After a series of postponements, undefeated Canadian standout Sarah Kaufman has confirmed that she will face Japanese contender Takayo Hashi to determine the first Strikeforce 135-Pound Women’s Champion. The fight will take place at Strikeforce Challengers 6 on February 26th.
Kaufman was first set to face Hashi in the co-main event of Strikeforce Challengers 5 in November, but the fight was later removed from the card. Three months later, Strikeforce will finally crown a 135-pound champion. Showtime Sports has now listed the fight card on its website.
Kaufman (10-0-0) sat on the sidelines for 13 months after Hardcore Championship Fighting, for which she served as the promotion’s 135-pound champion, folded in 2008. She returned to action for Palace Fighting Championship in April of 2009 and stopped Sarah Schneider with punches midway through the second round. Kaufman went on to defeat Miesha “Takedown” Tate and “The Queen of Spades” Shayna Baszler in successive Strikeforce bouts in May and June, but has not competed since.
Hashi (12-1-0) faced a similar layoff after her April 2008 victory over top bantamweight contender Amanda Buckner. Hashi would not compete again for a full year, but was successful in her lone appearance for the Valkyrie promotion in Japan. Inactive since her April 2009 win over Chisa Yonezawa, Hashi will travel to San Jose, California to meet Kaufman on February 26th.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated earlier today that the 135-pound women’s division would be referred to as “welterweight” and Kaufman and Hashi will square off for the Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight (135-Pound) Championship. The unconventional naming of the division follows Coker’s earlier decision to dub the 145-pound women’s division as “lightweight” rather than the more traditional featherweight.
Strikeforce Challengers 6 also features intriguing matchups in the men’s division. The event is headlined by a clash between Strikeforce veteran Trevor Prangley and the highly-touted “Psycho” Karl Amoussou and also features Strikeforce standout Luke Rockhold and DREAM veteran Tarec “The Sponge” Saffiedine. The card replaces a now-cancelled January 22nd Challengers event.