Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh “The Babyfaced Assassin” Barnett has officially signed with Strikeforce. The promotion announced the acquisition earlier today. Barnett was previously one of the top heavyweight free agents in MMA, but his career has been marred by steroid scandals.
Barnett joins an increasingly impressive heavyweight division in Strikeforce that features fellow ex-PRIDE stars Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum, current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem and former world number one “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko.
Just two days before she was scheduled to face China’s Bao Yu Dan, Erin “Steel” Toughill has withdrawn from Martial Combat 9 in Singapore. Toughill cited a broken clavicle as the reason for pulling out of the 155-pound fight, which has now been scrapped from the card entirely.
The September 25th Dream.16 fight card is beginning to take shape and three more bouts have been added to the event. Former top lightweight contender “The Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida will continue on with his campaign as a featherweight when he faces “Wicky” Akiyo Nishiura.
Wand Fight Team member Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez picked up her third straight victory tonight when she stopped 13-fight veteran Tammie Schneider at Crowbar MMA: “Fall Brawl.” Gutierrez scored with effective strikes that damaged Schneider’s right eye, forcing a halt to the bout in round three.
Former DEEP Women’s Lightweight Champion Hisae Watanabe may make her long-awaited return to mixed martial arts this Fall. Watanabe retired from MMA in late 2007, but has competed in kickboxing and shootboxing bouts this year, including in the recent 2010 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup.
After taking a pair of kickboxing bouts outside of the promotion, South Korean star Seo Hee Ham has been released from Jewels and is out of the 2010 Lightweight Grand Prix. Jewels has booked a fight between Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka and Celine Haga for “Tenth Ring” on October 10th, with the winner taking Ham’s spot in the tournament semi-finals.
Former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson and former two-time K-1 HERO’s tournament champ Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante will face off at Strikeforce San Jose: “Diaz vs Noons 2” on October 9th. The fight, first thought to be set for June, was officially announced today.
After close to two years away from the sport, Paulina “Sweetness” Ramirez made a successful return to mixed martial arts tonight at Tachi Palace Fights 6: “High Stakes” in Lemoore, California. The Hanford native bested former training partner Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto of Fresno.