Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard “The Dreamcatcher” Mousasi will defend his title on April 17th against rising star Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. MMAWeekly.com first reported on the bout, which has since been confirmed by multiple sources.

Mousasi captured the title with a one-minute destruction of Renato “Babalu” Sobral last August and followed that up with back-to-back non-title wins over “The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge. His opponent, Lawal, has yet to taste defeat.

Mousasi (28-2-1) has won 15 straight fights and was crowned DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Champion in 2008. He later vacated his title to move up in weight and made short work of ex-Strikeforce champ Sobral in their brief bout at Strikeforce: “Carano vs Cyborg.” Mousasi is widely regarded as one of the top stars in mixed martial arts today, but it is worth noting that he has made frequent mention of his desire to move on to the UFC as soon as he is able.

Lawal (6-0-0) has stopped five of his opponents thus far and was victorious in his Strikeforce debut against veteran journeyman “Iron” Mike Whitehead in December. He has taken gradual steps up in competition with each fight, but will face his toughest test by far when he challenges for Mousasi’s title. Known for his standout wrestling skills, Lawal also possesses considerable punching power, which was on full display in his first-round stoppage of Whitehead.

The Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship matchup will be part of the promotion’s return to CBS on April 17th in Nashville, Tennessee. The event is headlined by a Strikeforce Middleweight Championship clash between Jake Shields and Dan “Hendo” Henderson.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)