More Strikeforce Fights Announced
by Robert Sargent
In addition to title fights that will see undefeated female star Gina Carano take on Cristiane Santos and Josh Thomson rematch Gilbert Melendez, Strikeforce's stacked August 15th card will now feature two other championship bouts.
The Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship will be on the line when Alistair Overeem faces Fabricio Werdum, while Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs battle for the new Welterweight title.
Easily the best Strikeforce card to date - by far - the August 15th show will feature an unbelievable four title fights, and all four titles are relevant and important. Next to the UFC, Strikeforce gold means everything in North America.
The historic event is headlined, for the first time in a major promotion, by a women's bout. Gina "Conviction" Carano (7-0-0) will look to remain undefeated when she takes on feared knockout artist Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (7-1-0) for the newly-created Strikeforce Women's Featherweight (145-Pound) Championship.
In the co-main event, Strikeforce has just announced that Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem (29-11-0, 1 NC) will defend his title for the first time against an old foe, Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (11-4-1), who bested him in 2006 when the two met in PRIDE. Werdum, who was bizarrely cut from the UFC after losing to Junior "Cigano" dos Santos, will look to make it two in a row against Overeem as he aims to capture Strikeforce gold.
Elsewhere on the main card, in a fight that could (and normally would) headline any show, Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh "The Punk" Thomson (16-2-0, 1 NC) returns to action when he faces Interim Champion Gilbert "El Niņo" Melendez (15-2-0) in a rematch from last year. The first fight was Melendez's most lopsided defeat to date.
Last but not least, a grudge match rounds out the amazing main card, as the ever-controversial Nick Diaz (20-7-0, 1 ND) seeks to avenge his early 2006 decision loss to Joe "Diesel" Riggs (30-10-0, 1 NC), in a fight that will determine the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. If their first bout is any indication, not to mention their hospital-room brawl in the hours afterwards, this fight is sure to produce fireworks.
All four title fights could easily be the main event of the evening, but Strikeforce has taken a calculated risk by showcasing the females in the night's final bout. Carano's marketability and camera-friendly good looks have endeared her to new and established MMA fans alike. Her opponent, Santos, has gained an equal amount of attention, but for her vicious knockout power rather than her appearance.
The remaining three title tilts are rematches, as Werdum defeated Overeem in 2006 via Kimura, Thomson mauled Melendez for five rounds in 2008 and Riggs convincingly dispatched of Diaz in early 2006.
Ironically, the losers of the initial three fights are the favourites coming into the rematches.
That makes for exciting competition, and all eight warriors will look to showcase their skills in front of a capacity live audience and millions watching on Showtime.
Strikeforce: "Carano vs Cyborg" takes place on August 15th from the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It is not an event to be missed.
