Strikeforce’s next event is starting to slowly come together.
According to sources close to the event, Nate Marquardt will defend his Strikeforce welterweight title against Tarec Saffiedine at a planned Jan. 12 event. A host city and venue is still unknown at this time. The fight is expected to be televised on Showtime.
Strikeforce has yet to officially announce the fight, which has been verbally agreed to by all parties involved.
Marquardt (32-10-2) won the Strikeforce belt in his promotional debut when he knocked out Tyron Woodley in July. Meanwhile, Saffiedine (13-3) has won his last three fights in a row, most recently defeating Roger Bowling via unanimous decision in August.
Strikeforce hasn’t held an event since that August show, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Sarah Kaufman. Since then, the promotion canceled September and November shows due to injuries.
Showtime and Strikeforce announced last month that they were planning a “stacked” show for their return next year.