” The one who doesn’t fall never stands up.”- Fedor

After 27 consecutive wins over 9+ years, Fedor Emelianenko finally got caught last summer. Fabricio Werdum played possum after being hit by his opponent luring him down into his comfort zone. Fedor took the bait and suffered his first loss in what will easily be remembered as the biggest upset of 2010 and one of the biggest of all time. So when Fedor made his return against Antonio Silva 8 months later it was time to stand back up right?

Fedor gets another chance to “Stand Back Up” on July 30th in the same venue where he TKO’ed Brett Rogers in his Strikeforce debut. This time he’ll actually stand opposite a fighter who will be the smaller man. Dan “Hendo” Henderson will actually be moving up (possibly as little as 1 lb) in weight to take on Fedor in a Heavyweight tilt for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in a northwestern suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Even after 2 straight losses Fedor vs. Henderson will likely beat all Showtime ratings records for Strikeforce.

While Fedor may never fight for a Heavyweight Title again or regain his Rank as the Top Heavyweight fighter in the world he will always be a huge draw. He’s one of those handful of fighters in the sport that has a sort of aura about him. While it may no longer be an aura of invincibility he still carries the magic and mystery that is impossible for most athletes in this era of social media.Whether he recaptures the glory of Top Heavyweight status, makes a run at Light Heavyweight after a victory over Henderson or ends up destined to headline a couple more super fights before retirement, that aura will always remain.