A 195-pound catchweight between former EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and former Strikeforce 205-pound champ Renato “Babalu” Sobral will headline Strikeforce: “Live” at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Sherdog.com first reported on the June 16th matchup.

Lawler was initially thought to be facing Jason “Mayhem” Miller in a rematch on the card, but Miller’s post-fight antics following Strikeforce: “Shields vs Henderson” on CBS could result in a suspension. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker opted not to use Miller in the main event.

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Japanese superstar Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto will no longer compete on the upcoming Strikeforce St.Louis: “Heavy Artillery” card. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the news today and stated that Yamamoto may be a part of Dream.14 on May 29th in Saitama, Japan.

Yamamoto was scheduled to face Federico “Kiko” Lopez on the undercard of “Heavy Artillery,” but the cancellation of DREAM’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix has left Dream.14 with just four confirmed fights. Yamamoto may now be brought in for the DREAM event, but it is not yet confirmed.

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Just one month before it was set to begin, a proposed eight-man DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix has been cancelled. The opening round of the tournament was scheduled for Dream.14 on May 29th, but will no longer take place. Sports Illustrated’s Josh Gross first reported on the cancellation.

DREAM may still crown a 205-pound champion later this year and a revised four-man tournament is a possibility. Reports suggest that the cancellation stemmed from disinterest from the Tokyo Broadcasting System television network in Japan, which airs DREAM events in the country.

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Following his recent bout in DREAM, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh “The Babyfaced Assassin” Barnett will return to action for the newly formed Impact Fighting Championship promotion on July 10th in Brisbane, Australia. Barnett will face Brazilian brawler Geronimo “Mondragon” dos Santos in a bout that was first reported by Tatame earlier today.

Initial confusion listed the Barnett-dos Santos bout as taking place at a Strikeforce event in Australia, but the situation was later clarified. Impact FC will run at least three events in Australia and New Zealand in July.

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A 114-pound bout between rising star Mika “Future Princess” Nagano and Team Hellboy prospect Celine Haga has been added to the upcoming Jewels: “Eighth Ring” event on May 23rd. MMARising.com can exclusively report that verbal agreements are in place and an official announcement confirming the fight should follow in the coming days.

The event also features some of the promotion’s top stars including Saori “Shooting Star” Ishioka and Hiroko Yamanaka. Shizuka Sugiyama, who has competed on all seven Jewels cards to date, will not participate.

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DREAM officials confirmed today that the upcoming Dream.14 event on May 29th will mark the return of the promotion’s White Cage. The cage, which is comprised of interwoven fish netting, was first used last year at Dream.12 and will once again be paired with a format of three, five-minute rounds.

While there were rumours that DREAM’s rules may also be modified for the event, there were no announcements to confirm that and it would appear that stomps, soccer kicks and elbows on the ground will be illegal. Dream.14 will feature the first round of the DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix.

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Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz was arrested earlier this morning on charges of felony domestic violence that allegedly involves his girlfriend, Jenna Jameson. TMZ.com first reported on the developing story, which stems from a 911 call from Jameson’s father that cited a disturbance at Tito and Jenna’s Huntington Beach, California home.

The celebrity news site has since posted a video of a tearful Jameson, who states that she will be pressing charges against Ortiz. UFC President Dana White told TMZ that the fighter may be fired if proven guilty.

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As a result of an injury suffered in training, undefeated rising star Kerry Vera has been forced to withdraw from her upcoming Strikeforce Challengers 8 bout with Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Peña. MMAFighting.com first reported on the fight’s cancellation and Peña will no longer compete.

The nature of Vera’s injury was not disclosed, but it is serious enough to keep her off of the May 21st event. Peña, who was set to make her Strikeforce debut in the 135-pound matchup, will now be forced to wait before stepping into a Strikeforce cage for the first time.

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