Vitor Belfort will fight in November, only he won't be fighting for the title against Anderson Silva.  In a Twitter post, Vitor said that Anderson is injured and so he'll have to settle for an interim opponent.  Belfort didn't say who he might be fighting, but there are a few good fights for him in the MW division, everyone from Leben to Okami to Bisping.

Here's the "tweet" in question:

This year I am not going to fight for the title because the champion is hurt but November we will be in action for sure that is what I can say

Check out a cool Vitor HL reel after the jump.

I haven't had time to review the preliminary bouts yet, but I thought Strikeforce pulled off another invigorating event last night.  Strikeforce seems to demonstrate subtle improvements with each show, as I don't remember any glaring production flaws or noticeable gaffes from the commentary crew, and I always enjoy the action in the cage.


Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante overcame highly slanted odds to dismantle rising star Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal with a hostile flurry of knees and follow up punches in the 3rd round.  For a wrestler with incredible quickness and power like King Mo, Feijao executed a nearly perfect performance from a technical standpoint.  Feijao's footwork and reaction time was uncanny, he employed masterful use of underhooks and position in the clinch, and punctuated his stellar defensive tactics with tight combinations and aggressive kicks.  It was Feijao's crippling Muay Thai knees that turned the tide when he read King Mo carefully and deduced that the champ's punching flurries to the body left his chin wide open. 

Strikeforce Houston was more like Strikeforce Brazil last night, what with the crowning of two new Brazilian champions, Jacare Souza and Rafael Feijao.  Souza earned the vacant MW title by outpointing American special forces veteran Tim Kennedy and Feijao stunned the MMA world (but not our own Dallas Winston) by brutally knocking out LHW champion King Mo Lawal to take the title.


In the Kennedy vs. Jacare fight, Tim was just never able to find the right range.  Jacare was able to keep him at bay with a swarming jab and snapping front kicks, and every time Kennedy came inside Jacare would make him pay.  The fight was close, however, and Kennedy did have his moments, but Jacare clearly won on points.  Perhaps the outcome would have been different if Tim Kennedy stayed even further away from Jacare, say about 1000 yards.  Unfortunately, sniper rifles are not allowed into Houston's Toyota Center, so that option was not available to Tim, who has done six combat tours in the Middle East. 


The main event, King Mo vs. Feijao, was also a war.  I know Tim Kennedy scoffs at people calling MMA fights wars, but I'm going to do it anyway.  King Mo and Feijao traded "bombs" for two rounds (there I go again) and in the third Feijao landed big punches and a knee that hurt Mo and caused him to shoot for the takedown.  Feijao was able to resist, however, and he landed some precision elbow strikes which further dazed Mo and caused referee Big John McCarthy to step in and call a halt to the fight.


Afterwards, King Mo was philisophical about the loss, saying:  “I just got to make a few adjustments.  He fought a hell of a fight, but I’m not worried. I’ll come back stronger.”  There is little reason to doubt Lawal, who trains constantly and is always improving.


Complete results and pics after the jump.

The intriguing pairing of Jiu Jitsu demon Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and burly wrestler Tim Kennedy serves as the appetizer before tonight's "Strikeforce: Houston" main course, with the middleweight title up for grabs after Jake Shields defected to the UFC.


Though I've been a staunch supporter of Shields, I believe he evaded a perilous match-up with Jacare (12-2); who is a proven master of submissions and positioning, where Shields thrives.  Jacare is a part of the top one-percentile of unreal sport grapplers who've transitioned to MMA, joining the likes of Demian Maia, Marcelo Garcia, and Braulio Estima.  I can't always put it into the proper words, but there just seems to be something "special" about the way Souza has adapted to the harsh environment and unfriendly variables of the sport.

I'm somewhat surprised that the oddsmakers and some popular media sources aren't giving Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante much of a chance against Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal in tonight's "Strikeforce: Houston" light-heavyweight championship. 


I'm the type of stubborn fan that holds "consistent performances" in higher regard than a select few showings, and I see far too much emphasis and too many conclusions being drawn from King Mo's impressive stifling of Gegard Mousasi.  Actually, that fight might elicit some specific areas where Feijao could prove to be a handful.  I do find solace in the fact that King Mo apparently agrees with me.


It was obvious from his MMA debut that King Mo was more than just a wrestler.  After shellacking veteran Travis Wiuff with a fearsome string of punches and establishing his unquestionable power, Lawal proceeded to display seamless transitions and smooth set-ups for his engulfing takedowns in subsequent outings.  Not unlike Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, who will compete in the lead-in bout to the Lawal vs. Cavalcante main event, King Mo has offered explosive athleticism, natural strength and agility, an almost freakish ability to box, and the confidence and "fight IQ" that's almost unheard of for a wrestling-based newcomer.  Throw in some sound submission defense, and his lofty status is definitely understandable.

The rumor mill was rife with reports that Tank Abbott has challenged Scott Ferrozzo to a rematch of their first fight, which took place at UFC 11 way back in 1996.  Ferrozzo toughed out a decision in that grueling bout and now, all these years later, it seems that these two behemoths might be going at it once more.  Excited by the prospects of this match, I called Scott and we spoke about the possibility.

TheGARV:  Scott, there are rumors of a rematch between you and Tank.  What's going on?

Ferrozzo:  I got an email from a guy, one of [Tank's] representatives, asking me if there could be a Tank/Ferrozzo 2 and offering me a lot of money.

TheGARV:  Do you know if this guy is legit and actually connected to Tank Abbott?

Ferrozzo:  Well, Tank Abbott's on the main page of the guy's entertainment website. He's an agent.

TheGARV:  What kind of shape are you in?

Ferrozzo:  Well, they want to fight on March 11 in LA, so I'm not too worried about it.  I weigh 310 pounds right now.  When I fought Tank I was 355.

TheGARV:  So you've actually slimmed down.

Ferrozzo:  Oh yeah. Stronger.