"Babalu" Renato Sobral and "Hendo" Dan Henderson will face off this Saturday for a rematch ten years in the making. Thus far, the Strikeforce card has been riddled with problems including three short-notice fight cancellations. The promotion has been working diligently to fill the empty slots. (Photo courtesy of Ben Barton and Strikeforce)
Looks like Strikeforce’s December 4 “Henderson vs. Babalu” card might be making a comeback after all.
What promised to be the organization’s biggest event of the year was nearly reduced to shambles just last week after three of its biggest fan-drawing bouts, two of which were on the main card, were forcibly scrapped due to fighter injuries. The event’s deterioration began last Wednesday when 48-year-old former NFL great Herschel Walker (1-0) withdrew from his match against one-time WEC veteran Scott Carson (4-1) after sustaining a deep cut under his left eye during training. Then, that same day, welterweight Jesse Finney (6-1) dropped out of his main card fight with UFC veteran “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (16-7), also due to an eye injury, for which he required immediate surgery. Just three days later one of the card’s biggest draws – “The Python” Valentijn Overeem (26-21) – also helped lighten the card’s load by pulling out of his fight with former Elite XC Heavyweight Champion “Bigfoot” Antonio Silva (13-2) after suffering an elbow injury. Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu suddenly was reduced in size by one-third, and the change in line-up left the promotion scrambling to find comparable replacements on short notice. But all is not lost. Continue reading »
