Having already captured major titles in multiple promotions, Roxanne Modafferi should have been a shoo-in to compete among the best in Strikeforce. Instead, the mild-mannered, self-professed “geek” has endured months of uncertainty leading up to her long-awaited Strikeforce debut this Friday as part of the “Fedor vs Rogers” event.
Modafferi will battle old rival Marloes Coenen in a rematch from their hotly-contested 2007 bout, which Modafferi won. Their second meeting may air on the CBS telecast if time permits.
Heading into the biggest event in Strikeforce history, MMARising.com previews the televised portion of Saturday’s CBS-broadcasted Strikeforce: “Fedor vs Rogers” card in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, which is headlined by a heavyweight blockbuster between “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko and Brett “The Grim” Rogers.
While somewhat overshadowed by the CBS-televised event the night after, the fourth edition of the successful Strikeforce Challengers series on Friday features a solid lineup of fights. The event is headlined by a lightweight bout between former UFC competitor Jorge “J.G.” Gurgel and undefeated Strikeforce veteran Billy Evangelisa.
In his toughest test to date, undefeated heavyweight Cain Velasquez may take another big step up in competition at UFC 108 against former UFC Interim and PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in a rumoured bout with major title implications.
In the latest of a series of UFC fight cancellations, heavyweight prospect Todd Duffee has withdrawn from his scheduled UFC 107 bout against Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello due to an undisclosed injury. Buentello will still compete on the card and will likely face Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve or Mike Russow.
World Extreme Cagefighting will begin 2010 with one of the best events in the promotion’s history at WEC 46, as WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie “The Worm” Varner defends his title against WEC Interim Lightweight Champion Ben “Smooth” Henderson in the main event of the stacked January 10th card.
According to his manager, Ed Soares, UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will not be ready to face top challenger Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort at UFC 108. Silva is currently recovering from elbow surgery and will require more time to prepare for his title defence against Belfort next year.