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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
When Strikeforce signed Dan Henderson, he was expected to come in and take out incumbent Middleweight Champion Jake Shields. Coming off the vicious knockout of Michael Bisping in his final fight in the UFC, it was thought he would take Shields out to become the new face of Strikeforce not named Fedor Emelianenko.
He may not have accomplished that feat in April, but on Saturday night in St. Louis, Henderson gave Strikeforce the performance they hoped for with a first round knockout of Renato "Babalu" Sobral; and he is now a clear front-runner for a shot at the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship.
The vicious finish came after Henderson rocked Babalu and wound up in an advantageous position after a scramble. He stood above a downed Babalu and threw a hard right hand. The first shot stunned Sobral, the second knocked him out, but as he was fading Henderson went for the kill and landed another three to four punches on the ground before the referee stopped the fight.
Henderson now waits to see what Strikeforce wants him to do next. He said after the bout he'd be fine going back to middleweight if they wanted, but that he'd be more comfortable at light heavyweight. The performance has likely earned him a shot at current Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante, though nothing has been announced.
Penick's Analysis: Henderson looked great in this fight. He worked his striking well before getting Babalu in trouble, and he went for the kill when he saw he had Babalu in trouble. This was simply one of the best events Strikeforce has had on Showtime, and Henderson absolutely set himself up for a title shot. That's probably the best next move for Strikeforce, and a bout between Henderson and "Feijao" in 2011 sounds very appealing.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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