Strikeforce: Columbus Results: What's Next for the Losers?

The curse of the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship continued as Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante became the fourth consecutive champion to lose in their first attempted title defense. Cavalcante's successor, Dan Henderson, will try to become the first champion since Bobby Southworth in June of 2008 to successfully defend the strap.

Cavalcante and Liz Carmouche, who also lost in a title fight at Strikeforce: Columbus, will look to rebound and make another run at fighting for a Strikeforce championship. Here's a look at who Cavalcante, Carmouche and the rest of the losers from the Strikeforce: Columbus may be facing in their next fight.

Rafael Cavalcante

Rafael Cavalcante's loss to Dan Henderson brought an end to a three-fight winning streak and stripped him of the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship.

Cavalcante's next run at a championship may begin with fellow Strikeforce: Columbus loser Melvin Mahoef or the loser of a fight between Mike Kyle and Gegard Mousasi. A meeting with Kyle would mean a rematch of a fight that Cavalcante lost in June of 2009. 

Liz Carmouche

Though she lost to Marloes Coenen, Liz Carmouche impressed a lot of fans by giving the champion all she could handle in a fight that Carmouche took on short notice. Carmouche showed that she is one of the best female fighters in the world by gaining full mount and dominating Coenen in the second and third rounds.

Unfortunately, there still isn't a lot of top-notch competition in women's MMA at the moment. So, Strikeforce may decide to rush along Kerry Vera to fight Carmouche in what would be a fight between two of the more talented female fighters in the world. 

Melvin Manhoef

Melvin Manhoef lost his third consecutive fight at Strikeforce: Columbus. It is now time for Strikeforce to make a decision about what their future plans are for the 34-year-old Manhoef.

If the organization what to keep the exciting striker on their roster, they may decide to give him a winnable fight against Matt Lindland. If Strikeforce believes that Manhoef is disposable, they may use him as a bounce-back opponent for Rafael Cavalcante.

Billy Evangelista

Billy Evangelista suffered the first lost of his career against Jorge Masvidal at Strikeforce: Columbus. Most likely, Strikeforce will hand Evangelista a very beatable opponent for his next fight in order to build his name back up.

Possible fights with Conor Heun or Pat Healy would make for good matchups for Evangelista.

Strikeforce Feijao vs. Henderson: Results, News and More

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith.