Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael Cavalcante will make the first defense of his title when he meets Dan Henderson in a planned March fight. Cavalcante won the title with a shocking upset knockout win over "King" Muhammad Lawal in August. He had been considered a legitimate 205 pound prospect before dropping an unexpected fight to Mike Kyle but the Lawal fight proved that he is still a legitimate force.
Strikeforce Planning Rafael ‘Feijao’ Cavalcante v. Dan Henderson For Light Heavyweight Title
Strikeforce has its sights set on a March 5 date for a light-heavyweight championship bout that would pit current kingpin Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante against challenger Dan Henderson, sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to MMA Fighting.
The event will take place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The fight, however, is not yet signed, with contract negotiations ongoing, though both fighters are training under the assumption they will be competing against each other that night.
Henderson was prematurely written off by many after he dropped a middleweight title bout to Jake Shields in his first Strikeforce bout. Henderson is still very talented and age may simply have made light heavyweight the division where he needs to focus his energies. He recently picked up a nice KO win over Renato Sobral to earn this rumored title shot.
Perhaps just as significant as the fight itself is that Strikeforce continues to build a compelling set of bouts for 2011. With the already announced heavyweight tournament and now a legitimate title fight in the 205 pound division along with interesting options for Nick Diaz and Gilbert Melendez this could be Strikeforce’s biggest year ever.
We’ll have updates on the situation as it continues to develop.
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