As 145-pound champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos prepares for her next title defence in late June, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker once again discussed his company’s plans for additional women’s title fights and a tournament in an exclusive interview today with MMARising.com.

Confirming that plans for a 145-pound women’s tournament have been put aside for now, Coker set a timetable for the 135-pound bracket, which will go ahead as planned. The tournament will begin “no later than August 15th” and will determine a title challenger in the developing 135-pound division.

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Despite the best efforts of Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has confirmed to MMARising.com that there have been no formal discussions regarding a potential superfight between Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez and Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez.

While Rebney, Melendez and Alvarez have all spoken publicly in favour of the proposed matchup, Coker states that there has been absolutely no dialogue between him and Rebney and that the fight is purely speculatory.

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According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, a showdown between Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem and “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko may be a possibility provided that the stoic Russian can defeat jiu-jitsu ace Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum on June 26th.

Not wanting to look past the June bout, Coker could not confirm that the winner will be guaranteed a title shot, but told MMARising.com that the fight may determine a number one contender. Werdum, a heavy underdog against Emelianenko, already holds a win over Overeem.

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In an announcement this morning at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the Ultimate Fighting Championship stated plans to open a Canadian office in the city that will be led by former CFL Commissioner Tom Wright. The official opening of the Toronto office will be announced soon.

The promotion has travelled north of the border for three events to date, all in the city of Montréal, Québec, and will return on June 12th for UFC 115 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wright previously served as President of Salomon, Adidas Canada and Spalding Canada.

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One of the world’s premier female fighters will return to action in June after a one-year layoff. Washington native Lisa Ward has signed with Bellator Fighting Championships and may compete at Bellator 23 on June 17th. Ward announced the news today, but no opponent has been named.

Ward last competed in a losing effort in a June 28, 2009 rematch with long-time DEEP champ Miku “Supernova” Matsumoto in Japan. She holds wins over Matsumoto, Jessica Aguilar and Ayumi “Edge” Saito and maintained a seven-fight winning streak between 2006 and 2007.

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Jewels showcased many of its top talents today in five MMA bouts at “Eighth Ring” in Tokyo, Japan. The event was headlined by a victory for Jewels postergirl Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka, who dispatched of Mai Ichii with a second-round armbar. In the co-main event, rising featherweight star Hiroko Yamanaka decisioned Atsuko “Bullfight Sora” Emoto.

The upset of the evening came in a 114-pound bout between the previously winless Celine Haga and 2009 Rough Stone Grand Prix Champion Mika “Future Princess” Nagano, who was reduced to tears in defeat.

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Strikeforce came to the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon tonight with an entertaining night of fights at Strikeforce Challengers 8. The event was headlined by a middleweight matchup between hometown star Matt “The Law” Lindland and the brash and controversial “King” Kevin Casey.

Also on the card, welterweight prospect Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley narrowly kept his undefeated record intact with a close Split Decision win over Portland’s Nathan Coy, while Roger Bowling defeated “Vicious” Bobby Voelker. MMARising.com has full results from all of the night’s fights.

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In a highly-anticipated rematch over four years in the making, Roxanne Modafferi avenged a 2006 loss in a big way when she upset female pound-for-pound standout Tara LaRosa at Moosin: “Sylvia vs Pudzianowski” tonight. The fight was a candidate for Women’s MMA Fight of the Year.

Modafferi dropped LaRosa in the first round and battled through an even second stanza, then trapped LaRosa in a lengthy triangle choke in the final five minutes. LaRosa escaped and made it to the bell, but Modafferi was awarded with a Split Decision in a tremendous victory.

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