Fedor a legend, but he can be defeated
Raise your hand if you know who Fedor Emelianenko is. Keeping in mind this blog's target audience, I'm guessing a lot of hands are in the air right now. If you claim to follow mixed martial arts, but don't know who Fedor is, a screw has come loose somewhere.
Fedor, the guy I'm fighting Saturday, is a well-respected name in this sport and has done a lot of things for mixed martial arts. Everybody who follows MMA knows who the guy is, and that is why he attracts a lot of interest and intrigue. Fans always tune in to watch his fights and, although his fights can cause heated arguments, we all enjoy the way he competes.
From a personal point of view, I've always believed in the Fedor legend … up to a point. I felt that some of the competition he faced and defeated in Japan was top-notch, but, at the same time, some of the guys he fought weren't that great. It depends whether you want to give him credit for beating the great guys or criticize him for beating the weaker ones.
Personally, I've always liked watching the guy fight, and I respect his achievements. No matter what you think about his competition, you can't take that away from him.
But Fedor hasn't been too hot lately, and is currently on a run of two straight defeats. He lost by submission to Fabricio Werdum in 2010 and then earlier this year was stopped on cuts by Antonio “Big Foot” Silva.
While I think Fedor just simply got caught by Werdum, he mainly had problems with Silva because he came up against a guy that he couldn't knock out quickly or throw around. Silva was a big and tough heavyweight, and he made it pretty clear he was going to be around for the long haul. As a result, Fedor struggled to gain the initiative in the fight and allowed Silva to set the tempo. By the time Fedor tried clawing his way back, it was too late.
I can't really take anything from Fedor's losses to Werdum and Silva, since I am a completely different fighter than them. But it is only natural that those defeats will play on Fedor's mind, and that he will have to make changes, for better or worse. Fedor seemed invincible for years, and now both Werdum and Silva have shattered that. I'm looking to be the third guy to do the same.
On Saturday night I am going to have to fight Fedor a lot differently to how Werdum and Silva did, but I will come up with the same result. I expect the majority of the fight to take place on our feet and in the clinch. I'm looking to strike with him as much as possible and to knock him out when the opportunity presents itself. There's a good chance it will go to the ground, too, and I'm fine with that. I can see myself putting him on his back and punishing him.
I've always looked at Fedor as a similar fighter to me in many ways, but I consider myself better in most areas. I just feel I do everything a little better than he does. I'm better than him in the clinch, and I feel that my striking is more technical and sharper than his.
Fedor's extremely quick for a heavyweight, but I am no heavyweight – and I am quick for a light-heavyweight. If anybody can match him for speed and explosiveness, I'd like to think that person is me. I'll be much lighter than Fedor on Saturday, and with that comes speed. Fedor won't be able to get away with the things he tries on bigger and slower opponents.
I don't know what a win over Fedor does for my legacy – that's up to the fans and media to decide – but it does a lot for my own pride and motivation. I keep taking these big challenges because I believe I can conquer them, and so long as I can keep proving people wrong, I'll be sticking around.
Hit me up on Twitter @danhendo.
Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
• Video: High school ace pitches 90 mph with both arms
• The best undrafted football players on offense
• Yankees pay player big money to pitch in minors
