As his company prepares for their next event on May 15th, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker spoke exclusively with MMARising.com today in an in-depth interview. The long-time fight promoter addressed comments and concerns about the Strikeforce women’s division and his partnership with Showtime.

Discussing topics ranging from planned tournaments in Strikeforce to upcoming matchups involving his champions, Coker remains focused on developing women’s MMA and the Strikeforce brand as a whole, but clarifies misinformation that has become a common theme in MMA reporting.

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With former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin sidelined due to injury, Jason Brilz has verbally agreed to step in to face Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira at UFC 114. MMAjunkie.com was first to report on the story and bout agreements are expected to be made final soon.

Brilz has won three of his four fights inside the Octagon, but he will face his toughest test to date when he steps in on four weeks’ notice to challenge Nogueira, who has battled a who’s who of the division. The light heavyweight bout will serve as the co-main event at UFC 114.

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Following weeks of speculation and contract renegotiations, the number one heavyweight in the world, “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko, will return to action on June 26th against Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum. Strikeforce and M-1 Global confirmed the bout today, as well as the co-promoted June 26th event in San Jose, California.

Speculation had surrounded Emelianenko’s future after M-1 executives engaged in a round of contract tweaks with Strikeforce management, but the two sides reached an agreement to bring Emelianenko back to action.

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As a result of a shoulder injury, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout with Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira at UFC 114. TMZ.com was first to report on Griffin’s injury, but a formal announcement has not been made.

Griffin last competed at UFC 106 in November and picked up a hard-fought Split Decision victory in his rematch with fellow ex-champ Tito Ortiz. Prior to the fight, Griffin had lost back-to-back fights by knockout to “Sugar” Rashad Evans and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

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In a month of MMA that won’t soon be forgotten, April featured the crowning of new titleholders while other champions retained their spots at the top of the division. Strikeforce champs Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Jake Shields and Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez all surge ahead in the rankings.

The women’s division also sees a number of significant changes as new faces join the ranks while others fall due to inactivity. With former top star Miku “Supernova” Matsumoto’s retirement, her spot is vacated and a busy month of May could determine a new contender in the flyweight division.

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New Mexico native Angela Magana has withdrawn from her upcoming 115-pound fight with U.K. standout Rosi Sexton at Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 37: “Right To Fight” in Birmingham, England. In her place, Japanese contender Emi Fujino will step in to challenge Sexton on the card.

Magana hopes to return to competition in the coming weeks and may take part in the filming of the revived Ultimate Women’s Challenge reality show. In the meantime, Fujino and Sexton will square off at the May 22nd CWFC event, which is the promotion’s first fight card since January 2009.

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An on-again, off-again rematch between welterweight standouts Thiago “Pitbull” Alves and Jon Fitch has once again been postponed. The planned bout, which has already been pushed back on three occasions, will now take place at UFC 117. MMAFighting.com first reported on the change.

The latest postponement stems from recent surgery that Alves underwent in order to correct a minor irregularity in his brain. The issue was discovered during pre-fight testing for his scheduled rematch with Fitch at UFC 115. Fitch went on to defeat late replacement Ben “Killa B” Saunders.

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Raging Wolf Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexis Davis will return to action on May 8th when she defends her title against late replacement Tonya Evinger. The bout, to be contested at 135 pounds, will headline RW 7: “Mayhem In The Mist 3” in Niagara Falls, New York.

Davis captured the title last October with a five-round decision victory over Molly “The Maulinator” Helsel and most recently engaged in a competitive battle with Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler in Freestyle Cage Fighting. Evinger enters the fight in place of an injured Elaina Maxwell.

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