Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante's Impressive Performance Creates Interesting Options for Strikeforce

Much of the scrutiny revolving around Saturday night's Strikeforce: Houston main card has focused solely on the disappointing performances of former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley and now former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal. While the criticism of how both fighters performed is a valid topic of discussion, the impressive performances that Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and K.J. Noons produced against tough competition certainly raised an eyebrow as to their potential to be top-flight talents in the world. Furthermore, it does get the mental juices flowing when we try to make an educated guess as to where each fighter may end up in their respective divisions.

Feijao's third round knockout of what many believed, including myself, to be a champion who would defend his belt for a considerable amount of time was easily one of the most surprising performances of the evening. His added bulk and power served as a means to faltering Mo's powerful wrestling ability, but his uncanny ability to keep a limb between himself and the canvas allowed him to escape an almost certain beating on the ground when he found himself on the end of a takedown. In only a few circumstances did Lawal gain a successful takedown, but the quickness that Feijao displayed in regaining his feet along with the strength he showed in stifling Lawal's additional attempts carried him into the later rounds, giving him the additional chances to land the big shot.

Fortunately for Feijao, Mo's success in battering his midsection served as a "no pain, no gain" chance. Feijao ate some heavy body blows, taking an enormous deep breath at one point in the third round. For a second, it looked as if Mo had found a way to take the wind out of Cavalcante's heart, and the damage did hint at the possibility that Feijao was about to wilt under the pressure from Mo. But Mo got a little greedy, wading into Feijao's power and standing toe-to-toe with the Brazilian Muay Thai specialist to land more wicked body shots. A pull of the head downward toward his knee is all it took, and after a couple of missed attempts -- Feijao found the mark.

Feijao looked like a champion on Saturday night. He showed that the Muay Thai clinch can be very effective in countering one of the best wrestlers in mixed martial arts, and his powerful knee strikes served as his means to ending Mo's night from that clinch. While Feijao did have a hard time finding his range in the striking department early, Lawal's gameplan hinged on takedowns as the fight moved on, making it much easier for Feijao to land his bread and butter strikes in the clinch.

The question that now begs to be answered is whether Feijao will be able to hold onto the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt and defeat a string of quality opponents. The prime candidates for Feijao's next fight are Dan Henderson, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Mike Kyle, and perhaps Gegard Mousasi. In the past, I'd have probably chosen Sobral or Henderson as fighters who can defeat Feijao due to their ground ability, but Feijao's performance against Lawal makes me think twice about that in the aftermath. It's a little odd, but strikers like Kyle and Mousasi probably stand a better chance, although I think Kyle would be in over his head in a second fight.

Obviously, some of those names would be eliminated because of where they sit in the division. Henderson is probably a front runner, and I imagine Strikeforce is looking at Mousasi vs. Lawal II as a contender bout. Henderson vs. Sobral, Mousasi vs. Lawal II -- winners battle each other for title shot. That would, at the very least, give Strikeforce two events worth of solid light heavyweight match-ups.

Mousasi is the biggest question mark because he offers a very well-rounded style match-up, and Lawal will provide a stiff test for Feijao in a rematch down the road. Both fights are intriguing, and if Feijao can defeat both fighters in the future -- he's solidified himself as an elite-level fighter who deserves to be paid the major money the UFC has to offer. Quite the turnaround for a fighter who lost to Mike Kyle in upset fashion a little over a year ago.