Strikeforce Fedor vs. Henderson: What Does a Loss Mean for Fedor Emelianenko?

Fedor Emelianenko. The Last Emperor.

His name conjures up images of a legend who went virtually unbeaten for over a decade. A titan of the sport, Fedor has defeated some of the best heavyweights in MMA en route to being crowned one of the greatest fighters of all-time.

But as with every high-profile athlete, time takes a toll on the body, making it near impossible to keep an almost decade long winning streak going.

For Fedor, his upcoming fight against current Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Dan Henderson is a true test as to whether "The Last Emperor" should continue competing in mixed martial arts.

Coming off of two straight defeats to "Bigfoot" Silva and Fabricio Werdum, a huge hole has been exposed in Fedor's game—an unwillingness to evolve.

For years, Fedor was able to rely on his precision striking and vicious submissions, tools he used to defeat Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Andrei Arlovski and Minotauro Nogueira. But these younger, faster fighters he has faced in recent years have skill sets that the old guard didn't possess in the early days of MMA.

Fighters today are more well-rounded in all the aspects of the sport, especially conditioning. Fedor was a pioneer in the sense that he seamlessly infused his heavy hands with his world class Sambo and Judo.

But as the years have gone on, he just hasn't kept up with the new breed of fighters who are training with various camps and constantly adding to their arsenals.

If Fedor loses to Henderson, who is six years his senior, it will be a devastating blow to his career. Although he's 34 and been in the fight game since 2000, Fedor should be in his prime.

Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and even Henderson were still in the prime of their careers even at the age of 36.

Coming up short for a third consecutive time would have a direct correlation with Fedor's unwillingness to train outside of his long time camp and will almost certainly send "The Last Emperor" into retirement.

Losing may also tarnish his legacy, especially in the eyes of critics who claim that he hasn't faced the greatest of competition since Pride went defunct.

For Fedor, winning is imperative, not only to keep him viable in the sport, but to secure his legacy as well.