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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Fedor Emelianenko returns to action tonight in a bout against top 10 heavyweight Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Werdum. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos looks to defend her title for the second time against massive underdog Jan Finney, and the event also brings a rematch from December's "Evolution" headliner between Scott Smith and Cung Le. Here's what's on tap for tonight:
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum (Heavyweight)
Fabricio Werdum is a good fighter. That needs to get out of the way first and foremost. His four career losses have come at the hands of Junior Dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Sergei Kharitonov, all extremely formidable foes when he fought them. That said, it's hard to suggest he has much more than a slight chance to win this fight.
As most already know, Fedor's only "loss" was due to an illegal elbow that opened up a cut back in 2000. He has not lost a fight in nearly a decade, and no matter what precarious position he gets put into during a fight, he finds ways to exert his dominance and win fights. I still think he'll run into a loss before he hangs it up for good, but Werdum isn't the man to do that tonight.
PREDICTION: Fedor by TKO in the second
Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos vs. Jan Finney (Women's 145 lb. Championship)
This fight is a clear example of the issues Strikeforce presents themselves when having a Champion in a division in which there are no challengers. Finney's a tough fighter and a veteran of 15 fights, but there's a reason she's an insanely massive underdog.
There isn't a women's fighter around the 145 lb. weight class that can defeat Cyborg right now, and she'll continue to improve as she continues on in her career, provided she doesn't begin to fight down to the level of her opposition. This is a one-sided fight and there's nothing at all to suggest Finney has a chance at winning.
PREDICTION: Cyborg by TKO in the first
Cung Le vs. Scott Smith (Middleweight)
Cung Le was well on his way to winning the first bout between these two with a flashy and entertaining performance filled with a wide variety of kicks and strikes not typically seen in fights that he's not in, but if you're going to win a fight against Scott Smith you better make sure to finish him.
The comeback kid has continually shown himself capable of knocking fighters out when his back is against the ropes, and as Le gassed in the third round of their bout in December, Smith took advantage and connected on some hard shots to put Le out.
I'd expect a similar fight here tonight, though Smith may have a bit more confidence early on with the way he was able to finish in the third. Of course, that may give Le more of an opening for a knockout blow of his own. If Le can keep from gassing out in this fight I think he'll get his revenge and pick up the win.
PREDICTION: Le by TKO in the third
Josh Thomson vs. Pat Healy
Healy looked good in his Strikeforce debut last month, and though he's on a three fight win streak he's still a bit over-matched by the former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion.
Thomson is coming off a hard fought decision loss in his rematch against Gilbert Melendez last December, and he put up a great fight coming off a lengthy injury hiatus. He's simply an all around better fighter than Healy and should be in good shape with only a six month wait in between fights this time.
PREDICTION: Thomson by submission in the second
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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