How many high-salaried fighters can the mixed martial arts marketplace support? More importantly, the Strikeforce marketplace? We'll find out following the Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson fight in the Chicago area on Saturday night.
Several sites have reported Fedor and Henderson are due a combined $2.3 million payday.
Sources confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that Fedor is getting $1.5 million. If Fedor loses this fight, but it's highly competitive, will Zuffa/Strikeforce just dump the legendary Russian fighter? According to Five Ounces of Pain, both fighters are in jeopardy. The loser of the fight is gone:
Five Ounces of Pain has confirmed one of the core components of the matchmaking process in regards to their headlining bout on July 30 was the ability to sever professional ties with the loser based on the amount each earns in comparison to their perceived market value, as contracts are generally structured to allow for immediate release in the event of defeat
But gone from where? If Fedor gets destroyed, Strikeforce can't justify another payday this big to a guy who's lost three straight.
The Henderson situation is a bit more complicated. Do you dump your light heavyweight champ because he lost to a top 10 heavyweight? Henderson is also on the last fight of his Strikeforce contract. Even if he loses, he'd be a great transfer candidate back into the UFC at 205 pounds.
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