Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has confirmed that the upcoming April 9 event will not host the second set of quarterfinal matchups for the promotions World Grand Prix Heavyweight tournament, instead the event will feature two Strikeforce title fights as welterweight champ Nick Diaz (24-7) faces Paul “Semtex” Daley (27-9-2) and lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez (18-2) meets Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6-2).
MMAjunkie.com reported the news on Tuesday evening after confirming the news with Coker.
The Strikeforce CEO named the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas as the venue for the remaining heavyweight quarterfinal bouts between Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers. The event will take place on June 18, no other matches were identified for the Texas show.
The venue for the April 9 event is still a mystery, but rumors point to the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Former light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi is likely to fight on the card, but it is not clear whether he’ll face Mike Kyle or Roger Gracie as recently rumored.
Diaz has won nine straight fights including a recent title defense against Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos in January where he earned a second round submission win. Daley is coming off a recent win this past weekend over DEEP champ Yuya Shirai at a BAMMA 5 event. He stopped the Japanese fighter in the first round by knockout.
Melendez hasn’t fought since April and carries a four fight win streak. His last six fights have all involved the Strikeforce lightweight title. He defeated DREAM champ Shinya Aoki by unanimous decision at the April show in Nashville. His opponent, Kawajiri, is coming off a win over former lightweight champ Josh Thomson at the Dynamite!! 2010 event, bouncing back from a DREAM.15 loss to Aoki for that promotions title.