Feijao is, in my opinion, one of the most promising LHW prospects in the sport of MMA. The question is, will he join the ranks of his Blackhouse teammates, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Jose Aldo, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva, as current or former champions of a major MMA promotion? I resoundingly say, YES!
On Saturday night, Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante will be getting his first crack at a legit MMA strap, specifically the Strikeforce LHW championship. His opponent is the current champ, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, who is making his first title defense. Mo surprisingly beat Gegard Mousasi in April of this year. It wasn't an amazing, dominating performance, but he did control most of the 5 rounds and definitely earned the decision. His very proficient wrestling game proved to be too much for the former champ to deal with.
Feijao sports an impressive 9-2 record with an even more impressive nearly 90% (T)KO rate. The one hiccup in his career thus far was a disappointing loss to Mike Kyle. Given what a huge LHW Feijao is, the weight cut seemed to deplete all of his energy in that fight. It definitely wasn't the normal Feijao out there. Managing weight cuts is a big part of the MMA game. He didn't do a good job of that and deserved to lose. Chalk it up as a very important learning experience. Interestingly, if Feijao does win this fight, his first defense might very well be against Kyle. If that scenario plays out, as it should, its retribution time for the talented Brazilian fighter. The only other "L" on his record was actually a DQ due to an illegal kick delivered to Marcio Cruz in an IFL fight back in June of 2007.
King Mo has been impressive in his own right. He's currently undefeated in 7 fights, winning 5 by (T)KO. Since beating Mousasi, Mo is ranked by many, in or hovering right around the Top 10. He's a very confident, somewhat cocky athlete, with serious wrestling skill. To his credit, he's smart enough to know what his strengths are and uses them accordingly, as evidenced by the Mousasi fight. Mo is a tough out for anyone!
This is easily the toughest fight yet for both of these very talented fighters. Rich Chou, Strikeforce's matchmaker, has done a very admiral job of putting this fight together. In a sense, its a classic, old school, striker vs grappler match-up. True, both fighters train in all aspects of the MMA game, but Feijao is primarily a striker and Mo is primarily a wrestler. Those are obviously their strengths and bases of fighting. Some pundits don't think Feijao is deserving of this title shot, but when the dust clears I think it will be quite obvious that he most certainly was.
The "X" factor in this fight will be Feijao's vicious, Blackhouse trademarked and branded, striking style. I like Mo, both as a fighter and a personality, but he is walking into a buzzsaw in Feijao and his patented Blackhouse viciousness. Being the intelligent fighter he is, Mo knows this, just as Feijao knows he has to deal with Mo's TD attempts. Like most fights, the winner will be the fighter who is able to impose their will and gameplan. That fighter will be Feijao!
Strategically, this fight is rather predictable. The whole world knows Mo's M.O. (pun intended) is to shoot singles and doubles, hoping to get the fight to the mat. This will play perfectly into Feijao's clinch game and nasty knees. Don't be surprised to see this fight end by KO, courtesy of a perfectly timed and executed knee from Feijao, straight into Mo's grill, as a counter to one of his shots.
This win will help to cement Blackhouse's position as the top MMA team on the planet. Straps come and go, but talent levels like the roster that Jorge Guimaraes and Ed Soares have developed at Blackhouse don't. Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante is just the latest member of the team to get his shine under the bright lights of a championship fight. He's not going to let this opportunity pass him by without seizing it for all its worth. Unfortunately for King Mo, he'll be opposite him in the cage on Saturday night. With the help and support of his Blackhouse brothers, Feijao can't lose. Its not personal, its just business, and Blackhouse is in the business of winning fights and collecting straps!
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