Green Replaces Beerbohm, Faces ‘JZ’ at July 30 Strikeforce Show

Lightweight Bobby Green will make his Strikeforce debut a little sooner than expected.

Strikeforce officials announced Wednesday that Green (Pictured) has been pulled from his Aug. 12 bout against Milton Vieira at Strikeforce Challengers 18, and will instead meet Gesias Cavalcante July 30 on the undercard of Strikeforce and M-1 Global’s “Fedor vs. Henderson.”

Green replaces Cavalcante’s original opponent, Lyle Beerbohm; the reason for Beerbohm’s withdrawal from the contest was not immediately clear.

Strikeforce’s latest Showtime-televised event will take place at Sears Centre in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, Ill., and will be headlined by the titular heavyweight contest between Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson. The Cavalcante-Green matchup is not currently expected to be broadcast.

The current King of the Cage lightweight champion, Green enters his big-stage debut having won four of his last five. The 24-year-old Californian holds a record of 15-4, including seven knockouts and six submissions. Green holds the distinction of being the only man to knock out fellow KOTC veteran Charles Bennett, and is also remembered for a foul-marred January 2009 loss to Dan Lauzon at Affliction “Day of Reckoning.”

Cavalcante, 28, was a two-time 154-pound tournament winner in Japan’s K-1 Hero’s organization, but has won only one of six outings since that promotion’s dissolution in 2008. In the last 12 months, the Brazilian has beaten Deep champ Katsunori Kikuno, lost a contentious split decision to Josh Thomson, and fought to a frustrating no-contest with Justin Wilcox after accidentally poking Wilcox in the eye.