Noons-Masvidal Official for June Strikeforce in Dallas
Mike Whitman May 18, 2011
A rumored lightweight tilt between K.J. Noons and
Jorge
Masvidal is now official, as Strikeforce
confirmed the bout Wednesday morning.
Featuring the remaining pair of quarterfinals in the promotion’s 2011 heavyweight grand prix, Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum” will be headlined by former Pride Fighting Championships rivals Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem. Former UFC champion Josh Barnett will lock horns with hard-hitting Brett Rogers in the co-main event.
Formerly the first and only EliteXC lightweight champion, Noons has won six of his last seven bouts. The 28-year-old made his Strikeforce debut in June, outpointing Connor Heun in a split decision. Noons followed that performance with a knockout win over Jorge Gurgel in August before taking on reigning welterweight king Nick Diaz in October. Though Noons stopped Diaz by causing a cut in their original 2007 contest, Diaz would come out the victor in the rematch, peppering the shorter Noons with crisp shots en route to a unanimous nod.
Masvidal (Pictured) has split his last four bouts. A competitor in Bellator’s inaugural lightweight tournament, the 26-year-old kicked off 2010 with a split decision defeat at the hands of Luis Palomino. However, “Gamebred” would rebound from the loss to take a split nod of his own over Naoyuki Kotani in April 2010. Masvidal then stepped up in weight to take on welterweight slugger Paul Daley, losing a unanimous decision to the Brit in September. Most recently, Masvidal cruised to a unanimous verdict over fellow prospect Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce “Feijao vs. Henderson” in March.
Featuring the remaining pair of quarterfinals in the promotion’s 2011 heavyweight grand prix, Strikeforce “Overeem vs. Werdum” will be headlined by former Pride Fighting Championships rivals Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem. Former UFC champion Josh Barnett will lock horns with hard-hitting Brett Rogers in the co-main event.
Formerly the first and only EliteXC lightweight champion, Noons has won six of his last seven bouts. The 28-year-old made his Strikeforce debut in June, outpointing Connor Heun in a split decision. Noons followed that performance with a knockout win over Jorge Gurgel in August before taking on reigning welterweight king Nick Diaz in October. Though Noons stopped Diaz by causing a cut in their original 2007 contest, Diaz would come out the victor in the rematch, peppering the shorter Noons with crisp shots en route to a unanimous nod.
Masvidal (Pictured) has split his last four bouts. A competitor in Bellator’s inaugural lightweight tournament, the 26-year-old kicked off 2010 with a split decision defeat at the hands of Luis Palomino. However, “Gamebred” would rebound from the loss to take a split nod of his own over Naoyuki Kotani in April 2010. Masvidal then stepped up in weight to take on welterweight slugger Paul Daley, losing a unanimous decision to the Brit in September. Most recently, Masvidal cruised to a unanimous verdict over fellow prospect Billy Evangelista at Strikeforce “Feijao vs. Henderson” in March.
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