Nov 29 THE REMATCH TEN YEARS IN THE MAKING

When the lights are centre stage, cameras focused and the cage is closed, it’s effortless to see how Dan Henderson and Renato “Babalu” Sobral are natural gladiators. On Saturday night the mixed martial arts community will watch as the rematch unfolds in St. Louis, Missouri. Although no belt is on the line, the buzz in the atmosphere at the Scottrade Center will certainly hold of the implications of one.

The clash of the superlative 205-pounders will take place at 10 p.m. under the Strikeforce banner. Since their first bout in the 2000, both men have evolved their respected fighting techniques from one-dimensional to pure mixed martial artists.

Henderson, 40, has an Olympic background in Greco-Roman wrestling along with one-punch knockout power. In his last bout, Henderson lost a unanimous decision to Jake Shields for Strikeforce’s middleweight title. In the fight, Henderson came out of the gates on fire but quickly became less effective and was subdued by Shields for the remaining four rounds. Henderson remains the only man to simultaneously hold championship belts for a major promotion in two different weight classes.

The man with one of the best nicknames of all time, “Babalu”, 35, is a sound Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner with good wrestling. With an arsenal of submissions at his disposal it’s no wonder he’s submitted the likes of Chael Sonnen and current UFC light-heavyweight champion, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. His last bout was against Robbie Lawler at a 195-pound catch weight fight. Cautious of Lawlor’s knockout abilities, “Babalu” didn’t rush into anything and outpointed Lawlor to a unanimous decision victory.

In the post-fight interview, “Babalu” said he would like to have a rematch with Dan Henderson, who he lost to 10 years earlier. “Babalu” made it no secret he has been waiting for Henderson since Strikeforce picked him up in fall of 2009.

Filling out the rest of the card; heavy-handed Robbie Lawlor will be taking on Matt Lindland in a middleweight bout; Paul Daley will be making his debut with Strikeforce against “The Comeback Kid” Scott Smith in a welterweight bout. A heavyweight collision between Antonio Silva and Valentijn Overeem was also scheduled but Overeem has withdrawn due to an elbow injury. No word has been given for a replacement yet.

Former professional football player, Herschel Walker, was supposed to be fighting in his second MMA bout on this card. However, a cut under his eye has forced him to withdraw from his bout against Scott Carson.