Strikeforce ‘Feijao vs. Henderson’ Preview

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Strikeforce returns on Saturday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, pitting light heavyweight champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante against Dan Henderson in the first defense of his 205-pound crown.

In the co-headliner, women’s welterweight (135 pounds) champion Marloes Coenen faces Liz Carmouche, a late substitution for the injured Miesha Tate. The event features a number of intriguing supporting bouts in the lightweight and middleweight divisions, including a showdown between one-time 185-pound title contender Tim Kennedy and Dutch knockout artist Melvin Manhoef.

A breakdown of Strikeforce “Feijao vs. Henderson” follows, with fight previews and picks.

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship
Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante vs. Dan Henderson

The Matchup: Both men enter into this match off significant wins, Henderson in a first-round destruction of Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Cavalcante in a gutty knockout over the previously unbeaten Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal.

In Cavalcante’s August win, he took the Strikeforce title and showed impressive resilience, simply running Lawal out of gas, as the talented King Mo could not finish him off in a hard-nosed battle.

As Randy Couture edges into retirement -- his upcoming UFC 129 showdown with Lyoto Machida may be his last -- Henderson will become MMA’s elder statesman, and the last of the world-class contenders who competed in Pride Fighting Championships and the early UFCs. He is always exciting to watch, given his amazing wrestling skills and massive right hand, and Cavalcante figures to provide a compelling test and find out what Henderson can still bring to a long, grueling match.

Fighters who can compete in two weight classes over a long period in MMA have to have a dominant skill set. That defines Henderson. A world-class wrestler with numbing punching power, the two-time Olympian has soldiered through a stellar career, facing a who’s who in the sport and giving virtually everyone he faced a difficult night. Eminently durable and savvy, he is a handful in the cage.

After Jake Shields upset him for the Strikeforce middleweight belt in April, Henderson rebounded at 205 pounds, probably a more comfortable weight for him at this late stage of his career.

Cavalcante does not seem to do any one thing great, but he gets results from persistence and tenacity. For him to beat Henderson in a five-round fight is pretty tall order. He is not likely to outstrike Henderson, nor outwrestle him, but Cavalcante is effective at scoring points wherever he can. Against Lawal, he would tie up with one hand and bash with the other, and he constantly made King Mo work while chipping away at him.

The key factor in this bout -- assuming Henderson does not land his game-changing signature right hand early and end it quickly -- will be the tie-ups along the cage. Henderson is a master at these, and they are a significant part of his game plan. He will simply lock up and use his wrestling against his opponent’s, or run him out of gas in the process. Cavalcante has to fight from being trapped against the cage and counter Henderson’s takedown attempts with short shots in close.

In an extended standup fight, Henderson can probably get the better of the battle, as well. He has an exceptionally good chin and knows all sorts of veteran tricks to lull an opponent one way while exploding into an opening -- something he did perfectly against Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Cavalcante was not supposed to win against the far more talented Lawal, and he will be an underdog here, too.

The Pick: A hungry Cavalcante against a seemingly resurgent Henderson could turn into one hell of a fight, but, at the end of the day, the former two-division Pride champion should be too much for “Feijao” to handle. Let him work at his own pace, and he is tough to tire and score against; Cavalcante will have to take too many risks to do so effectively. Henderson is also extremely effective at resisting submissions, a product of his Pride career and facing the top grapplers in the game. Look for Henderson to find his range after wearing down Cavalcante over the first few rounds. He delivers a takedown and top control clinic en route to a fourth-round knockout.

Continue Reading » Next Fight: Coenen vs. Carmouche