Renato Sobral set to take on Dan Henderson on 4 December
Two long-time mixed martial arts veterans will get to square off on 4 December in a bout that will probably determine the next challenger to the Strikeforce light heavyweight (205lb) title. According to MMAjunkie.com,
Dan “Hendo” Henderson is set to take on Renato “Babalu” Sobral to take them one step closer to a title shot with Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante.
The fight has been rumoured for quite some time, after Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker hinted at it earlier in the summer.
Sobral once held the belt that Cavalcante now holds, before it went through a merry-go-round of champions. He captured it in 2008, but lost it in August 2009 in his very first defence to Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi
in turn lost it in his very first defence, against Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal, who then lost it in first defence against Cavalcante. A win against an MMA legend like Henderson would give Sobral a chance to fight for the belt again.
Sobral holds notable wins over current UFC 205lb champion Mauricio Rua and recent UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, and is coming off of a victory over Robbie Lawler. He once challenged for the UFC light
heavyweight belt but lost by first round KO.
Hendo on the other hand lost his last fight in a huge upset. After a string of high-profile wins in the UFC, the former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titlist left the UFC after a contract dispute
and came to Strikeforce to challenge for the middleweight (185lb) title against Jake Shields. Coming in as huge favourite, the now 40-year-old was instead upset by the dominating wrestling of Shields, despite having badly hurt Shields in the opening round.
Sobral, known for his submission game, will undoubtedly want to take this to the ground, which will be easier said than done against Henderson, a former two-time Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler. While Sobral
did demonstrate markedly improved stand-up in his last fight, Henderson is known for a crushing right hand, that earned him 2009 Knockout of the Year honours from multiple publications for his destruction of Michael Bisping.
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