I have no problem admitting that I felt quite deflated when it was announced that Mike Kyle had to pull out of his upcoming bout with Gegard Mousasi due to an injury. Kyle won me over as a fan back when he nearly stopped Antonio Silva and displayed quite a lot of heart and skill while doing so. But now Mousasi finds himself in much the same situation as BJ Penn: sitting on the sidelines and waiting for a new opponent. And in much the same vein, I’m going to throw my hat into the mix and give a list of the five fighters I think Gegard Mousasi should fight. Let’s dive right in. ...

It’s always important and interesting to try and figure out how successful any major, recent MMA event was. Normally things are seen from the promotion’s side: live attendance, gate receipts, PPV buys, television ratings, etc. But it’s also important to take things from a fighter’s perspective: who made the most cash, and who will have to sit on the sidelines? Here we have just thought: the official salary figures as well as the official medical suspensions of strikeforce’s recent “Feijao vs. Henderson” event. As always, I’ve included some commentary. ...

Fight fans had plenty to talk about at the end of strikeforce’s last event, “Feijao vs. Henderson”. Whether it was Dan Henderson claiming another championship at forty years young, or Marloes Coenen snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with a great Triangle Choke, there was a lot of positive buzz after this show concluded. But you can’t really measure buzz, so the question should be asked: how successful was this show in more concrete terms? Here’s just that: the live attendance figures as well as the television ratings for Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”, plus some commentary on what I think these numbers mean. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to another new edition of “Best of the Rest”! I really enjoy taking the time to give my detailed thoughts on a show after watching it, but after the serious discussion and debate I’ll raise in topics like “Top 5 Best Moments” and “Best Performance of the Night”, I think it’d be nice to have a tongue-in-cheek topic where I give out some other “awards”. It’s all in good fun, so don’t take any of it too seriously. So let’s dive right into this latest edition, now featuring Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

“Dan Henderson, you’re forty years old.” That’s what Mauro Ranallo said to “Hendo” immediately after the PRIDE FC, UFC, and all-around MMA veteran knocked out Rafael Cavalcante and won the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. I usually disagree with Ranallo, I find that he tries way too hard and normally sounds ridiculously over-the-top. But I couldn’t agree more with that one single sentence, and all that it implies. There will only ever be one Randy Couture, but when “Hendo” landed his massive right on “Feijao”, he proved that MMA can have more than one ageless wonder. It’s my pleasure to give Henderson my unofficial “Best Performance of the Night” award for his huge victory at “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

For the most part, Strikeforce’s recent “Feijao vs. Henderson” show was a thrilling event with several must-see moments. From Tim Kennedy and Marloes Coenen both pulling off dramatic submissions to Dan Henderson laying claim to yet another championship, the event had a little something for everyone. Now once again it’s time to ask: what’s next? What does the future hold after “Feijao vs. Henderson”? Here’s my answer to just that: a new edition of my “What’s Next for the Winners and Losers” series of articles, now featuring Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

Strikeforce has been off to an amazing start in 2011, and their current run of quality events continued with last night’s “Feijao vs. Henderson”. Of four televised bouts, two of which were for Strikeforce championships, three ended with dramatic finishes. But which stars shined brightest, and what moments will fans be talking about in the following weeks? Here’s my take on the matter: my top 5 best moments of Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

Strikeforce rolled right through another great event tonight, as “Feijao vs. Henderson” continued the long streak of good-to-great Strikeforce events. Only one fight went to a decision, and the other three fights all ended rather dramatically. And in the main event, Dan Henderson proved that sometimes an old dog’s old tricks are all he needs, since Henderson’s famed right hand allowed him to capture the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. Here are the full results as well as some early commentary on Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

Later tonight, Strikeforce will be putting on one of their largest cards to date as the promotion is gearing up for a dual title fight in Columbus, Ohio. In the Nationwide Arena, two titles will be on the line as 205-pound champion Rafael "Feijao" of the famed Blackhouse camp will be taking on arguably his toughest test to date as he meets with former dual PRIDE champion Dan Henderson, and in the co-main event Marloes Coenen will be defending her women's welterweight crown against the undefeated Liz Carmouche. All competitor's were on weight for tonight's festivities. ...

For some reason, Strikeforce shows always seem to sneak up on me. That’s a problem I hope to correct soon, because Strikeforce has been off to an awesome 2011 and I think this trend will continue with their upcoming “Feijao vs. Henderson” show. As always, I’ve got plenty to say about any upcoming MMA show, but today it’s time for my final say. So here it is: another entry into my “Finally Final Thoughts” series, this time featuring Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

We’re now only a few days away from Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. In the main event, Rafael Cavalcante looks to beat MMA legend Dan Henderson, while “Hendo” looks to take away Cavalcante’s Light Heavyweight Championship. The co-main event will also be an interesting match-up, as Marloes Coenen has drawn the difficult task of beating the currently-unbeaten Liz Carmouche with the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Championship on the line. As is customary, here is my official “picks and predictions” post (covering who I think will win and why), now featuring Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to the start of a brand-new series! Recently I started up another series called “Sneak Peek”, a once-per-month, end-of-month series designed to give fans a look at what to expect for next month. Today’s new series follows the same vein, except it’ll be once per month at the start of every month, and whereas “Sneak Peek” focused on the events as a whole, this new series will focus on my most-anticipated fights in particular. So here we go: these are my most anticipated fights for March 2011. ...

On March 5, 2011, Strikeforce will hold its highly-anticipated “Feijao vs. Henderson” event, featuring Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael Cavalcante defending his newly-won belt for the very first time against PRIDE FC veteran, UFC veteran, and all-around MMA legend Dan Henderson. Newly-crowned Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Champion Marloes Coenen will also make the first defense of her belt on March 5, taking on the 5-0 Liz Carmouche. Still, some fans may be asking themselves: what are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: 5 reasons to watch Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to the latest edition of “Crash Course”. “Crash Course” is a series of articles designed to give readers a quick rundown on all the relevant information they need to know heading into an upcoming major MMA event. Everything from why you should watch, what you should expect in the co-main and main event, and even where and when you can find it on TV is all covered in detail. So let’s get right to it with today’s edition, featuring Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson” ...

Hello again fans and friends and welcome to the start of a new series tentatively called “Sneak Peek”. This new once-a-month series will be posted near the end of each month in order to give fans a look at the major events occurring next month. The big shows, the colossal encounters, the fights that you just simply shouldn’t miss no matter what… all of it’s covered in detail, with a heaping helping of commentary thrown in. So let’s dive right in with the first edition of “Sneak Peek”, covering the month of March 2011. ...

A long-rumored match-up pitting light heavyweights Rafael Cavalcante and Dan Henderson has now been made official over the weekend. Officials confirmed the fight following the post-fight proceedings for their most recent event, which was held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California with a dual-title headliner featuring both Nick Diaz and Ronaldo Souza successfully defending their titles against Evangelista Santos and Robbie Lawler, respectively. The bout between the two heavy-handed strikers will taking place this March, to coincide with the Arnold's Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. ...

Newly minted light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante will defend his title for the first time when he takes on mixed martial arts pioneer Dan Henderson this March. The event is rumored to take place on March 5 to coincide with the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio at the Nationwide Arena. ...

Hello once more fans and friends and welcome to Part 3 of my special Christmas Day mini-series “All I want for Christmas”. The first half of the second part of my four-part special features some thoughts on what I think the immediate future holds for the surging Strikeforce promotion, which had an up-and-down 2010 but made some considerable gains in the war for the hearts and minds of the average MMA fan. So let’s get started with the Top 5 things I’m looking forward to for Strikeforce in 2011. ...

Former UFC title challenger and dual PRIDE champion Dan Henderson will meet Renato "Babalu" Sobral at "strikeforce: St. Louis" in December. That much we already knew. What we didn't know, which was revealed recently, that the winner of the bout will in fact be granted a light heavyweight title shot against current champion Rafael Cavalcante. The Black house fighter recently claimed championship gold when he was able to knockout the previously undefeated Muhammed Lawal for the 205-pound title last August at "Strikeforce: Houston", in the second round. ...

It’s been a little over a week since Rafael Cavalcante became the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, but he’s already being called out by the man with perhaps the most legitimate reason to want a shot at “Feijaio” and his belt. The only man to ever legitimately beat (and by TKO, no less) Cavalcante, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight and all-around MMA veteran Mike Kyle has fired the first salvo in a war of words that could get quite ugly. ...

I really enjoyed Strikeforce: “Houston”. We had some upsets, some shocking surprises, some highs, some lows, some quick finishes, some all-out wars, and even a couple of controversial moments. From Chad Griggs beating Bobby Lashley to Rafael Cavalcante KO’ing Muhammed Lawal, “Houston” was a solid event and gave MMA fans a great night of action. It’s true that the future is never certain, but here’s what I think the months ahead will hold for the winners and losers of Strikeforce: “Houston”. ...

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has a lot to be happy for nowadays. He’s been in the professional MMA game for less than two years, and he’s already got a pretty big championship to call his own. To get the belt he beat former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi, who was known to his fans as both “the future of Mixed Martial Arts” and “the next Fedor Emelianenko”. Mo he beat him pretty convincingly, too: he took “The Dreamcatcher” to the mat at will and controlled him with some big ground and pound. Mo is set to make the first defense of his Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship on August 21, when he takes on Rafael Cavalcante. Even with such a brief career as a professional Mixed Martial Artist, “King Mo” is already beginning to rub some fans the wrong way with his brash, cocky attitude. In a recent interview, he came right out and said “Some [fans] are cool, some are idiots. They're fans- they don't know what the **** they are talking about. That’s why I’ll say it again: **** the fans. A lot of them ain't educated. They're just bandwagon jumpers." While I’m not one to shy away from some good trash-talking, King Mo has gone a little too far. ...

Strikeforce welterweight prospect “T-Wood” Tyron Woodley (6-0) will headline Strikeforce's Challenger Series 5 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City November 20 versus local star Rudy Bears (10-3), Strikeforce officially announced Thursday. ...

Light heavyweights "Feijao" Rafael Cavalcante (7-2) and Aaron Rosa (10-3) have agreed to fight at Strikeforce Challenger Series 5 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City November 20, Fighters.com has confirmed with a source close to one of the fighters. No contract has been signed, but the fighters have agreed to the matchup. ...

“Snake” Cyrille Diabate (12-6-1) has declined a match with “Feijao” Rafael Cavalcante (7-1) at EliteXC’s 8 November event in Reno, EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen told MMA Junkie this week. "Cyrille Diabate is not going to fight (Rafael) 'Feijao' for the title. We offered him the fight, but he felt like he didn't have enough time to get ready,” Lappen said. "We're still looking for an opponent for 'Feijao.'" Lappen said that Diabate is interested in facing Cavalcante, and “wants to do that fight in the future." EliteXC: A Night of Champions will feature Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight and EliteXC champ “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) and Joey Villasenor (26-6) in a title match, and a fight for the vacant 160-pound title between third-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and Nick Diaz (18-7). ...

EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw has confirmed that the organization’s 8 November event will take place in Reno, reported MMA Junkie Friday. Shaw said, "We're going to have a huge card in November.  We're going to be in Reno, Nevada.  It's going to be fantastic." Shaw also confirmed that “Feijao” Rafael Cavalcante (7-1) will be on the card and may face “Snake” Cyrille Diabate (12-6-1), although whether it will be a title fight is yet to be determined. “[We've] spoken about Cyrille Diabate, but it's not definitive that that's going to be his opponent,” Shaw said. "Until we have a definitive opponent, we do not know if we will introduce the light-heavyweight title.  When we are ready to introduce the light heavyweight title, there is no doubt that 'Feijao' will be in a fight for that title.  He's without a doubt the No. 1 fighter that we have in the light heavyweight division." Cavalcante last fought in July, TKO'ing "Gladiator" Travis Galbraith (15-6) in round one. Diabate won a unanimous decision over Jaime Fletcher (6-4) in August. Another bout under consideration is "Hands of Steel" Scott Smith (13-5) versus “Shango” Hector Lombard (17-2-1). Shaw said, “We have a tentative agreement for Scott Smith to take on Hector Lombard.  I think that would be a fantastic fight.” Smith is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Fighters.com's fourth-ranked middleweight and EliteXC champ “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) in July. Lombard last fought in September versus Brian Ebersole (36-15), who verbally tapped in the fourth round. One fighter who may not make it onto the card is “Grim” Brett Rogers (8-0). "Brett Rogers hasn't been decided yet," Shaw said.  "We're still talking with his camp.  He had a couple of personal issues, and we're just making sure that he has enough time to be prepared.  We spoke, and it's nothing else.  It's not contracts, it's just a couple personal issues. "We want to make sure we get the best possible Brett Rogers at all times.  If we're able to go with him, then he'll be there." Rogers TKO'd Jon Murphy (4-3) in 1:01 in May. The event will be headlined by Lawler in a title fight with Joey Villasenor (26-6) and also features a 160-pound title bout between Fighters.com’s third-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and Nick Diaz (18-7).  It airs on Showtime. ...

"Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (18-4) TKO'd "Hands of Steel" Scott Smith (13-5) at 2:35 of round two to retain his EliteXC Middleweight Championship. Nick Diaz (18-7) TKO'd "Wildman" Thomas Denny (26-17) at :30 of round two. Jake Shields (21-4-1) defeats "The Goat" Nick Thompson (36-10-1) by guillotine submission at 1:03 of the first round for the EliteXC Welterweight Championship. "Big Foot" Antonio Silva (11-1) TKO'd Justin Eilers (20-8-1) at :19 of round two for the EliteXC Heavyweight Championship. "Feijao" Rafael Cavalcante TKO'd "Gladiator" Travis Galbraith (15-6) at 3:01 of round one. Wilson Reis (5-0) won a unanimous decision over Bryan Caraway (10-3). Carl Seumanutafa (4-0) KO'd Mike Cook (5-2) by slam at 1:21 of round one. Drew Montgomery (5-3) TKO'd Brandon Tarns (1-2) by doctor stoppage at 4:23 of round three. ...

“Feijao” Rafael Cavalcante (6-1) and “Gladiator” Travis Galbraith (15-5) will meet 26 July in a light heavyweight match-up at EliteXC’s Unfinished Business as part of the Showtime card. Touted Cavalcante is 2-0 at EliteXC, most recently defeating Wayne Cole (11-7) with a first-round TKO on 14 June. “Feijao” trains with UFC and Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-4-1) and Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4). King of the Cage Canada champion Galbraith is coming off two consecutive wins, most recently submitting Martin Desilets (7-2; 1NC) with a first-round triangle choke at Raw Combat last month in Calgary. Galbraith also fought at PRIDE 32, but was TKO’d in round two by "Kaz" Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-8). EliteXC’s one-hour Showtime telecast airing before the CBS show also includes a featherweight bout between Wilson Reis (4-0) and Brian Caraway (9-2), and a title match between “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (10-1) and Justin Eilers (19-6-1) for the new EliteXC heavyweight belt. ...