A long-rumored matchup between Dan Henderson (25-8 MMA, 0-1 SF) and Renato "Babalu" Sobral (36-8 MMA, 2-1 SF) will headline a currently unannounced Strikeforce event slated for Dec. 4 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The fight is set for the light-heavyweight division and will air live on Showtime, according to multiple sources close to the event, who told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the promotion formally will announce the event early next week.
Additionally, Herschel Walker (1-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) is expected to fight in the event's co-headliner against an opponent to be determined.
A heavyweight matchup between Fedor Emelianenko (31-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) and Antonio Silva (14-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) is unlikely to take place at the Dec. 4 event, but it may be targeted for an event in January that's yet to receive a date and location, sources said.
Henderson undoubtedly is looking to rebound from a disappointing promotional debut in which he met then-middleweight champion Jake Shields on the CBS-televised "Strikeforce: Nashville" card. The former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight came within an inch of a first-round knockout before Shields took the fight down and dominated him en route to a unanimous-decision win. (Shields then vacated the middleweight title to sign with the UFC, where Henderson hung his hat before he jumped ship to join up with Strikeforce.)
Prior to the setback, Henderson enjoyed a three-fight win streak inside the octagon capped by a highlight-reel knockout of Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in July 2009.
Those triumphs eased the sting of two losses he incurred in the wake of his migration from the shuttered PRIDE to the UFC; at UFC 75, he lost a unanimous decision to then-champion Quinton Jackson in a bid to unify the 205-pound UFC and PRIDE titles, and a subsequent bid for the middleweight belt was thwarted when champ Anderson Silva submitted him at UFC 82.
Sobral impressed in his most recent performance when he met Robbie Lawler at June's "Strikeforce: Los Angeles" event and out-struck the heavy-handed veteran en route to a unanimous decision. It was a key reversal for the Brazilian, who was forced to give up his Strikeforce light-heavyweight title when Gegard Mousasi knocked him out in 60 seconds flat at "Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg" in August 2009.
Walker, a former star NFL running back, recently returned to San Jose, Calif.'s American Kickboxing Academy, the gym which prepared him for his professional MMA debut in January at "Strikeforce: Miami." The 48-year-old newcomer and lifelong martial artist made good on his training and stopped the unheralded Greg Nagy by second-round TKO. Walker's MMA debut drew considerable media attention for Strikeforce, and it also scored its biggest Showtime ratings of 2010.
Currently, the UFC also has an event planned for Dec. 4: The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale in Las Vegas. The event airs on Spike TV and concludes the current season of the UFC's long-running reality series.
For more on "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Dan Henderson)
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Fans are invited to today's kickoff press conference for the upcoming "Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu" card. 
Veteran Scott Smith (17-7 MMA, 3-2 SF) will take on local fighter Jesse Finney (6-1 MMA, 2-0 SF) when Strikeforce heads to St. Louis for a Dec. 4 event.