If what the reports are suggesting is true, Strikeforce and Showtime are about to have a very good summer. Mid-June marks the next stage of the quarterfinals of the heavyweight grand prix with Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers. Now another Strikeforce heavyweight might be competing again after being bounced from the tournament: Fedor Emelianenko. MMA Junkie has the details:
Report: Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Dan Henderson Targeted For July 30 In Chicago
Multiple sources close to negotiations today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Strikeforce has earmarked July 30 for a major Showtime-televised event, putting on hold plans for a pay-per-view event.
However, a heavyweight superfight between Fedor Emelianenko and current Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, which has been rumored as the headliner to a potential pay-per-view card, is still in advanced negotiations and could headline the late summer event.
A location for the Showtime event has yet to be confirmed, though the Sears Centre in Chicago has surfaced as one possible locale.
Bloody Elbow’s Brent Brookhouse adds some nuance to the potential venue booking:
The Sears Centre is actually not in Chicago, it’s in Hoffman Estates. The real value there is that there is not the 9% entertainment tax in the suburbs like there is in Chicago itself.
Going back to the same location as Fedor/Rogers requires less building up of Fedor to local media as they already have familiarity as well as a location that attracted a nice crowd on the last trip.
There’s obviously a strong population of Russian immigrants or those who identify themselves as ethnically and nationally tied to the famed Russian fighter.
More on this story as it develops, but for some background and examination of what a potential superfight between Emelianenko and Dan Henderson might mean, check out my discussion with Mike Chiappetta of MMA Fighting:
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