As EliteXC builds up its various weight classes, it’s no stretch to say the promotion’s most underdeveloped division at this stage is its light heavyweight class. However, there are plans to rectify that situation and many of those plans surround blue chip prospect Rafael Feijao.

Feijao was discovered by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira when the current UFC interim heavyweight champion was looking for a training partner during a business trip in Brazil, recently. Originally a heavyweight who fought for the IFL, the former veterinarian just recently made the move to 205 pounds. In his EliteXC debut this past February during the promotion’s “Street Certified” event, Feijao knocked out John Doyle with a knee to the body at 2:17 of round one. While Doyle was a virtual unknown to most of the country, he just happens to be one of the top light heavyweight prospects on the Eastern seaboard.

Feijao’s next test will come in the form of 37-year old Wayne Cole, a former Division II All-American at Central Oklahoma. Cole, who like Feijao competed as a heavyweight in the IFL before arriving in EliteXC, made quite an impression when he submitted Mike Kyle with an armbar at 0:45 of round one this past March during the Frank Shamrock vs. Cung Le undercard.

Should Feijao get past Cole, it will put him one step closer to the EliteXC light heavyweight title, a title that could be instituted by the end of the year or by early-2009, according to EliteXC Director of Fighter Operations Jeremy Lappen. Considering that Lappen believes that Feijao has a chance to be one of the best in the world at 205, one can only assume that he’ll be a top contender for the title so long as he keeps winning fights.

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MMA Weekly is reporting that Drew Fickett has had to pull out of his June 14 welterweight title fight with Jake Shields due to a knee injury.

The news comes from EliteXC Vice President Jared Shaw who was a recent guest on MMA Weekly radio.

From MMA Weekly:

“Obviously the back injury happened (to Shields) and the easiest thing to do was move him to Hawaii to fight Drew,” said Shaw in the interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “Unfortunately since then Drew Fickett has hurt his knee and he’s not going to be able to take that fight on June 14 and that will be rescheduled again.”

By “rescheduled again,” Shaw is referring to a scheduled March 29th bout between the two that didn’t go through due to Shields’ aforementioned back injury.

In addition to revealing Fickett’s injury, Shaw also announced five bouts for the June 14th show set to take place in Hawaii. The bouts are as follows:

• K.J. Noons vs. Yves Edwards (for EliteXC’s lightweight title)
• Nick Diaz vs. Muhsin Corbbrey
• Murilo Rua vs. Tony Bonello
• Wayne Cole vs. Rafael Feijao
• Dave Herman vs. Ron Waterman

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