Strikeforce MMA Odds: Fedor vs Henderson - MMA Lines

It's official, the much anticipated Fedor vs Henderson fight is set to take place from the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Illinois on July 30th, 2011. The main Strikeforce bout was announced on Saturday featuring Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko taking on the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan "Hendo" Henderson in MMA odds. Co-headliners in Illinois for the main fight card also include Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal vs Roger Gracie in lightweight action while the women's fight card will feature Marloes "Rumina" Coenen vs Miesha "Takedown" Tate.

Fedor will enter the ring with a nearly 25lbs. weight advantage for this weekend's event and also the -225 betting favorite in Strikeforce odds for Saturday's fight while the underdog Henderson would return +185. Fedor had simply owned his opponents winning 11-straight matches but have lost two straight bouts to settle for a 31-3-0 record which includes 8-TKO's, 16-submissions and 7-decisions. Fedor lost his last two Strikeforce events in MMA lines for the first time in his career to Anderson Silva by TKO in the Strikeforce 8-man grand prix and by a triangle arm-bar submission at the hands of Fabricio Werdum.

While many handicappers are predicting "The Emperor" to use his weight vs Henderson and pull off the win in MMA lines by the third round, it is important to note that only 65% of the wise guys in Vegas are backing Fedor to pull off the win as a 2-1 favorite. While most of the wagering action is on Fedor, gamblers should not count out "Hendo" to give a strong performance and possibly pull off the upset from the Sears Centre on Saturday evening. Henderson will step on the mat with a 27-8-0 record heading into Strikeforce odds as the underdog with 12-TKO's, 2-submissions and 13-decisions. While Fedor has lost his two matches, Henderson has the confidence from winning his last two bouts.

Henderson lost to Jake Shields at Strikeforce Nashville but then defeated Renato Sobral with a KO on punches in the first round back in December of 2010 and Rafael Cavalcante with a TKO on punches during the third round in March of 2011. The 40-year old MMA legend earned the 205lbs. title with the win vs Cavalcante and is undoubtedly the best contender vs Fedor for this weekend's fight which can be seen on Showtime starting at 10:00pm EST. The two other main bouts in Strikeforce odds have Muhammad Luwal the -120 favorite vs Roger Gracie and Marloes Coenen -130 vs Miesha Tate at EVEN money.

Strikeforce MMA Picks: Dan Henderson +185