Misaki vs Riggs Set For Strikeforce
by Robert Sargent
Returning to the famed Playboy Mansion for the second time, Strikeforce has announced that the main event for "Strikeforce At The Mansion II" will pit Japanese superstar Kazuo "Grabaka Hitman" Misaki against UFC veteran Joe "Diesel" Riggs.
Set for September 20th, the promotion's second venture into the legendary venue will look to duplicate the great success that "Strikeforce At The Mansion" had one year earlier.
Misaki (20-8-2, 1 NC), a legend in Japan who is slated to compete for the soon-to-be-created World Victory Road Middleweight Championship in the coming months in Japan, will return to North America for the first time since his defeat at the hands of Frank Trigg at PRIDE 33.
He has won six of his last 10 fights since the beginning of 2006, including huge victories over former PRIDE Welterweight and Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson and highly-touted American Top Team standout Denis Kang. Misaki won both of his fights in World Victory Road, and had originally defeated arch rival Yoshihiro Akiyama on New Year's Eve at "Yarennoka!" before the bout was later ruled a No Contest due to an illegal kick from Misaki that knocked Akiyama out.
In Riggs (28-10-0, 1 NC), Misaki will face a battle-tested veteran who has competed among the sport's elite in North America for many years. Riggs recently rebounded from a TKO loss due to a back injury at a Strikeforce event in February when he secured a second-round submission win at Rage In The Cage 112 in late July.
Riggs has competed at nearly every major weight class in mixed martial arts, and holds notable wins over Kendall Grove, Joe Doerksen, Chris Lytle and Nick Diaz. He's known for his heavy hands, but also possesses an underrated submission game.
While both are skilled wrestlers, Misaki will hold a significant advantage and may look to take the fight to the ground in order to avoid the striking power of Riggs. However, as he showed in his war with Akiyama, Misaki will stand and trade strikes, even if his opponent wins early battles.
Misaki is often content to let fights go to the judges, where he has fared well, while Riggs has only had three of his 39 career fights go to the scorecards. With the high-profile nature of the bout, it's unlikely to go three rounds.
Another rumoured bout for the return to the Mansion, which has not yet been confirmed, is a light heavyweight bout between Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Bobby Southworth. Should the fight go ahead, it is likely that it would be for Southworth's title.
If Southworth's last bout was any indication, it's highly unlikely that he would retain his title against the ever-explosive Sobral. The fight would surely be an exciting one for the fans, but potentially a short and painful evening for Southworth.
