Ending months of speculation, MMARising.com can exclusively report that Strikeforce 135- and 145-pound women’s tournaments are no longer set to take place in early 2010. As the promotion continues to add to its expanding roster, plans for the women’s division have changed.
Instead, the Oklahoma-based Freestyle Cage Fighting promotion will showcase eight of the top 135-pound female fighters in the world in the 2010 FCF Women’s Bantamweight Grand Prix. The three-round tournament begins in Shawnee, Oklahoma at FCF 39 on January 30, 2010.
Putting weeks of speculation to rest, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) has officially confirmed a pair of blockbuster DREAM vs Sengoku lightweight bouts for the massive K-1 Dynamite!! “Power of Courage 2009” event on New Year’s Eve.
In the wake of the explosive “Evolution” card last night, Strikeforce is already planning big things for the year ahead. CEO Scott Coker has addressed many of the fights that the promotion hopes to showcase in 2010, including a pair of interesting “Strikeforce vs DREAM” matchups.
Strikeforce returned to the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California tonight for Strikeforce: “Evolution,” which was headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Cung Le and hard-hitting two-time EliteXC title challenger Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith.
World Extreme Cagefighting returned to Las Vegas tonight with WEC 45: “Cerrone vs Ratcliff,” which was capped off by a strange and foul-filled lightweight tilt between former title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and hard-hitting Ed “9mm” Ratcliff.
DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis will face a tough test in his upcoming Strikeforce debut, as he is set to battle former UFC and EliteXC contender Nick Diaz to determine the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion. The fight will take place at Strikeforce: Miami on January 30th.
With numerous injuries already causing chaos on the card, former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk is the latest combatant to withdraw from the seemingly cursed UFC 108 event. He will be replaced by multi-promotion veteran Duane “Bang” Ludwig, who squares off against Jim Miller.
Following a three-hour debate this morning, the Vancouver City Council has passed a motion to once again allow regulated mixed martial arts events in the city. By a vote of 6 to 3, Council approved a two-year trial period during which MMA will return to Vancouver for the first time since a ban in September of 2007.