A Strikeforce Middleweight Championship bout between champion Ronaldo “Jacaré” Souza and rising star Luke Rockhold is currently planned for an as-yet-unannounced Strikeforce event on September 10th. The fight was thought to be set for July 30th, but will no longer take place on that card.

Souza has not fought since January when he successfully defended his title by submitting “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler in the third round, and he recently voiced his displeasure with Strikeforce for not booking him a fight. Rockhold has been sidelined from action for over a year due to multiple injuries.

Souza (14-2-0, 1 NC) is widely regarded as one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in mixed martial arts, and he has posted 11 victories by way of submission to date. He captured the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship in August with a hard-fought decision win over Tim Kennedy and retained the title against Lawler in January, though Souza had to battle back from an early scare as a result of Lawler’s punching power. Souza has not lost since the finals of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix in September 2008 and he has never been submitted in MMA.

Rockhold (7-1-0) will take a big step up in competition when he challenges for Souza’s title, but he has thus far had great success inside the Strikeforce cage. He debuted for the promotion on February 1, 2008 and has won all six of his Strikeforce bouts since, with all but one ending via submission. Most recently, Rockhold stopped Paul Bradley with knees to the body at Strikeforce Challengers 6, but he has not fought since the February 6, 2010 bout with Bradley due to injuries that kept him out of fights in October and earlier this year in March.

While ring rust may be a significant factor in the fight, Rockhold is poised to pick up the biggest victory of his career if he is able to dethrone Souza for the title. With both fighters specialising in submissions, Rockhold may look to keep the fight standing to avoid Souza’s elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills.

Though not yet announced, the Strikeforce event on September 10th is also expected to feature a bout between former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson and former Lightweight King of Pancrase Maximo “Maxi” Blanco.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)