Tag: Strike Force

Rising Strikeforce heavyweight Shane Del Rosario (11-0) had been scheduled to face Daniel Cormier (7-0) at next months Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, but a car accident has forced him to withdraw from the fight.

According to MMAjunkie.com, who learned of Del Rosario’s withdrawal on Friday from sources close to the event, the fighter was in a car accident earlier this week, and it’s believed he sustained unspecified injuries that have forced him out of the fight.

Also, according to MMAjunkie through another source, that since Del Rosario vs. Cormier was to have taken place on Showtime, Strikeforce will now replace the match with a lightweight fight between K.J. Noons (10-3) and Jorge Masvidal (21-6).

Del Rosario has won eleven straight bouts, having fought three times under the Strikeforce banner. Eight of his eleven victories have come by (T)KO. His bout with Cormier was to have been a reserve bout for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. No word was provided as to the future status of either fighter, as an alternate for the tournament.

Noons suffered a broken jaw and left hand last October, in his welterweight title fight with Nick Diaz, losing the rematch by unanimous decision. It was his first loss after six straight wins, and the first in the Strikeforce promotion.

Masvidal won a unanimous decision over Billy Evangelista in March at the Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson event. The win put him at 1-1 in his last two fights, and 2-1 in his last three. The loss was to former No. 1 contender Paul Daley at a Shark Fights 13 show last September, and the other victory was over Naoyuki Kotani by split decision at an ASTRA event in Japan.

Since Dan Henderson (27-8) captured the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in early March, fans and media have asked the veteran about a possible fight with Fedor Emelianenko (31-3, 1NC).

Those questions set the wheel in motion, with Strikeforce execs negotiating with both camps to try and book a fight between the two fighters for a possible date in July.

Now it appears that the negotiations between Strikeforce, the Russian’s management M-1 Global, and Henderson has all been worked out, with a date of July 30 set to host the fight between the two former Pride champs.

Reporter Jonathan Snowden posted the news via Twitter (@mmaencyclopedia) on Tuesday afternoon, siting a source close to both fighters and that the event would take place in Chicago. Snowden also reports that the bout will be promoted as a heavyweight matchup, but both men have agreed to a catchweight of 220 lbs for the fight.

– Sources close to both fighters tell me the Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson fight has been finalized for July 30th in Chicago on Showtime

– Sources close to the promotion say the Fedor-Henderson fight will at a catchweight of 220. It will be promoted as a heavyweight bout.

– I was told that it would be promoted as a heavyweight bout but that both fighters would be no more than 220 pounds @JoshGrossESPN

Strikeforce has already visited the Chicago area once before at the Sears Centre in the suburb of Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The event, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers, marked the promotions first broadcast event on CBS.

Emelianenko has lost his last two bouts, suffering the first two real losses of his career. He was stopped by Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in their quarterfinal bout of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix last February, and was submitted in the first round by Fabricio Werdum last June.

Henderson has won two straight, and earned the Strikeforce 205 lb title by defeating former champ Rafael Cavalcante in March by third round TKO. “Hendo” earned his way into the title bout by stopping former champ, Renato “Babalu” Sobral, in the first round of their December matchup in St. Louis.

Strikeforce has been trying to put together an event for July that would feature a potential heavyweight matchup between Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson. It appears that the promotion is targeting a date of July 30 for the show, and will look to broadcast the event on Showtime instead of attempting a rumored pay-per-view show.

MMAjunkie.com posted the news Tuesday morning, noting that the Sears Centre in Chicago was one of the leading candidates to host the event.

The event would follow the upcoming Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum event set for June 18 in Dallas, Texas. That event features the second set of quarterfinal bouts for the promotions Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament.

After the acquisition of Strikeforce by Zuffa, I fully expected to see less of the “Yes, No, Maybe” booking of past Strikeforce events. It appears that despite the UFC running the behind the scenes activities at the recent Diaz vs. Daley event, they have yet to influence the Strikeforce Executive staff with building shows long before the event date and will leave us with the last minute booking of fights once again.