Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi vs “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

In a bout that was originally set to take place as part of the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament, DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Champion and reigning Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi (26-2-1) will battle former PRIDE upset king “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (7-4-0) in non-title action.

Mousasi withdrew from the Super Hulk Tournament due to an injury that was alleged to have occurred in his exhibition match with Fedor Emelianenko at M-1: “Breakthrough,” but questions have arisen as to whether he was truly injured or just thought better of involving himself in a tournament that offered little career benefit.

Now set to take on Sokoudjou on a much larger stage – in front of millions of people on primetime CBS television – Mousasi will look to continue his incredible streak of victories at the expense of the native of Cameroon.

Sokoudjou became an overnight sensation with his shocking 23-second knockout of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at PRIDE 33 and followed it up with an equally shocking stoppage of former title challenger Ricardo Arona at PRIDE 34.

However, he could not bring the same success with him to the UFC and dropped three of his next four fights against high-level competition. He has since rebounded with a pair of victories in the Super Hulk Tournament and will face Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa in the tournament finals at K-1 “Dynamite!!”

Mousasi followed up on his DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix win with a brutal one-minute knockout of Renato “Babalu” Sobral to claim the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. While his title will not be on the line against Sokoudjou, Mousasi is a massive favourite going into the fight, and with good reason.

Undefeated in over three years and having won 13 straight fights, Mousasi has the ability to defeat Sokoudjou by both knockout and submission. If he can survive the early barrage of strikes from his powerful opponent, Mousasi should have no trouble in ending the fight with a first-round stoppage.

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva vs Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum

In a heavyweight clash that will put the victor one big step closer to a title fight, final EliteXC Heavyweight Champion Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (13-1-0) takes on former PRIDE star Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum (12-4-1).

While Silva is the much larger of the two, Werdum holds a significant edge in experience against top-level competition. Having faced many of the best heavyweights in the world during his career, Werdum has established himself a top contender.

The game plans for both fighters are plainly obvious, as Silva will aim for the knockout while Werdum will look to use his incredible jiu-jitsu skills to submit his gigantic foe.

Silva has won nine fights by knockout, while Werdum has submitted seven of his opponents to date. However, the telling factor may lie in Silva having to cut extra weight to make the heavyweight limit. More accustomed to competing at the super heavyweight level, Silva has looked less impressive when competing at or below 265 pounds.

Werdum is a world-class fighter for a reason and, while he has experienced ill-timed losses that have derailed his career, he will be too much for Silva to handle. Silva must, at all costs, knock Werdum out in the first round or he will be tapping out to whatever submission hold best fits Werdum’s liking.

Roxanne Modafferi vs Marloes Coenen

In a rematch from their hotly-contested 2007 bout, Roxanne Modafferi (13-4-0) will move up in weight for her long-awaited Strikeforce debut when she meets Dutch standout Marloes Coenen (19-3-0) in a pivotal 145-pound women’s bout that may air on the CBS telecast.

Widely expected to be called upon to battle undefeated Canadian Sarah Kaufman for a Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship, Modafferi instead had to wait on the sidelines as she watched former teammate Takayo Hashi get the chance to take on the Canadian.

However, in the span of one day, Hashi’s bout with Kaufman was postponed and a 145-pound rematch between Erin Toughill and Coenen was likewise scrapped.

On just nine days’ notice, Modafferi jumped at the opportunity to make her Strikeforce debut on the biggest Strikeforce card to date against Coenen, and has taken the step up in weight and other obstacles in stride.

Modafferi won the pair’s first meeting in the finals of the K-GRACE tournament in 2007, but the bout was not without controversy and Coenen believes that she should have come out as the victor.

At the end of the first round, Coenen trapped Modafferi in a leg submission and Modafferi tapped out to the hold, but the tap came after the bell rang to close the round. Modafferi battled back and dominated the rest of the fight en route to a razor-thin Split Decision.

Both fighters have something to prove in the rematch and a win could potentially set up a showdown with Strikeforce Women’s Lightweight (145-Pound) Champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

While each is well-rounded, Coenen’s training with the Golden Glory team has consistently improved her striking and she may aim to keep the fight on the feet. That shouldn’t bother Modafferi too much, however, as she has demonstrated in the past that she is more than capable of holding her own in striking exchanges.

The fight is literally too close to call and could very easily end in another close decision, but with the sheer drive and determination, as well as unbelievable enthusiasm, that Modafferi has expressed over the past few days, it’s hard not to side with the American resident of Japan.

MMARising.com will be on-site in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and will have a full report of the night’s action and aftermath.