With three title bouts and the return of the Heavyweight Grand Prix winner, another bout appears to be booked for the January 12 event as former welterweight title challenger K.J. Noons (11-5) takes on Ryan Couture (5-1) in a lightweight bout.
The news comes via MMAjunkie.com who reported the news Friday afternoon after learning of the matchup from sources close to the fight.
The Strikeforce Oklahoma event is expected to take place on Jan. 12 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The main card will air on Showtime with the prelim card expected to air live on Showtime Extreme.
With three title bouts and a heavyweight match announced yesterday, the Noons vs. Couture bout should land on the events preliminary card.
Noons is 1-3 in his last four fights, having lost a lightweight title eliminator to Josh Thomson last March. His last win came in December of last year, winning a decision against Billy Evangelista in San Diego.
Couture has steadily increased the level of competition he’s faced and will have his hands full against Noons. The lightweight has won three straight having beaten Joe Duarte last July by split decision, Conor Heun via TKO last March, and Maka Watson via split decision in September of last year.