Strikeforce middleweight contenders Tim Kennedy and Trevor Prangley will square off in a featured bout at Strikeforce: “Live” in Los Angeles, California on June 16th. The promotion officially announced the fight today and also confirmed that Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley is injured and will no longer compete against Ron Sparks.
Prangley enters the bout with Kennedy on just three weeks’ notice, while Kennedy will compete for the first time since a late September submission victory against Zak Cummings at Strikeforce Challengers 3.
Kennedy (11-2-0) dropped his professional debut in 2001 due to a cut, but rebounded with eight straight victories and decisioned current Strikeforce contender Jason “Mayhem” Miller along the way. A 2007 rematch ended in a controversial victory for Miller and Kennedy, a highly-decorated U.S. Army Ranger, soon returned to active military duty in the Middle East. After 18 months away, he made a successful return to MMA last June and stopped Nick “The Goat” Thompson, then handed Cummings his first defeat in their September meeting. A key victory over Prangley would vault Kennedy into the title mix.
Prangley (22-5-1) has competed for many of the top promotions in North America throughout his career and holds notable victories over Chael Sonnen, Matt Horwich, Travis Lutter and Yuki Kondo. He was a finalist in the one-night 2007 Strikeforce Middleweight Tournament and later captured MFC title gold. The South African is unbeaten in his last six fights, but is coming off of an unfortunate Technical Draw against Karl “Psycho” Amoussou at Strikeforce Challengers 6 in February. The fight was stopped after an inadvertent eye poke that left Amoussou unable to continue. Stepping up on short notice, Prangley will look to upset Kennedy and take one step closer to the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.
Strikeforce: “Live” takes place on June 16th at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The event is headlined by a 195-pound catchweight between former EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Renato “Babalu” Sobral. Due to a knee injury suffered in training, Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley will no longer compete on the card.