Strikeforce ‘Barnett vs. Kharitonov’ Preview

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Light Heavyweights
Rafael Cavalcante (10-3, 3-2 SF) vs. Yoel Romero Palacio (4-0, 0-0 SF)

The Matchup: Palacio is an exciting addition to the roster, with a potentially huge upside. A silver medalist in the 2000 Olympics in freestyle wrestling, he is unbeaten in four MMA appearances and looks relatively comfortable on the feet for a wrestler with so few matches under his belt. Fighting from a southpaw stance, he is not afraid to wing punches, including big uppercuts, and, as expected, he can take opponents down seemingly at will.

This is where Cavalcante presents an interesting test. The Brazilian is emblematic of the style that can be characterized as “three hammer fists and a cloud of dust.” He is difficult to take down and excels at hitting anything and everything attached to his opponents, with the express intent of taking a little piece of them every time.

Dan Henderson spent much of their fight locked up in a Greco-Roman clinch with Cavalcante, who eventually succumbed to a massive right hand. However, “Feijao” showed what a handful he can be in that kind of fight against Henderson, who pretty much is as adept at clinch takedowns as anyone in the history of the sport. In his win over Muhammed Lawal, Cavalcante simply bided his time and made “King Mo” expend energy in costly takedown attempts. He gutted out the win with a brutal series of elbows and punches to finish the fight, as Lawal unraveled while working a single-leg that never materialized.

Cavalcante is a rugged veteran, and Palacio sports a fantastic wrestling pedigree. This is a fight worth watching to see what it reveals about both men.

Moving up the ladder in competition is part of the natural process in MMA, and for talents like Palacio, it is comprised of a series of exams often designed to ask some -- but not all -- of the tough questions. Ideally, these are presented in a piecemeal progression, allowing him to gain experience in real-time conditions while not overwhelming him with everything at once. However, one of the most overlooked elements of that exam is the long-fight question. Palacio has ended all four of his bouts inside the first round.

Given Cavalcante’s experience and durability, his chances improve markedly as the bout progresses. Fatigue, especially the first time a fighter experiences it in a live fight, is the worst enemy of all. Technique erodes and mistakes become manifest. Cavalcante will get taken down early, survive an early assault and get back to his feet to force exchanges. However, Palacio looks gifted enough on the feet to land enough to translate into effective takedowns, especially with his pedigree. He will have to rough up Cavalcante in the first round and show him who’s boss, lest he unravel in a long fight as “King Mo” did.

The Pick: Palacio is too gifted a wrestler and too natural a fighter to come up short, despite the quantum leap in competition. He will grind and bang his way to a unanimous decision in what will be a learning experience.

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