(PRESS RELEASE) -- Mixed martial arts (MMA) upstart Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (1-1) has withdrawn from the series debut of Strikeforce Challengers, scheduled for Friday, May 15. Couture was slated to face submission expert Miesha Tate (5-1) in a 135-pound fight. Strikeforce is working to replace the fight and finalize the card.

Strikeforce Challengers will take place at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif, on Friday, May 15, and air live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast). The fight card, headlined by undefeated lightweight Billy Evangelista (9-0) versus BJ Penn protégé “Iron” Mike Aina (11-6-1), will feature up to five live bouts.

Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. SHO MMA provides today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

Tickets for the first Strikeforce Challengers event are on sale at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

About Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, Strikeforce has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of Strikeforce, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.