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.
The night’s co-main event featured the long-awaited rematch between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh “The Punk” Thomson and Interim Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez in a unification bout. MMARising.com has live play-by-play of the action.
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.
As a result of an injury suffered by Trevor Prangley earlier this week, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler will no longer compete on this Saturday’s Strikeforce: “Evolution” card. A suitable replacement for Prangley could not be found in time, leaving the hard-hitting Lawler without an opponent.
With UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar still sidelined due to a serious and ongoing illness, the promotion may instate an interim title at UFC 111 in a rumoured bout between former champion Frank Mir and top contender Shane Carwin. In a statement on his website, Carwin has already verbally agreed to the fight.
After injuries forced both out of recent bouts, welterweights Thiago “Pitbull” Alves and Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida are set to square off at UFC 111 in Newark, New Jersey. The fight will mark Alves’s first since his lopsided defeat against Georges “Rush” St. Pierre at UFC 100, while Almeida will compete for the first time at 170 pounds.