Main Card:
(C)Rafael Cavalcante(10-2-0) vs Dan Henderson (26-8-0)
(C)Marloes Coenen (18-4-0) vs Liz Carmouche (5-0-0)
Melvin Manhoef (24-8-1) vs Tim Kennedy (12-3-0)
The main event will feature new 205lb champion Feijao Cavalcante defend his first ever MMA title against former 2x PrideFC champion Dan "Hendo" Henderson. Feijao is coming off a three fight win streak that includes taking the title from now former champ "King Mo" Lawal by way of Rnd3 TKO in August at Strikeforce: Houston. Henderson is coming off his first win for the promotion with a Rnd1 KO over another former champ of the promotion in Renato Sobral at Strikeforce: Henderson vs Babalu 2. Comparing resumes between the two would only prove the experience of Henderson is greater in almost every way above Feijao. Feijao has only had twelve pro MMA bouts altogether with only one title fight to show for it, while Henderson has thirty-four pro bouts that includes being the only man to hold two Pride titles in two division, won four MMA tournaments (including a Pride & UFC tournament), and has fought the best since the early days of his career. Coming into this bout, the champ Feijao will have an all start team behind him which includes the three fighters who are the only ones to have ever submitted Henderson (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, & Anderson Silva) as all have been the the receiving end of his power & fighting style. Henderson will be coming in with a wealth of experience having encountered almost every fighting technique his opponents could throw at him. Feijao will look to use his aggressive power to pick at Henderson and while trying to avoid being slammed with his signature right hand & prepare to work off his back as well as look for submissions should he be taken down. Henderson will look to land his signature right hand that has helped lead to eleven total wins by way of KO/TKO & be prepared to use his Olympic level wrestling to take Feijao down for some G&P in case he takes too many shots.
Coenen vs Carmouche
The scheduled co-main event had originally included 135lb tournament winner & #1 contender Miesha Tate to fight as the challenger, but an injury forced her off the card just a week before the bout. New Women's 135lb champ and Dutch submission grappler Marloes "Rumina" Coenen will now defend her title for the first time against undefeated former US Marine Liz "Girl-Rilla" Carmouche. Coenen will be coming off one win which was her earning of the title handing the now former champ Sarah Kaufman her first pro loss in a Rnd3 Submission at Strikeforce: San Jose. Carmouche will be coming in with an undefeated record having five wins with a recent Rnd3 TKO win over the resilient Jan Finney at ShoMMA 12: Wilcox vs Ribero. In experience, Coenen will come in having fought in twenty-two pro bouts including thirteen total wins by submission as opposed to Carmouche's short five fight resume. Coenen will also be coming in backed by a strong team with Golden Glory with fellow promotional champion Alistair Overeem. The strategy for Coenen would be to use her size advantage to use some of her kickboxing or tie up Carmouche & get her to the ground to work for a submission, while Carmouche will look to avoid going to the ground & land her hard strikes where they count to earn a stoppage to claim the title & get the upset.
Kennedy vs Manhoef
The scheduled second bout on the main card will present a Middleweight bout between still active serving US Army Ranger & veteran Tim Kennedy & destructive kickboxer Melvin "No Mercy" Manhoef. Kennedy will be coming in off his first promotional loss by Unanimous Decision to Ronaldo Souza for the vacant 185lb title at Strikeforce: Houston. Manhoef will be coming in with a two fight losing streak with a Rnd1 Submission loss to Tatsuya Mizuno at Dream 15. Kennedy will come in with a mixed game as he has the capability to throw hard strikes while keeping his cool when taking hard shots, and can grapple enough to sneak in a submission. Manhoef on the other hand really comes in with nothing more than kickboxing in his arsenal, which could prove to be his weakness should he be taken down in this bout. Kennedy having a cool demeanor in & out of the cage coming from his discipline from training in the US Army is what will give him the confidence to stand & bang with the experienced kickboxer in Manhoef, but the strategic & safer path to take would be to take the fight to the ground where a submission win would be more assured every second it stays down. Manhoef must especially not get careless & let his own guard down like he did while fighting Robbie Lawler at Strikeforce: Miami when he left his chin exposed for Lawler to land a single right hand that sent him to the canvas where he was knocked out.
Evangelista vs Masvidal
The scheduled first bout for the main card will present a Lightweight contest between undefeated Billy Evangelista going against returning striker Jorge "Gambered" Masvidal who last fought in the promtion in 2008. Evangelista will be coming in on a two fight win streak with a Unanimous Decision win over Waachiim Spiritwolf at ShoMMA 11: Bowling vs Voelker. Evangelista had originally been issued a DQ loss against Mike Aina for an illegal knee to the head, but the result was overturned & changed to a No Contest after review showed the knee hit the shoulder not the head. Masvidal will be coming in off a Unanimous Decision loss to now #1 170lb contender Paul Daley at Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs Prangley. Evangelista is recognized as a rising competitor in Strikeforce's 155lb division and will look to continue his undefeated streak to be pushed up in the big cards to some day fight for the title, while Masvidal will simply look at this fight & nothing else. Both are decent enough strikers as both focus on that field mostly in their past bouts. Evangelista will be comfortable on the feet, but will feel less threatened if he decides to take the fight to the ground. Masvidal is more one dimensional in his game as a striker and will look to keep the fight within range & standing only to land a flurry of punches. While fans may not care much for this bout, it does have the potential to really warm things up leading into the main card as it may be full of action with two aggressive strikers that look to finish strong.
The primary draw of the card will be the main event obviously, though Henderson's name alone attracts much of the attention. While Strikeforce is recognized as the second best American based promotion, they do tend to put on entertaining & competitive bouts that alone earn much needed attention as they work to be as well known as the #1 promotion that is the UFC.
Evangelista vs Masvidal
The scheduled first bout for the main card will present a Lightweight contest between undefeated Billy Evangelista going against returning striker Jorge "Gambered" Masvidal who last fought in the promtion in 2008. Evangelista will be coming in on a two fight win streak with a Unanimous Decision win over Waachiim Spiritwolf at ShoMMA 11: Bowling vs Voelker. Evangelista had originally been issued a DQ loss against Mike Aina for an illegal knee to the head, but the result was overturned & changed to a No Contest after review showed the knee hit the shoulder not the head. Masvidal will be coming in off a Unanimous Decision loss to now #1 170lb contender Paul Daley at Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs Prangley. Evangelista is recognized as a rising competitor in Strikeforce's 155lb division and will look to continue his undefeated streak to be pushed up in the big cards to some day fight for the title, while Masvidal will simply look at this fight & nothing else. Both are decent enough strikers as both focus on that field mostly in their past bouts. Evangelista will be comfortable on the feet, but will feel less threatened if he decides to take the fight to the ground. Masvidal is more one dimensional in his game as a striker and will look to keep the fight within range & standing only to land a flurry of punches. While fans may not care much for this bout, it does have the potential to really warm things up leading into the main card as it may be full of action with two aggressive strikers that look to finish strong.
The primary draw of the card will be the main event obviously, though Henderson's name alone attracts much of the attention. While Strikeforce is recognized as the second best American based promotion, they do tend to put on entertaining & competitive bouts that alone earn much needed attention as they work to be as well known as the #1 promotion that is the UFC.
Watch Strikeforce Feijao vs Henderson Live Stream. This March 5, Strikeforce fight card in Columbus, Ohio feature two championship bouts, a light heavyweight scrap between champ Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante defending against Dan Henderson
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