Next for Antonio Silva: A champion is made by scoring a big win, but the mark of a true champion is the ability to survive and even thrive under pressure. In his fight with Mike Kyle, Antonio Silva proved once and for all that he’s ready for the best Heavyweights in the game. He remained calm under pressure, he absorbed a massive amount of damage, and he came back to emphatically put an end to Kyle. By the end of 2011 we’re going to see Antonio Silva challenge for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship.

Next for Mike Kyle: A quick trip back down to the land of the Light Heavyweights. Mike Kyle showed a lot of potential against “Bigfoot”, so I’m hopeful for his future. In Strikeforce’s increasingly-stacked Light Heavyweight division, I think Kyle could be an important test for many of Strikeforce’s best. Expect him to get an opponent the caliber of Gegard Mousasi or Muhammed Lawal sooner rather than later.

Next for Robbie Lawler: Somebody big, that’s for sure. Lawler has certainly earned his spot at the top of the division with his crushing KO of Matt Lindland. I don’t honestly have any particular opponent in mind, just a general feeling that 2011 will see Lawler emerge as a true top-division athlete and even a potential title challenger.

Next for Paul Daley: If Strikeforce wants to get the most out of their investment, if they want to keep duplicating the great performance Daley gave against Scott Smith, then Paul Daley needs to dine on a steady diet of striking-based fighters for the foreseeable future. The good thing about that is that there’s no shortage of those in Strikeforce’s welterweight division. If Strikeforce can convince KJ Noons to stay at Welterweight, Noons/Daley is the obvious move going forward. If not, Daley may even get an immediate title shot.

Next for Scott Smith: Smith will be a perennial gatekeeper until one of two things happen. The first and more unlikely situation is that Smith goes on a prolonged losing streak and/or abandons his entertaining fighting style and gets fired. That’s unlikely because Smith always entertains and he has beaten some good competition in his day. The second and most likely scenario is that Smith gets a chain of wins going, gets another shot at the top of the division, but is ultimately cast back down after another humbling (T)KO loss. I know that outlook seems a bit bleak, and as a sorta-kinda Scott Smith fan, I do hope that “The Comeback King” ends up proving me wrong.

Next for Dan Henderson: 2011 will be a banner year for “Hendo”. I’ve got some pretty high hopes for the man. With his mind set and his body healthy, Hendo should quickly become a force to be reckoned with in Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight division. Before 2011 is through, I have a strong feeling that we’ll see Dan Henderson challenge for the championship or win it outright.

So that’s what I see when I gaze into the crystal ball, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and even some of the losers of Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu”?

Dan Henderson defeats Renato Sobral via KO (strikes) at 1:53 of Round One. Paul Daley defeats Scott Smith via KO (strikes) at 2:09 of Round One. Robbie Lawler defeats Matt Lindland via KO (strikes) at 0:50 of Round One. Antonio Silva defeats Mike Kyle via TKO (strikes) at 2:49 of Round Two. Ovince St. Preux defeats Benji Radach via Unanimous Decision. Fernando Bettega defeats Wayne Phillips via Split Decision. Justin Lawrence defeats Max Martytniouk via Technical (accidental illegal kick) Unanimous Decision. Patrick Cummins defeats Terrell Brown via TKO (strikes) at 2:44 of Round One. Cortez Coleman defeats Lucas Lopes via Submission (guillotine choke) at 2:04 of Round One. Matt Ricehouse defeats Tom Aaron via Unanimous Decision. Mike Glenn defeats Lee Brousseau via TKO (strikes) at 2:00 of Round One. Booker DeRousse defeats Colton Cole via TKO (strikes) at 3:04 of Round Two. J.W. Wright defeats Josh Epps via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:29 of Round One.

This was an awesome, awesome event. Ovince St. Preux vs. Benji Radach was the worst fight on the card, and the worst thing about that fight? It was average. For this event, “average” just wasn’t good enough. I was out of my seat the second Mike Kyle landed a big right that nearly finished Antonio Silva, and I didn’t leave the edge of my seat for the rest of the evening.

As an MMA fan first and foremost, I can’t help but vault onto the Strikeforce bandwagon and even lead the charge into 2011 after an event of this caliber. Every single fight lived up to its potential. Antonio Silva came back from the brink of defeat and cemented his status as a top-level Strikeforce Heavyweight. In this fight, Silva proved that he can take a huge amount of punishment and still fight back to not only win, but finish his opponent.

Things just got crazier from that moment on. Robbie Lawler taking out Matt Lindland with a beautiful diving strike was fantastic. What wasn’t so great, however, was the fact that Lindland looked like a corpse after Lawler got through with him. I’m a sucker for the epic KO’s, but I’m not a bloodthirsty savage, so rest assured, I breathed a big sigh of relief when Lindland regained his faculties.

That sigh was quickly turned into a gasp as I was greeted with another epic KO courtesy of the one and only “Semtex”. To be honest, Paul Daley has got to be the absolute worst opponent Scott Smith could have faced: Daley has one-hit KO power no matter how hard your chin is or how many comebacks you’ve made. So long as Daley can keep the fight standing, the world may be his oyster in Strikeforce.

And finally, we had the triumphant return of Dan Henderson: to the Light Heavyweight division, to Strikeforce, to MMA relevancy as a whole. I had a lot of faith in “Hendo” heading into this fight, and I’m honestly not surprised that he came through in a big way when his situation looked so bleak. 2011 has the potential to be a huge year for Dan Henderson.

And what about you, fans and friends? Were you as impressed with this show as I was?

Headliner’s Dan Henderson and Renato Sobral were green lighted for the event when the two light heavyweights came in under the required 205-pound limit.

Strikeforce debutant Paul Daley successfully made the 170-pound limit, which in the past he has notoriously struggled with weighty issues however came in at 169 pounds for the welterweight contest.

And Scott Smith, who spent nearly his entire career as a middleweight, easily made the transition to the welterweight class when he came in at 170-pounds on the nose.

Here are the entire weigh-in results in full, thanks to MMAJunkie.com who was on scene when the fighters hit the scale.

MAIN CARD

* Dan Henderson (204.5) vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (202)
* Paul Daley (169) vs. Scott Smith (170)
* Robbie Lawler (186) vs. Matt Lindland (185.5)
* Mike Kyle (219) vs. Antonio Silva (263)
* Benji Radach (205.5) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Fernando Bettega (170.25) vs. Wayne Phillips (171)
* Justin Lawrence (155.5) vs. Max Martytnuk (154.5)
* Terrell Brown (208.25)* vs. Patrick Dummins (205.5)
* Cortez Coleman (184.75) vs. Lucas Lopes (185)
* Tom Aaron (155.5) vs. Matt Ricehouse (156)
* Lee Brousseau (204) vs. Mike Glenn (207.25)
* Booker DeRousse (185) vs. Coltin Cole (185.5)
* Josh Epps (127.5) vs. J.W. Wright (130.5)

* – Missed weight on initial attempt; has two hours to make 206-pound limit

“Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu” takes place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri and marks the promotions last event before we head into the new year.

The Event: Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu 2”, also known as Strikeforce: “St. Louis”. It takes place December 4, 2010 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Missouri. The five-fight main card will be broadcast on the Showtime network.

Why You Should Care: This event has a little something for everyone. If you’re a fan of old-school MMA, you’ve got two great veterans fighting in the main event, Dan Henderson and Renato Sobral. You’ve also got Matt Lindland trying to get a big comeback going by taking on the heavy-handed Robbie Lawler. And if you love seeing a great brawl, you’ve got Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith. If you’re a fan of the big men, they don’t get much bigger than “Bigfoot”, Antonio Silva, and he’ll be taking on rising star Mike Kyle.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Renato Sobral vs. Dan Henderson is a rematch that’s been over a decade in the making. Both men are at a crossroads in their career: recent losses have called into question their ability to compete at a championship level, and a big win here could eliminate any doubts and firmly put the winner “into the mix”. Both men will more than likely look to finish this fight quickly and in dominating fashion in order to stay afloat in the increasingly-competitive Strikeforce Light Heavyweight division.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: I’m not sure what main card fight will officially be given co-main event status, but either way, there are some great fights on this card besides the main event. Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith will be an all-out war and I’d be surprised if it made it out of the first round. Daley, the controversial knockout artist who famously got a lifetime ban from the UFC when he attacked Josh Koscheck after their fight, will be looking to make his debut one to remember. Then you’ve got Matt Lindland vs. Robbie Lawler, which also has all the makings of a fantastic brawl.

Why You Should Watch This Card: You’re in for a fun night of fights if you decide to watch Strikeforce. Every main card fight has the potential to end quickly, and just about all the main card fighters are known to put on exciting performances. They may not be the biggest stars that Strikeforce could bring to the table, but they’ve all set a great precedent of entertaining fans time and time again.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: There’s only one major reason you should possibly skip this card, and it has nothing to do with Strikeforce itself. The UFC will be holding its own event on December 4, “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale”, a live night of fights that closes out the latest season of the popular UFC reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” and crowns the season’s champion. In the battle of UFC vs. Strikeforce, Strikeforce ultimately has the bigger names, but the UFC does have several great-sounding fights lined up for their event.

Closing Thoughts: In the end, I think Strikeforce has the better card when compared to the UFC’s outing for December 4. I don’t mean to say that the UFC card is bad, though, there are actually several fights on that card that I’m really interested in. But Strikeforce simply has more to offer: bigger stars, a better main event, etc. If you could only watch one, I’d suggest watching Strikeforce. It really has all the makings of a great event.

So, that’s it on my end, fans and friends. What about you? Which show will you be watching December 4?

Antonio Silva vs. Mike Kyle: Silva has become quite the controversial figure in the last few months, as he’s repeatedly called out and even at some points tried to discredit huge names like Fedor Emelianenko, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem, and even Brock Lesnar. And while I absolutely believe that Silva is not up to their level just yet, I also absolutely believe that Mike Kyle isn’t up to Silva’s level. Silva is within shouting distance of the upper-echelon, Kyle’s run to the top never fully materialized. Expect to see “Bigfoot” Silva win by Round 2 TKO.

Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith: Someone’s getting KO’d in the first round, and my money just has to be on the guy that’s never been KO’d before. Daley is an incredibly dangerous striker and Scott Smith is crazy enough (some would say “foolish enough”) to stand and bang with just about anybody in order to try and make the fight exciting and score a big win. Despite the fact that I don’t think Daley will ever be anything other than a dead fish on the ground, “Semtex” has dynamite in both hands and Smith will practically be serving up his chin on a silver platter thanks to his willingness to engage. Paul Daley wins by Round 1 KO.

Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Lindland:  This is another good match featuring some great strikers, but I don’t see this one ending definitively. I can’t really pick out one reason why I feel this way, it’s more like a bunch of small reasons coming together. I think both men are going to absorb a lot of damage, and while there may be some close calls here and there, I think these two are going to grind out a decision. My gut and my head favors Lindland due to his vast experience and his sheer toughness. Matt Lindland wins via Unanimous Decision.

Dan Henderson vs. Renato Sobral: I’ve still got plenty of faith left in Dan Henderson. I won’t say “the best is yet to come”, I think any fan of the man knows that we’re probably past that point. But that doesn’t mean that Henderson is done as an elite-level Mixed Martial Artist. Everything that’s been reported leading up to this card leads me to believe that we’ll see the old, beastly “Hendo” re-emerge against Sobral. Dan Henderson wins by KO in Round 2.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. Now it’s your turn to take the crystal ball out and/or consult your inner Nostradamus. What do you think will happen at Strikeforce: “Henderson vs. Babalu”?

In an interview with MMA Weekly, Henderson said the following: “It was just some medication I had took for my back that kind of helped keep the weight on me, and it just has to do with the pain I guess. I was just real flat that fight, and the weight cut really zapped me… I just think it’s funner to not have to cut weight… This is a good match-up and has potential to be real exciting for the fans.”

Make no mistake, fans and friends, I’ve got a huge amount of respect and plenty of hope left for Dan Henderson. When people say the fight with Jake Shields demonstrated how “Hendo” is past his prime and a shadow of his former self… I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how you can see the Shields fight as the official marker for Dan Henderson being on the decline, when his fight immediately before the Shields fight featured him giving fans one of the biggest KO’s of the year. It’s true that Henderson may not be better than he’s ever been, but to say that his career is headed for a swift downturn is going way too far.

I think his upcoming fight with Renato Sobral will go a long way towards establishing where Henderson is in his career right now. If he loses, especially if he loses in a big way or in dominating fashion, I’ll have to admit that the future doesn’t look too good. If he wins but doesn’t put on a good performance, I’ll admit that Henderson most likely has a difficult (but not impossible) road ahead of him. But if he wins big and/or in dominating fashion, you can bet that I’ll be one of the first to say that Henderson is far from done and may even have it in him to become a champion again.

No matter what the future holds for Dan Henderson, I see him continuing to be an asset to Strikeforce for the foreseeable future, especially as Strikeforce heads into 2011 and looks to get back on the CBS network. I won’t pretend that Henderson is the answer to all of Strikeforce’s problems, but he’s very marketable to both the casual and hardcore fan. Whether he’s remembered for his glory days in PRIDE FC by the diehards or his skull-crushing KO of Michael Bisping by the more casual fan, people tend to remember Dan Henderson. And I have a pretty good feeling that Henderson will give fans even more of a reason to pay attention to him once he locks horns with Renato Sobral.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of these recent comments, and what kind of future do you think Dan Henderson has in Strikeforce?

Here are the highlights from a press release courtesy of Strikeforce itself: “In an effort to make the holiday season a happy time for as many St Louis residents as possible, world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE has joined forces with Toys For Tots, the Marine Corps-managed, non-profit organization, to collect new, unwrapped toys for local underprivileged youth during the star-studded Henderson vs. Babalu MMA event, at Scottrade Center on Saturday, Dec. 4. During the 10-bout event, several stations staffed by volunteers from the local Marine Corps will be set up inside Scottrade Center to collect toys from fans attending the event.  Monetary donations are accepted as well.”

I think this is a good move for Strikeforce, and it’s certainly a great way to give back to the community. It’s stories like these that make me proud to be an MMA fan. With the UFC holding another “Tribute to the Troops” event and with this Toys for Toys partnership, I really get a feeling that both Strikeforce and the UFC may not be as money-crazy as some cynics would have you believe. Both the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Toys for Tots are two amazing causes that people should give generously to, so I’m more than happy to help shine a light on these two causes and encourage fans to give often and give generously.

When you look at the bigger picture, it’s these kinds of victories that actually encourage the cynics to view this sport in a new light. I know it may sound like I’m over-embellishing things a bit, but really, just think about that for a moment. Imagine that you’re a jaded cynic that thinks that MMA is human cockfighting and that all MMA fans are blood-hungry Neanderthals that do nothing but consume dangerously high levels of alcohol while screeching for their favorite fighter to rip his opponent’s head off. Imagine what it would do to your prejudices to see those fans give generously to a charity that helps veterans and the families of veterans, or show up to a packed arena with toys to donate to Toys for Tots. It completely contradicts the unfair stereotype that all MMA fans are just a bunch of drooling imbeciles. And that’s a great thing.

So give often, give generously, and give what you can, fans and friends. Support these charities because they’re good causes, and because they help paint this sport in a positive light. And above all else, support them because they brighten someone’s  life, sometimes in ways we never could’ve imagined.

5. Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis

The WEC would be hard-pressed to find a better fight to go out on than this headlining attraction at WEC 53, the final WEC event before the entire promotion is folded into the UFC. In one corner you have the unlikely champion Ben Henderson, who established himself as a worthy champion with several incredible performances against the WEC’s best and now stands poised as possibly one of the best Lightweights in the game. Then in the other corner you have Anthony Pettis, an incredibly dynamic and wildly entertaining fighter. This fight as a whole sums up the WEC’s long history of solid matchmaking, and I can’t wait to see it happen.

4. Dan Henderson vs. Renato Sobral

This is one for the old-school fans, let’s get that straight right off the bat. But if you do consider yourself a diehard or simply a fan of the old-school, this fight has quite a lot to offer. It features two aging fighters that still seem to have a lot left to give, trying to recapture the old magic that made them champions in the past. It’s also the classic “styles clash” match-up pitting the heavy-handed striker versus the grappler, and also the wrestler versus the Brazilian Jui Jitsu practitioner. It has all the makings of a good fight between two big names from the past, so it definitely deserves a watch.

3. BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes

Like Hendo/”Babalu” but bigger. This fight happens at a critical moment in both men’s careers. Now that he knows his legacy is intact, Matt Hughes has been fighting for the fun of it without the added pressure of wanting a title shot. If he beats Penn, he might just get one. Conversely, the added pressure of having to constantly defend his Lightweight Championship ultimately spelled doom for “The Prodigy”, and he looks to a Welterweight return to reestablish and reinvigorate himself. Whoever wins this one takes a massive step forward, but Penn has a lot more to lose if Hughes gets the better of him. It’s the end of a rivalry that has spanned several eras in Mixed Martial Arts, so you should definitely watch it.

2. Josh Koscheck vs. Georges St. Pierre

I never would have believed that you could still have an incredibly bitter rivalry where one side does all the talking, but here we are and there it is. This fight is going to be insane for a number of reasons. The reaction GSP will get will be monumental, as will the boos Koscheck will receive. The fight itself should be wildly entertaining as GSP lets loose months of pent-up rage while Koscheck sets out to prove that he’s an entirely different fighter compared to when he lost to GSP the first time. It’s an epic main event and the culmination of a very bitter rivalry, so of course it takes the #2 spot.

But my top spot simply has got to go to…

1. Lyoto Machida vs. Quinton Jackson

This non-title fight could put just about any other promotion’s championship fights to shame. This is a massive match between two phenomenal athletes with two clearly divided fanbases. I’ve vocally supported Machida from the get-go, and I can’t wait to see him rise from the ashes and prove once and for all that “The Machida Era” has been postponed, not cancelled. He can do just that if he beats “Rampage”, one of the most well-known and feared strikers in the history of the business. It’s a colossal showdown that you absolutely must not miss.

So that’s where I stand, fans and friends. What about you? What matches do you think should absolutely not be missed as 2010 draws to a close?

5. Leonard Garcia vs. Tyler Toner

Watch this one for the simple fact that Leonard Garcia always shows up to entertain and gives consistently amazing performances win or lose. It’s going to be awesome to see him back in the UFC, and the opponent he’s facing is no slouch either. Toner is 10-2 with six knockouts, so this has all the makings of a wild, can’t-miss brawl.

4. Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac

It’s got a lot of the same appeal of Garcia/Toner, but this one ranks higher because it involves two bigger names and two arguably better brawlers. Bonnar’s true potential doesn’t come through until he’s bloodied up, and he’s all too willing to take two to give one. Pokrajac has seven losses, twenty-two wins, and plenty of (T)KO victories. While Garcia/Toner will be a great and wild brawl, this one will be a bloody and entertaining war of attrition.

3. Scott Smith vs. Paul Daley

I don’t think it’s likely that we’ll see this one going past the first round, and I’d be shocked if it got past the second. Someone is going to get knocked out and it’s going to be brutally entertaining to watch. Look for “Semtex” and “Hands of Steel” to be throwing bombs from the first second of the first minute. This fight, above all the others on the list, has the potential to end the quickest, but that’s rarely a bad thing when you’ve got two heavy-handed power-punchers going in and swinging for the fences from the very start.

2. The TUF 12 Finale Fight

It’s the culmination of an entire season’s worth of drama, effort, tough fights, humbling defeating, and amazing victories. I don’t know who’s going to fight in the finale, but I do know that the finale is always the can’t-miss fight of the show. I look forward to seeing which TUF hopefuls end up fighting for the big prize on the main stage. Regardless of who ends up vying for the UFC contract, look for it to be a very exciting fight.

1. Dan Henderson vs. Renato Sobral

In the end, I just had to go with this pick. This fight has an amazing amount of potential, and it’s a fight between two highly-decorated former champions that both want to win and win big in order to set up a comeback. Not only does this fight have the biggest name-value stars, it also has the most potential given how multi-dimensional both fighters are. This one could go everywhere, it could end at any moment, and it’s definitely a worthy main event.

And what about you, fans and friends? Which side are you choosing, or do you plan to watch both shows simultaneously? Also, which show do you think is the better one?

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.

There should be more incentive to win for each competitor, now that the title is at stake. A win here is especially important for Dan Henderson. The Team Quest co-founder is coming off of a loss to current UFC welterweight, Jake Shields. The two fought last April for Shields’ then middleweight title. Henderson was able to drop the decorated grappler in the first round, and it looked like it would be only a matter of time before he finished the Cesar Gracie product.

However, Jake battled through and would end up controlling the rest of the match by taking down a tired Henderson seemingly at will. In the end, Shields was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Henderson later revealed that the weight cut to the middleweight division became tedious and taxing on his body and was thought to attribute to his lack luster performance. The return to light heavyweight is ideal for Dan and he will look to revitalize his career with a potential win over the former champion in “Babalu”.

They met some time ago, when both fighter’s were still a bit green in their careers, especially Dan who had spent just two-years in the realm of MMA after a life long career as a wrestler, making his way to the Olympics on two-occasions.

Dan beat Sobral in the finals of “RINGS: King of Kings 1999″ tournament, with a close split decision victory, claiming the promotion’s 1999 tourney open-weight title.

“Babalu” recently has come off of a unanimous decision victory over former ICON and EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler, in a catch-weight bout of 195-pounds. The affair was largely decided on the feet, where most believed Robbie would have the decided advantage. However, Sobral, who has been working recently with former Chute Boxe trainer Rafael Cordeiro, showed a vastly improved stand up arsenal, and was eventually declared the winner on all three judges score cards after the three-round battle.

MMAWeekly.com first reported the news of the title shot opportunity.

So, MMA peeps, who do you think will claim the victory here in this light heavyweight battle? Will history repeat itself, or will Renato claim victory this time around? Sound off in the comment section below.

After taking much time off from the fight game (a 21-month absence to be exact) to focus on a budding movie career, Le, a former San Shou world champion, came back reinvigorated in his rematch with Smith which took place last June, and after hurting his opponent several times with body kicks, would eventually earn the TKO victory in the second round, leaving Scott Smith with the biggest win of his career taken away just as fast in defeat.

While “Hands of Steel” has had a lengthy career that began as a heavyweight, he has become a staple in any organization he fights in, as the guy who can deliver a knockout victory in any moment of the fight. Just ask Benji Radach, who after seemingly taking the first two rounds in their 185-pound match up last April in Strikeforce, succumbed to a third-round knockout at the hands of Smith, who now owns the moniker of the “Comeback Kid”.

Strikeforce obviously has invested interest in Scott Smith, and would much rather have him back in the win column. But, that means bad news for Jesse Finney.

Finney, who has competed exclusively in the 170 pound division, is coming off a loss to former UFC fighter Josh Neer in his last outing. Neer, a fighter who often bounces between both the lightweight and welterweight divisions, choked out the previously undefeated Jesse with a guillotine inside of the first round.

The bout is expected to take place on the main card of Strikeforce’s 29th event, at the Scottrade Center in St Louis, Missouri on December 4.

The headlining bout of the evening is said to be a light heavyweight tilt pitting legends Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral against one another.

So, mma peeps, what say you about this middleweight match up? Is Finney being thrown to the wolves at just 6-1 and coming off a loss? Or is there something more to the kid? Will Scott Smith come back and deliver another KO victory? Sound off in the comments section below.

The former UFC title challenger will instead meet fellow UFC cast out Renato “Babalu” Sobral on December 4. The bout is expected to take over headlining duties for the December 4 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

MMAJunkie.com indicates that after speaking with several sources, the bout will become official by next week, where the promotion will officially announced the event.

Henderson, a former contender in the UFC’s middleweight division–who made his career overseas when he took on some of the sports best under the now defunct Pride banner, which remained a huge staple for the MMA movement around the world. After running a three-fight win streak in the UFC, he was ousted by the promotion, and more specifically Dana White, after failing to come to terms on a new contract.

The former Olympian has since signed with rival promotion Strikeforce and challenged then champion Jake Shields, who ironically enough now competes in the UFC, for the promotions middleweight title last April. However, after a strong first round where the Team Quest fighter dropped his opponent with a vicious right hand, would end up losing a lopsided unanimous decision where over the course of the next four round was controlled largely on the ground, where Shields was able to take down Henderson at will and mount him on several occasions.

“Babalu” has since rebounded after losing his Strikeforce light heavyweight title against former champion Gegard Mousasi (a first round knockout that went to the Armenian’s favor) with his win over middleweight standout Robbie Lawler. The bout took place at a catch-weight of 195 pounds (normally Sobral competes at 205 while Lawler is a perennial contender at 185). While both fighters had their moments, after a close and competitive three round, Sobral was crowned the winner by unanimous decision.

Come December 4th, both competitors will look to get back to top contention with a win over one another. The two had previously met years ago, in 1999 in Tokyo, Japan under the Rings promotion, during their “King of Kings 1999″ tournament. Henderson won the bout by way of unanimous decision, when he met Sobral in the finals of the tournament, which featured notables Gilbert Yvel, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, and Kiyoshi Tamura, among others.

So, MMA peeps, who do you think this light heavyweight match up? Can Henderson get back to his winning ways? Or is the 40-year-old past his prime? Sound off in the comments section below.

Here is the full fight card:

Main Card
Robbie Lawler vs. Renato Sobral
Evangelista  Santos  vs. Marius Zaramoskis
Tim Kennedy vs. Trevor Prangley
Conor Heun vs. K.J. Noons

Preliminary Card

R.J. Clifford  vs. Jeremy Umphries
Marcus Kowal  vs. Hugo Sandoval

Marcus Kowal vs. Hugo Sandoval (135)

Round 1

Hugo comes out testing the distance with strikes and Marcus shoots. Marcus gets side control but Hugo is quick to get back to half guard.  Position battle and Hugo gets back to guard. Marcus stands up and looks to try a standing guard pass but is content to throw a heavy punch as he lands back in guard. Hugo locked up a triangle but Marcus powered out of it only to get an illegal up kick for his efforts.  Crowd unhappy as a point is deducted from Sandoval. Back to standing, and Marcus shoots. They battle for position and Marcus ends up in side control, transitions to back control and round ends.

Round 2

Hugo comes out swinging and drops Marcus with a hard shot. He looked to be out as Hugo went in to finish and Herb Dean steps in to stop it.

Hugo Sandoval by KO at :43 of Round 2

R.J. Clifford  vs. Jeremy Umphries

Round 1

Umphries shoots and ends up in half guard. Clifford working to get back up with Jeremy on his back.  Jeremy takes him back to the mat and sinks in one hook. Clifford doing a great job of fighting off the choke attempt. Works back to his feet and tries to roll out of the back control. Jeremy back with one hook in on the mat but R.J. is right back up. He finally breaks free and puts Umphries on his back and is working punches as the round ends.

Round 2

Both men come out throwing punches until Jeremy shoots, takes Clifford down. R.J. works to his feet to get dropped back to the mat. Much like the first round with Umphries on his back. Finally Umphries locks in the rear naked choke and Big John steps in when he notices RJ is out.

Jeremy Umphries by RNC at 2:27 in Round 2

Conor Huen vs. KJ Noons (160)

Round 1

Both guys come out aggressive Noons changing levels with his strikes and Conor utilizing kicks to keep the distance. KJ opening up a bit with good body shot combos. Crowd seems to love this fight so far. Conor shoots and takes Noons down. They acramble and he gets the back working on the rear naked choke.  Starts unloading punches as Noons scrambles to get free. Swaping from mback to full mount until Noons finally gets to his feet in another scramble. round ends with Noons dropping Huen.  10-9 Conor Huen

Round 2

Conor throwing head kicks to start the round. Both men exchanging combos. A little back and forth with no real significant strikes being landed. Noons lands a solid left as Conor throws a front kick. Noons lands a big body shot followed by a solid left. Conor follows with a big right of his own. The both men start swinging for the fences. Noons stuffs the shot by Conor and both men look to be tiring. Round 2 ends with Conor getting the takedown.  10-9 Noons

Round 3

Conor comes out throwing lots of kicks still. Both men exchange in the center of the cage landing some good shots. Noons is not out boxing Conor like many thought. Blood coming from the cheek of Conor but he comes back and lands a good left.  They both bounce around and Conor goes for a takedown only to be stuffed as he dives across the cage.Both men are exhausted trying to give it their all. Round ends with Noons peppering the jab and going for a flying knee and Conor pushing him against the cage and looking for a choke. 10-9 Noonswins by

30-27 Huen 29-28 Noons 29-28 Noons

Winner by split decision KJ Noons

Tim Kennedy vs Trevor Prangley (185)

Round 1

Kennedy throws a combo at Trevor and then pushes in for the shot. Prangley tosses Tim but Kennedy hops back up and is looking for a double leg. Both men up to their feet and clinched against the cage. Finally Tim gets his takedown and is in half guard. Tim gets full mount on Trevor who gives up his back . Trevor stands up and Tim locks in the rear naked choke and forces Prangley to tap

Tim Kennedy wins vis rear naked choke at 3:35 of Round 1

Marius Zaromski vs “Cyborg” Evangelista Santos

Round 1

Both men start cautious and then Santos unleashes. They separate and Santos rocks Marius and rushes in but Marius circles and recovers. Nice kicks by Marius to the body of Santos followed but a hard right. Santos comes right after him and drops him with a short hard right. He jumps down and starts punching as the ref stops the fight.

Santos wins via KO at 2:38 of round 1

Robbie Lawler vs Babalu Sobral

Round 1

Sobral comes in and locks up Robbie looking to take the fight to the mat fast. Robbie has his back against the cage and is fighting off the takedown until Bog John separates them. Robbie throws a bog punch and Babalu shoots as Lawler throws a flying knee. Both men back toe to toe and the crowd is booing until Sobral slams Lawler down. Robbie bounces right back up. They exchange and Lawler throws a kick and has his leg swept. Sobral follows him down but Lawler is right back up to his feet.  10-9 Sobral

Round 2

Round 3

Nothing much happening  through two minutes in the final round. Robbie needs to turn in on to win this fight. Spinning back fist from Sobral shocks the world…not much to say. One minute left and Robbie is just now stalking but not throwing. Sobral eating a jab or two but not much more. final round is a tough one to score. 10-8  Lawlor

Multiple sources have cited that the tournament would be scrapped but Sherdog states that after talking to the manager of one of the contestants, it is officially dead in the water.

The cancellation stems from disinterest by Dream’s domestic television carrier, the Tokyo Broadcasting System, in broadcasting the tournament. Fighters.com is unsure as to why they would be uninterested in broadcasting a tournament with fighters such as UFC veteran “Babalu” Renato Sobral (32-9), former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi (23-3-1), Deep light heavyweight tournament winner Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (3-0) as well as Thierry Rameau Sokoudjou (6-5) all being rumored to be in the tournament.

Dream has seen it’s fair share of troubles as of late and this does not bode well for the organization. With accusations of non-payment of fighters and last minute fight cancellations we could be nearing the end of yet another Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

With DREAM 14 only a few weeks away the fight card is sparse to say the least with Strikeforce champion “Diablo” Nick Diaz (21-8) taking on “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (32-9-3) in a non-title fight as well as the following fights:

Joachim Hansen vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Akiyo “Wicky” Nishiura vs. Hideo Tokoro
Kazuyuki Miyata vs. Takafumi Otsuka

Stay tuned to Fighters.com and MMA Gospel Radio for more information concerning Dream 14 as it breaks.

Two former UFC fighters will lock horns at Strikeforce in Los Angeles June 16 in a 195-pound catchweight bout.  Former UFC light heavyweight challenger and Strikeforce champion  “Babalu” Renato Sobral (35-8) and former EliteXC middleweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-5) will matchup at Los Angeles.

“Babalu” comes into the fight off a title defense loss to “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (25-3-1) at Strikeforce in San Jose in August 2009.

Lawler knocked out Melvin Manhoef (23-6-1) at Strikeforce in Miami in January.

Mousasi holds convincing TKO victories over both Babalu and Sokoudjou, his last two opponents in Strikeforce.  He’ll defend his Strikeforce belt versus “King Mo” Muhammed Lawal (4-0) in Nashville April 17.

Sobral’s last fight was the first-round TKO loss to Mousasi in San Jose last August.   Before that he submitted Sokoudjou at Affliction in Anaheim in January 2009.

Sokoudjou’s last fight was a TKO loss to “Minowaman” Ikuhisa Minowa (44-30-8) at K-1 Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve.  Between losses to Mousasi las November and Sobral the January before, he TKO’d “Beast” Bob Sapp (10-5-1) and “Giant” Jan Nortje (2-6) at DREAM.

Both UFC title contenders will compete in the -87.9kg division, along with “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (11-3). Sengoku judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (13-9) and DREAM welterweight Andre Galvao (3-0).

UFC welterweight champ “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) will compete in the -76.9kg division, along with the UFC’s “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3), Japanese free agent “K-Taro” Keita Nakamura (15-4-2), and Brazilian free agent “Uirapuru” Marcelo Azevedo (3-5).

In the -98.9kg division, Strikeforce light heavyweight “Babalu” Renato Sobral (32-9), free agent “Brazilian Tiger” Ricardo Arona (13-5), The Ultimate Fighter 8 contestant “Pezao” Vinicius Magalhães (3-5), former UFC and PRIDE fighter “Boogey Man” Dean Lister (11-6), The Pit’s “Brazilian Pit Bull” Glover Teixeira (7-2), Brazilian heavyweight free agent “Pe De Pano” Marcio Cruz (6-2), and Aussie light heavyweight “Hippo” Anthony Perosh (6-4).

Strikeforce heavyweight contender “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1) and American free agent “Snowman” Jeff Monson (27-8) highlight the +99kg division. Former IFL heavyweight title challenger Antoine Jaoude (8-3) and M-1 Global heavyweight Rogent Lloret (6-1) will also compete in the highest weight divsion.

In the lowest weight division, -65.9kg, WEC featherweight contender “Big Frog” Jeff Curran (31-12-1) and WEC bantamweight contender Rani Yahya (14-3) will compete with SHOOTO vets “Iron” Hiroshi Nakamura (4-3-4) and “Finisher” Baret Yoshida (5-6-1).

Every division will also include grapplers who don’t compete in MMA.

Every other year, the ADCC creates the most interesting moments and exciting matchups in submission grappling. Always a highlight, the absolute division pits grapplers of all weight classes against each other to crown an absolute champ. Past absolute division matchups include DREAM welterweight “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (35-10) versus former UFC heavyweight champion “Suave” Ricco Rodriguez (32-8-3) and DREAM lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) versus Sengoku heavyweight Roger Gracie (2-0).

Emirati Sheik Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his BJJ instructor Nelson Monteiro created the event that has become the gold standard in submission grappling in 1998 and in 2003 the tournament began touring to locations outside the UAE.

The grapplers will compete at Pavello Olimpic de Badalona in Barcelona beginning at 11:00 AM on 26 September. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.

Mousasi landed 13 strikes to Sobral’s one, leaving “Babalu” frighteningly wide-eyed and unconcious as referee “Big” John McCarthy pulled Mousasi off.

A stoic Mousasi resembling his mentor, Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko’s (29-1) , hip tossed the champion and former UFC title challenger after Sobral caught Mousasi’s body kick. From side control, Mousasi hammered Sobral’s face until the fight’s conclusion.

Defending champion “Babalu” weighed 201 pounds while challenging prospect Mousasi weighed 204 pounds.

Heavyweight UFC cast-off “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1) weighed 228 pounds. His late replacement opponent, American Kickboxing Academy’s “MAK” Mike Kyle (11-6-1), weighed 219 pounds.

Interim Strikeforce lightweight champion “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (15-2) and challenger “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (19-4-1) were both at the 155-pound limit.

“I know I’m in the best shape I can be right now and I’m just ready to get in there and fight,” said Melendez, though he remains annoyed by the circumstances leading to Ishida replacing Strikeforce lightweight champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (15-2-1). “I was training a lot of wrestling and stand-up for a taller, conventional fighter and now my opponent is a short, southpaw wrestler. So there have been some changes and there’s not really a lot you can do. I’ve been training wrestling so I’m OK there but I wish I had more time to train specifically for Ishida. At the end of the day I train hard to fight whoever they put out there so I’ll be ready.”

Welterweight “Thoroughbred” Jay Hieron (14-4) weighed 169 pounds. He’ll match-up versus “JT Money” Jesse Taylor (8-2), who weighed one-half pound more.

The Pit light heavyweight Scott Lighty (4-0) had three pounds to spare while his opponent Mike Cook (7-6) was spot on the 205-pound limit.

Lightweight “Tarzan” David Douglas (4-1) was the admissable one-pound over and “Silverback” Justin Wilcox (5-3) was one-pound under the 155-pound limit.

Cung Le-trained welterweight James Terry (5-1) weighed 169 pounds. His opponent, Zac Bucia (4-2), weighed 170 pounds.

Lightweights Isaiah Hill (3-5-1) and Alexander Trevino (4-0) matched each other at 156 pounds.

With the switch, “Babalu” will defend his Strikeforce gold from DREAM’s middleweight champion, now fighting at 205 pounds.

Mousasi dutifully remarked, “I am very happy that Strikeforce has resurrected this fight and that I will have the opportunity to become Strikeforce world champion. Strikeforce is one of the world’s top promotions and I am proud to be a part of their roster of world-class fighters.”

Last May, Mousasi tapped heavyweight Mark Hunt (5-6) in a Kimura at DREAM.9 in Yokohama.

“Babalu” tapped “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (6-4) in a Brabo choke at Affliction last January.

According to Fighters.com’s sources, Strikeforce might also pickup a heavyweight from Trilogy to replace Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (27-10) versus “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), though nothing is certain.

“I wanted to be a man and squash things between me and him,” the free agent fighter said.

Ortiz hasn’t fought since losing a unanimous decision to Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Ryoto Machida (15-0) at UFC 84 in Las Vegas in May 2008, fulfilling his UFC contract.

Ortiz wasn’t invited to the post-fight press conference, but he and his girlfriend, model Jenna Jameson, crashed and refused to leave until White relented and allowed him to participate.

Thursday Ortiz indicated he was close to signing a contract with Strikeforce, but left returning to the UFC on the table.

White was quick to put things in perspective, Tweeting, “Doesn’t mean he’s back it means we aren’t smashing each other anymore and we don’t hate each other.”

Ortiz told Tapout Radio, “I’m hoping by my fourth fight, possibly fight Fedor Emelianenko at a catchweight. That’d be something that I’m looking forward to possibly by the middle of next year.”

Ortiz hasn’t beat a top ten fighter since knocking out Evan Tanner (32-8) by slam at UFC 30 in Atlantic City in 2001, though he does have a draw with now second-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1) from 2007 and a split decision victory over now third-ranked Forrest Griffin (16-5) from 2006, before either fighter had cracked the top ten.

However, a challenge to Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion Emelianenko (29-1) seems ambitious for the one-time biggest draw in MMA.

If Ortiz closes the deal with Strikeforce, a challenge to the promotion’s light heavyweight champion “Babalu” Renato Sobral (31-8) seems more likely. Sobral has publicly challenged Ortiz.

Sokoudjou, Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked light heavyweight, was recently released from the UFC after his second-round TKO loss to ninth-ranked “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (7-1) at UFC 89 in October.

Sobral last fought at Strikeforce: Destruction in November, winning Bobby Southworth’s (9-5) light heavyweight title with a referee stoppage due to a cut.

Speight suffered his first career loss in October via unanimous decision to Alex Cisne (4-1) at King of the Cage.

Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (10-6-1) in round two in June.

Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio made the decision to match Lindland against fellow middleweight “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (16-8), rather than have the fight with Sobral at a catchweight between 190-195 pounds.

Sobral defeated Bobby Southworth (9-5) over a week ago via TKO due to a cut to win the light heavyweight title.

Sobral’s agent Richard Wilner told Five Ounces of Pain that “Babalu” is still expected to fight on the card.

Lindland last fought at Affliction: Banned in July, defeating “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (16-8) via unanimous decision.

Belfort’s most recent fight was also at Banned.  He KO’d Terry Martin (18-6) in round two.

Sobral went in and clinched.  Southworth grabbed Sobral’s leg and managed to wrestle him to the mat.  Southworth in his guard, Sobral climbed up Southworth’s back in a triangle attempt, but Southworth stood up out of it.  They clinched at the fence, each fighter trying some knees and punches, until referee “Big” John McCarthy separated them.

“Babalu” crowded Southworth at the cage and threw a huge left elbow into Southworth’s face, causing sweat to fly.  The referee called a time out as blood started dripping out of Southworth’s right eyebrow with ten seconds left in the round, but allowed him to continue.

Despite a strong finish by Southworth in the final seconds, with the crowd cheering so loud no one heard the horn, the referee called the fight after the first round.

All fighters made weigh and, despite a delayed start and “Diesel” Joe Riggs’s (28-11) displeasure at having to strip, everything went smoothly.

Riggs was not the only one who had to strip further than his ginch; the California State Athletic Commission requested that each fighter have only one crack at the scale, resulting in several weigh-ins behind towels.

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-4) looked cut.  He told Fighters.com Thursday afternoon that he had hired a new strength and conditioning coach.

“Everybody’s been commenting on how my physique looks and how I’ve been performing.  So we’ll see how I perform tomorrow night,” Southworth said.

Join Fighters.com Friday night for the live results.

The weights were as follows:

Terry Martin (18-5) 186 lbs v “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-6) 185.5 lbs

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8) 204 lbs v Bobby Southworth (9-4) 204 lbs

Yves Edwards (34-14-1) 164 lbs v “Bang” Duane Ludwig (17-8) 163 lbs

“Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-11) 170.5 lbs v Luke Stewart (5-1) 170.5 lbs

Nik Theotikos (5-0) 185 lbs vs Luke Rockhold (2-1) 185.5 lbs

Brian Schwartz (0-1) 175 lbs v Lemont Davis (1-2) 173 lbs

Josh Neal (4-3) 184 lbs v Kurt Osiander (2-1) 185 lbs

Cyrillo Padilha (1-1) 156 lbs v Bobby Stack (2-1) 155 lbs

Tony Johnson (0-1) 184 lbs v Eric Lawson (1-0) 185 lbs

Brad Royster (1-1) 134 lbs v Darren Uyenoyama (4-1) 136 lbs

Jose Palacios (1-1) 145 lbs v Alvin Cacdac (3-4) 143 lbs

Adam Steel (1-0) 168 lbs v Zakary Bucia (1-0) 168 lbs

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8) will fight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5).

“Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) will fight “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3).

“Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-9) will face “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidelnikov (3-1).

“Machine” Mark Hominick (14-7) will face LC Davis (9-1).

“Thorobred” Jay Hieron (13-4) will fight Jason High (6-0).

Albert Rios (6-2) will face “Tigre” Antonio Duarte (7-1).

Brett Cooper will also fight, although no opponent was named.

The event is headlined by Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) versus third-ranked “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (14-5).

A lightweight match between Chris Horodecki (12-1) and “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (10-2) was previously reported.

No opponents have yet been determined for seventh-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5) and “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (16-8).

Sobral is fighting Bobby Southworth (9-4) Friday for the Strikeforce light heavyweight title.  He won a unanimous decision over “Iron” Mike Whitehead (22-6) at Affliction in July.

Lindland last fought in July, winning a unanimous decision over “Negao” Fabio Nascimento (16-8).

Nogueira and Matyushenko were originally scheduled to face off in October before Day of Reckoning was postponed.

Nogueira won his last match 1 November at Sengoku 6, defeating Moise Rimbon (12-8-2) in a unanimous decision.

Matyushenko will try to extend his win streak to nine.  His last victory came in April in the IFL when he TKO’d Jamal Patterson (4-2) in the second round.

Buentello defeated “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-19-1) via unanimous decision last week at Glory 10.

Sidelnikov, from Russia’s Red Devil Sports Club, TKO’d James Jack (3-2-1) in round one at the M-1 Challenge in September.

Hominick submitted Savant Young (1-2) with a second-round armbar at Affliction in July.

Davis KO’d Rafael Dias (12-5) in round three at the IFL’s April event.

Hieron won a unanimous decision over Chris Kennedy (6-6) in October.

High submitted Markhaile Wederbrun (4-3) in 45 seconds with a guillotine choke in June.

Rios last fought in November 2007.  He TKO’d Rafael Salomao (6-1) in round one.

Duarte submitted Gerardo Morales (0-2) with a third-round guillotine choke in May.

Cooper KO’d Dusty Arden (11-6-1) in round two in June.

Two title fights, between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “The Punk” Josh Thomson (14-2-1) and Yves Edwards (34-14-1) and between Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-4) and “Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-8), will headline the event.

Also featured is a welterweight bout between “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-10) and Luke Stewart (4-1).

The rest of the card includes:

Lemont Davis (1-2) versus Brian Schwartz (0-1) at 175 lbs
Brad Royster (1-1) versus Darren Uyenoyama (4-1) at 135 lbs
Tony Johnson (0-1) versus Eric Lawson (2-2) at 185 lbs
Alvin Cacdac (3-4) versus Jose Palacios (1-1) at  145 lbs
Bobby Stack (2-1) versus Cyrillo Padilha (1-1) at 155 lbs
Zakary Bucia (0-1) versus Jaime Rodriguez (0-0) at 155 lbs
Kurt Osiander (2-0) versus Raul Castillo (2-0) at 185 lbs
Nik Theotikos (5-0) versus Luke Rockhold (2-1) at 185 lbs

Emelianenko versus Arlovski had been reported previously, as well as the date of the event, but Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio last week would confirm neither the main event, the date, nor the venue for their second show.

Other fighters on the card are sixth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (23-5), “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3), “Janitor” Vladimir Matyushenko (21-3), “Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-7), “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8), “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5), and the IFL’s Jay Hieron (16-4) and Chris Horodecki (12-1).

The match-ups have not yet been announced.

Strikeforce Lightweight Champion “Punk” Josh Thomson (16-2) will also defend his title versus an opponent yet to be named.

Before his last “W” over “Archer” Ashe Bowman (9-5) in Beverly Hills, north of Los Angeles, 20 September, Thomson expressed interest in fighting “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (17-4-1).  After the fight, Thomson also hoped to defend his title from Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked lightweight and DREAM champ “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (19-7-1).

After knocking off former Strikeforce champ “El Nino” Gilbert Melendez (14-2) in San Jose 27 June, Thomson has been desperate for an opponent who’d help him crack the top ten.

Southworth versus “Babalu” was originally scheduled for the 20 September card at the Playboy Mansion, but both fighters pulled up lame and spent the night chasing bunnies into the grotto (I assume).

Southworth defended his title from “El Toro” Anthony Ruiz (21-12) by UD in San Jose 27 June, then asked Strikeforce for the match-up versus Sobral.

Sobral won a UD over Mike Whitehead (22-6) in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July.

Also on the card, “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-11) will return to welterweight to fight Luke Stewart (6-1).

In a brief return to middleweight, Riggs was TKO’d by ninth-ranked Kazuo Misaki (21-8-2) in Beverly Hills, while Stewart tapped Jesse Juarez (6-5) in an armbar on the undercard.

Prangely tapped Ruiz in an armbar in Fresno,southeast of San Francisco, in 2006.

More recently, Prangley won a referee’s decision over Falaniko Vitale (26-8) in San Jose last November in Strikeforce’s middleweight tournament, but was TKO’d the same night in the tournament final by Jorge Santiago (17-7).

Ruiz most recently won a UD over Jeremy Freitag (6-7).

The original main event was to have pitted Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth (9-5) versus Sobral; but, both fighters have pulled up lame.

After defending his title from “El Toro” Anthony Ruiz (21-11) in a five-round unanimous decision in San Jose 27 June, the 38-year old champion told a post-fight press conference, “I’m getting on in years.  I’d like to fight some bigger names.”

Southworth then indicated his desire to fight “Babalu”.

“Babalu” won a three-round unanimous decision over Mike Whitehead (21-6) in Anaheim, east of Los Angeles, 19 July and called out “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) after the “W”.

“That is my dream fight,” Sobral told the post-fight press conference about a match-up with Ortiz.

Affliction, one of Sobral’s promoters, has yet to announced a rumoured deal with Ortiz.

Of Southworth and hist belt, Sobral said, “He is the protector and I am the hunter.  I want to be the new Strikeforce world champion.”

“Babalu” consoled Whitehead with a hug; but, Whithead lamented his loss to Sobral.

Just thirty-six seconds to answer questions raised by Fighters.com about Emelianenko’s two-year hiatus from top competition.

At the bell, Sylvia exited his corner in an awkward, low crouch.

Obviously…Emelianenko wasted no time blasting Sylvia with a left, right hook combo, followed by an uppercut.

“I’ve never been hit that hard in my life,” said Sylvia after the fight.  “He’s not human.”

The “Maine-iac” dismantled to the mat; and, Emelianenko stuck in a rear naked choke that forced Sylvia to tap.

After the fight, the Russian was nonchalant, but not arrogant about his destruction of one of the world’s top heavyweights.

The victory cemented him as the top heavyweight in the world, the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist in the world, and perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist ever.

How “Pitbull” Got His Bite Back

“Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) knocked out “Big” Ben Rothwell (33-6) at 1:13 of round three with a straight right, right uppercut combo.

Rothwell twirled gracefully to the mat as the referee waved off the fight, a classic between the heavyweights.

Rothwell kept it competitive, but Arlovski beat-up “Big” Ben with flurries of devastating striking that caused blood to ooze from every orifice in Rothwell’s head by the end of round two.

Babyface Avenger

“Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (26-5) avenged his 2001 knockout loss to “Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-8) with a KO of his own at 1:44 of round two.

Barnett kept Rizzo at bay throughout the fight with a long teep and even landed a spin kick to Rizzo’s midsection in the first round.

In the second round, Barnett bounced an overhand right off Rizzo’s noggin and followed with a left hook  that laid Rizzo out.

When asked if he wanted to fight one of the fighters in the main events, Barnett responded, “They’re all bad asses, but they ain’t me.”

Li’l Nog’, Big Knockout

High kick, leg kick, spin kick, “Bam Bam” Edwin Dewees (35-13) even threw a quasi-drop kick from the corner of the ring at “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3); but, it was knees in the Thai clinch and a big left hook from Nogueira that counted.

Nogueira TKO’d Dewees at 4:06 of round one after that left hook dropped “Bam Bam” through the ropes.

“My left one very hard,” Nogueira told the crowd after the fight.

Dewees fought aggressively in his light heavyweight debut; but, Li’l Nog’ avoided Dewees’s wide array of kicks and stalked him into the corner for the TKO “W”.

Nogueira wrapped Dewees in a Thai clinch and hammered knees into his midsection before slamming left and right hooks into Dewees’s head.

Belfort Goes Kaboom!

“Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) knocked Terry Martin (17-6) cold with a straight lead punch at 3:12 of round two in Belfort’s debut at middleweight.

The match-up was always just inches from a slug fest as Martin stalked with a 1-2 combo and Belfort retreated and swung his lead hook, neither fighter connecting much.

In round two, Belfort closed with a flying knee that Martin scooped for a takedown attempt.

Belfort defended, finding a bit of space before launching a right uppercut that lifted Martin’s chin for an on-the-butto straight down the pipe.

Martin nearly folded forward before momentum left him dazed against the ropes.

After the fight, Belfort said of his new 185-pound physique, “It feels so fast!”

Ambrose Steps Into “Quicksand”

Welterweight JJ Ambrose (8-2) stepped into “Quicksand” when he opened round one of his fight with Xtreme Couture’s Mike Pyle (17-5-1) by clinching in the corner.

Pyle manhandled Ambrose to the mat, mounted him, and softened him up with punches until Ambrose surrendered the inevitable rear naked choke at 2:51.

“I was looking for the submission,” Pyle said after the tapout.  “Anyone can get lucky and knock someone out, but you can’t get lucky and submit someone.”

Hominick Taps Young

“Machine” Mark Hominick (16-8) fumbled with a leg triangle in the second round versus “Savant” Trenell Young (9-8) and got dumped on his head for it.

But, Hominick got a second chance and transitioned from a leg triangle to an armbar for the tapout “W” at 4:25 of round two.

“The Law” Comes To Bear On “Negao”

About the time I finished the sentence, “Nasciemento looks like he’s caught in the headlights,” middleweight “The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) dropped “Negao” Fabio Nasciemento (8-4) with a left hook in the first round and pounced into a guillotine choke.

“I was thinking about something Dean Lister told me, ‘Never squeeze so hard that you burn your arms out,’” said Lindland after the fight.

Nasciemento spent the next minute-and-a-half wriggling free, only to take a whipping with Lindland inside his guard drilling elbows.

A brawl broke out in the second round.

Both fighters traded elbows, uppercuts, and hard hooks from close range with, surprisingly,  Nasciemento getting the best of the exchange until Lindland slammed him into a corner and resumed the G’n'P whipping that started in the first.

Both fighters were gassed throughout a sloppy round three in which much was thrown, but not much landed cleanly.

Lindland shot, depositing Nasciemento through the ropes where Nasciemento’s head hit the judges table in a loud “Donk!”

The decision was unanimous for Lindland by scores 30-27 twice and 30-26.

Buentello Takes Easy UD

In a fight sometimes as sloppy as its making, “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (26-10) won a UD over late replacement “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) by scores of 30-27 times three.

The first session paced like a brisk spar as the big boys took each other’s pulse.

Goodridge whittled away with a leg kick while Buentello cranked a jab.

Three times Goodridge clammed-up at the knuckle end of Buentello’s jab; and, Buentello closed to clinch, but couldn’t solve Goodridge’s defense, eventually backing off.

The fight heated up in the second round with Goodridge wheeling haymakers; but, Buentello steadily cranked his jab.

This round, Buentello chipped at Goodridge’s skull with his elbow in the clinch.

Goodridge grabbed for a single-leg takedown at the ropes; but, Buentello turned him into the corner and backed out.

Buentello loaded-up a couple of heavy shots that staggered Goodridge to end the round.

In the third round, Buentello busted Goodridge’s mouth with a lead straight.  Goodridge backpedalled; and, Buentello closed with a flying knee.

Buentello put in a solid effort to end the fight with some hard overhands; but, when “Daddy” wouldn’t go quietly, Buentello settled for the decision victory.

“Babalu” Wins Battle of Attrition

Is “battle of attrition” the literary term for “boring fight”?

If so, the first two rounds between “Babalu” Rento Sobral (30-7) and Mike Whitehead (23-7) were a battle of attrition; but, I wouldn’t even bother downloading them.

Fast-forward to round three and “Babalu” pieced together enough action to win a UD by 30-27 three times.

You can give the first two rounds to “Babalu” if you want.  Somebody had to win them; but, Fighters.com agrees with the “W” for Sobral based on round three.

Sobral sunk three guillotines in the round.  Unfortunately two of them were as Whitehead tackled him through the ropes and Whitehead defended the third choke attempt.

Sobral also connected with a front kick and a spinning hook kick to Whitehead’s jaw.

A spent Sobral confied after the fight, “I’m getting old.”

Whitehead admitted, “I couldn’t put it all together.”

“Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (13-5) def. “Big” Ben Rothwell (33-6) via KO, 1:13 of round three.

“Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (26-5) def. Pedro Rizzo (16-8) via KO, 1:44 of round two.

“The Machine” Mark Hominick (16-8) def. Savant Young (9-8) via submission (armbar), 4:25 of round two.

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (30-7) def. Mike Whitehead (23-7) via unanimous decision (30-27; 30-27; 30-27)

“The Law” Matt Lindland (21-5) def. Fabio Negao (8-4) via unanimous decision (30-26; 30-27; 30-27).

“Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (14-3) def. “Babyface” Edwin Dewees (35-13) via TKO, 4:06 of round one.

“Quicksand” Mike Pyle (17-5-1) def. JJ Ambrose (8-2) via submission (rear naked choke), 2:51 of round one.

“The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (17-8) def. Terry Martin (17-5) via KO, 3:12 of round two.

“Head Hunter” Paul Buentello (26-10) def. “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge (23-18-1) via unanimous decision (30-27; 30-27; 30-27).

Whitehead may need every ounce of it as Sobral looked as in-shape as Fighters.com has seen him in years.

Nogueira was widely-ranked among the top ten light heavyweights in the world until seventh-ranked light heavyweight “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (4-2) literally knocked him out of the rankings in Soko’s PRIDE debut in February 2007.

“Minotoro” bounced back in a tough second-round TKO over Canadian Todd Gouwenberg (7-4) in the since-defunct Hardcore Championship Fighting last February.

“Tiger” is an MMA original, fighting on the first Pancrase card in 1993.  Since 2003 he’s 6-10-1 with fights in the UFC, WEC, IFL, and other promotions.

Recently, he picked up a “W” in April when Jeremiah Constant (6-4) was DQ’d, White’s first fight since losing to Marcelo Tigre (12-3) due to an injury White suffered in the first round.

“Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-7) and “The Law” Matt Lindland (20-5), both also appearing on Affliction’s debut card in separate fights, make more compelling matchmaking for Nogueira.

Nogueira, Sobral, and Lindland are all matched versus fighters they seemingly hold significant advantages over.

Whitehead was dismissed from the UFC after losing a unanimous decision to Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked 205-pounder “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-3-1) in February 2006, his only official appearance in the big show.

Since that loss, Whitehead has wracked up 11 straight wins, nine by stoppage, in several promotions, including a four-fight stint in the IFL.

Sobral is 2-1 since challenging then-champ and sixth-ranked “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) for the UFC title in August 2006.

He was dismissed from the big show after holding an anaconda choke several seconds after David Heath (7-3) obviously tapped out, then bragging about it.

Atencio also added the following fights to the official card:

Savant Young (9-7) v “The Machine” Mark Hominick (15-8)
Ray Lazama (5-5) v Justin Levens (9-8)
JJ Ambrose (9-1) v Patrick Speight (6-0)
“Quicksand” Mike Pyle (15-5-1) v Brett Cooper (7-4)

HCF’s demise was foreshadowed by Fighters.com last month when Crawford released a statement postponing a scheduled 10 May card in Calgary.

“Due to the fact that the due diligence process has been extended on our impending re-structuring we are officially postponing our May 10 fight card,” Crawford said then.

In response to a Fighters.com request for details Friday morning, Crawford replied, “I cannot comment on these things.”

The promotion’s last event was held 29 March in Gatineau and featured Quebecois middleweight “The Crow” David Loiseau (16-8) in the main event.

HCF debuted in July 2007 and held four events in Canada featuring fighters such as Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked heavyweight Aleksander Emelianenko (13-3), Gegard Mousasi (21-2-1), “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (13-3), and “Diesel” Joe Riggs (27-10).

Last November, HCF signed former UFC light heavyweight title contender “Babalu” Renato Sobral (29-7) to a contract, though the grappler never fought in an event.

HCF joins a list of MMA start-ups that couldn’t turn recognizable names into sustaining revenue.