaten with forward pressure and clinch takedowns. It will keep Hendo on his heels or instill a little hesitation in his nonstop stalking.
Finally, let's not forget that the F-bomb can be just as ghastly when it lands.
By integrating a tight and straight right hand along with the cryptic timing and bizarre angles of his hooks, Fedor can drastically alternate the tempo and trajectory of his combinations.
Hendo has a great chin and defense, but making a conscious effort to wade into punches in order to land your own does not make for impervious defense.
I'll conclude with my "Pictorial Formulas to Happiness" for each fighter.
Hendo:
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Keep Fedor within the boundaries of the H-Bomb tracking system and counter fast and sharp
+PLUS +
Pressure constantly, land H-bomb, and pounce relentlessly on every opportunity
-MINUS -
+PLUS +
Pressure constantly, land H-bomb, and pounce relentlessly on every opportunity
-MINUS -
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Being too predictably offensive, digesting the F-bomb and fighting off his back
= EQUALS =
Fedor:
= EQUALS =
Fedor:
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Flurry hard and accurately in short, controlled bursts
- MINUS -
Letting your opponent get the last laugh with overzealous aggression
- MINUS -
Over-committing on his combinations like Viacheslav Datsik
+ PLUS +
- MINUS -
Letting your opponent get the last laugh with overzealous aggression
- MINUS -
Over-committing on his combinations like Viacheslav Datsik
+ PLUS +
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Using a lot of jazzy movement and angles to avoid being trapped in a corner
+ PLUS +
Look for throws to take the top position, use subs and sweeps from guard
= EQUALS =
My Prediction: Emelianenko by decision
Gifs via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron and MMA-Core.com
Henderson photo via CombatLifestyle.com
Poll Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Dan Henderson