Ronda Rousey & Miesha Tate set for March 3 in Ohio
A women’s bantamweight title fight is set for an upcoming Strikeforce event dated for March 3, 2012 as champion Miesha ‘Takedown’ Tate (12-2) meets undefeated challenger Ronda ‘Rowdy’ Rousey (4-0).
The announcement was made during the Showtime broadcast of last nights (Jan. 7, 2012) of Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine event.
Expected to headline the card, depending on the outcome of Daniel Cormier’s medical clearance for his hand, is a bout between the American Kickboxing Academy heavyweight and Josh Barnett in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament final.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker confirmed the event would be taking place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and announced three other bouts.
A lightweight fight between K.J. Noons (11-4) vs. Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson (18-4), a welterweight match featuring British striker Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley (29-11-2) vs. Kazuo Misaki (24-11-2), and a womens bantamweight bout between Alexis Davis (11-40 vs. Sarah Kaufman (14-1).
Both Tate and Rousey have been verbally sparring over ‘Rowdy’s’ legitimacy as a No. 1 contender, which has helped create interest in the match.
Tate has won six fights in a row, including capturing the Strikeforce title by defeating former champ Marloes Coenen by fourth round submission last summer. Rousey has won four straight as a professional, and three as an amateur, each victory has come via arm-bar submission with each win coming in under 60-seconds.