Strikeforce Grand Prix Bumped to June, April Features 2 Title Bouts

As speculated, the second half of Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix will not take place April 9.

Strikeforce today announced that the remaining tournament quarterfinals will be contested June 18 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The event, which airs on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/PT, will feature current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem, as he meets former rival Fabricio Werdum. Additionally, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett (Pictured) will take on Brett Rogers.

While not officially announced by the promotion, former Strikeforce light heavyweight king Muhammed Lawal has hinted at his return for the June event.

The April 9 event, going down from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif., will showcase Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, as he defends his title against heavy-handed Brit Paul Daley. Also featured will be a lightweight title scrap, as Gilbert Melendez puts his belt on the line against former Shooto world champion Tatsuya Kawajiriin a rematch of their bout at Pride Shockwave 2006. Additionally, Dream light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi will lock horns with Mike Kyle at the event.

Strikeforce kicked off its heavyweight grand prix on Feb. 12, when former EliteXC titleholder Antonio Silva shocked the bookmakers by earning a second-round TKO over pound-for-pound great Fedor Emelianenko. Also featured at that event was a contest between former UFC king Andrei Arlovski and sambo specialist Sergei Kharitonov. After a brief feeling-out process, Kharitonov clipped “The Pitbull” with a right hook that eventually spelled disaster for the Belarusian.

According to Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, pushing back the date of the remaining two grand prix bouts was about promotion.

“Strikeforce is coming off a record pre-sale and impressive attendance for the kickoff of the grand prix at Izod Center in New Jersey that also drew a record viewership on SHOWTIME for live MMA,” said Coker in the official release. “To build on the tremendous momentum from New Jersey we needed the proper time to promote an event of this magnitude, which is why we have decided to continue the tournament on June 18 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, a venue that has been identified as one of the premier sports and entertainment venues in the U.S.”

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