· Strikeforce Results: Henderson Regains Title With Dominant Performance

COLUMBUS, Oh – A crowd of more than 7,000 turned out at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio to witness “Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson,” the most recent mixed martial arts event to take place in conjunction with the annual Arnold Sports Festival.

Two titles were on the line, with one champion retaining after securing a comeback submission, and with another falling to the devastating right hand of Dan Henderson.

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (10-3, 3-2 SF) had dominantly displayed his striking power against many foes in the past, but Dan Henderson (27-8, 2-1 SF) was not just any ordinary foe. The 40-year-old had never been knocked out in MMA competition before, and he wasn’t about to let Cavalcante take that distinction away from him.

The former Olympian looked as good as he has in years, as he was able to keep the pressure on “Feijao” throughout the first three rounds before eventually landing a huge right hand that flattened the champion. Henderson pounced and finished him with strikes to become the new 205-pound champion for Strikeforce.

After the fight, Henderson mentioned that this title means more to him than any other belt he’s ever won, and that he looks forward to defending it. The champion Cavalcante, who dropped Henderson in the first round with a big shot of his own, was surprised at Henderson’s power and admitted that he does what he does well.

Henderson controlled much of the fight with his wrestling, which led him to the 1996 Olympics and various other accomplishments before he ever entered MMA. Now at 40, Henderson admits that he still enjoys fighting and would like to keep doing it for as long as possible.

Coenen Storms Back To Retain Title

Strikeforce women’s Welterweight Champion Marloes Coenen (19-4, 3-1 SF) was in trouble through the first three rounds of her title defense against late replacement Liz Carmouche (5-1, 2-1 SF), but Coenen remained calm and ended up locking in a triangle submission to retain her title in the fourth round.

All three judges had Carmouche, who stepped into the fight on a week’s notice to replace the injured Miesha Tate, up after three rounds, with her losing the first but clearly taking the second and third. Carmouche decided to grapple with the dangerous Coenen, who picked up her 14th career submission with the victory.

Coenen appeared content to show off her striking skills, and she did so in winning the first round by using her reach and timing perfectly. But Carmouche took her down in the second and third rounds, securing mount and appearing to be close to finishing the fight in bout rounds. Coenen was never clearly out, however, and she eventually locked in a triangle to secure the win.

Kennedy Executes Game Plan Perfectly

Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy (13-3, 4-1 SF) had a game plan that was planned perfectly to knock out dangerous striker Melvin Manhoef (24-9-1, 0-2 SF), but he executed his plan to make the Dutchman tired almost too perfectly, as Manhoef appeared to gas and succumbed to a rear-naked choke early in the first round.

Manhoef stuffed a couple of Kennedy’s takedowns early in the fight, but he appeared hesitant to throw any of his power shots. Kennedy clearly wanted to be aggressive, and he was in taking Manhoef down and tiring him out.

After the fight, Kennedy admitted that he had planned on knocking Manhoef out but just didn’t get the opportunity.

“I was going to be swinging for the fences when we stood up again,” Kennedy said in the post-fight press conference. “But the submission was there and I took it.”

The Army Green Beret also admitted that he has felt frustration with the down times in between fights, especially because he would rather stay active or rejoin his brothers in arms fighting around the world. A decorated soldier, Kennedy repeated multiple times that being in the military is the most important job in the world and that he will eventually be a solider again after he is done fighting.

Masvidal Looks Sharp In Outboxing Evangelista

Jorge “GameBred” Masvidal (21-6, 3-0 SF) admittedly doesn’t like judges. That’s why the American Top Team fighter has changed his game plan and fighting style to a more aggressive and smarter style in order to gain the judges’ favor when they reveal their scorecards. In his bout with previously-undefeated Billy Evangelista (11-1, 7-1 SF), Masvidal wanted to use his superior boxing and jab to pick apart the California native.

His strategy worked perfectly, as he took a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.

After the fight, Masvidal admitted that it affected him when the fans were booing, but that he wasn’t about to swing for the fences and risk losing.

“I want to put on a show for the fans,” Masvidal said. “But Billy is a tough guy and I had to fight a smart fight.”

That shows some maturity in the former street fighter, who has been plagued with inconsistency throughout his career. He has long been lauded as a fighter with all of the talent to be a champion one day, and he may finally be putting it all together.

Photos: Esther Lin/Strikeforce