Srikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson Recap and Aftermath

On March 1st 2008, Dan Henderson took on Anderson Silva in Columbus, Ohio to unify the UFC Middleweight Championship and the PRIDE Welterweight title. Although Hendo did a good job against the The Spider in the first round, Silva ended the fight in the second round via. Rear Naked Choke.

Fast forward to 2011, he is now fighting under the Strikeforce banner, fighting for a title at forty years old, and making a return to the place where the Middleweight title got away. Dan Henderson‘s opponent is a man ten years younger and a product of a camp that knows how to beat him. Rafael “Feijao” Calvacante beat Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal last August to win the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title. Tonight was his very first title defense against a living legend in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

At the beginning of the first round, Feijao managed to drop Dan Henderson to the canvas with an overhand right. As Rafael followed his opponent to the mat, Hendo managed to get back to his feet, and take the champion to the mat. Even though Calvacante is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, he wasn’t able to use much of it against the Olympic wrestler. Henderson is a much smaller man when compared to Rafael Feijao, but Hendo managed to control Feijao in the clinch and on the ground. I scored this round for Feijao 10-9, mainly because of that overhand right.

The second round was very similar to the first round minus Hendo getting rocked. There was a moment in the round that really showed how great Hendo’s wrestling was. As Rafael tried to trip Hendo and put him on the canvas, Dan reversed it, and put him on the mat. Majority of this round was spent in the clinch and on the ground. I scored for Henderson 10-9.

At 4:10 of the third round, after trading strikes and battling in the clinch, Dan Henderson landed that trademark right hand clean on the chin. With Rafael’s mind in space and back exposed, Hendo locked in both hooks, and went for the kill. With Hendo now wearing the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight title around his waist, he joins former Team Quest teammate “The Natural” Randy Couture to become a world champion in their forties.

Questions I have after Feijao Vs. Hendo:

-Who will be matched up with Feijao after suffering this loss?

-How many more fights does Dan Henderson have in him?

-Will anyone learn to properly defend themselves against Hendo’s right?

 

Other notes from Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Hendo:

-It blew my mind to see Marloes Coenen get dominated in her title defense against a newcomer of the sport. From rounds one through four, Liz Carmouche dominated and out muscled the Golden Glory product. It was amazing to see her pull off that Triangle Choke early in the fourth to get the win. Liz could have finished that fight if she actually hit Marloes on the ground and put weight into her punches. But anyways, props to both ladies for a hell of a performance!

–Tim Kennedy vs. Melvin Manhoef ended the way I knew it would. I am a big fan of Melvin, but he is too much of a one-dimensional fighter in Mixed Martial Arts. We all know that Manhoef is a big threat on the feet and he does have solid takedown defense, but he has to train in a cage to prepare for situations when he’s pinned against the fence. Also it wouldn’t hurt to work on his submission defense either. Melvin with a bit of ground game and submission defense is a threat to everybody, we’d end up seeing more of his opponents getting knocked into next week.

–Jorge Masvidal did a great job against the previously undefeated Billy Evangelista. Not only did Jorge have the advantage in size, he also showed to be the more well-rounded fighter. Masvidal outstruck Billy, was great in the clinch, and on the ground the whole fight. Even little things like head movement and footwork, Jorge did a great job. The only thing that I observed that he needed work on was his cardio. He looked a tad bid tired going into the third round. Other than that, he deserved the “W”, and I look forward to seeing him matched up with elite Lightweights in Strikeforce.

Photos by Strikeforce and Eshter Lin