Bristol Marunde
The Ohio Athletic Commission denied a fight license to middleweight Derek Brunson because of his poor eyesight, leaving Strikeforce in the lurch with just ten days left before their upcoming March 3rd event.
A day later, Strikeforce has named a replacement for Brunson in Superior Cage Combat veteran Bristol Marunde (12-6) who will now meet former Strikeforce champ, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza (14-3) at the Columbus show.
Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey is set to take place on March 3, 2012 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The main card will air on Showtime, while the prelim card will air live on Showtime Extreme. The bout between Marunde vs. Souza is expected to appear on the Showtime broadcast.
Marunde is currently riding a four fight win streak and is 9-1 in his last ten bouts dating back to April 2008. His most recent bout took place in November at a Superior Cage Combat 3 event, where he won that promotions middleweight title. The Throwdown Training Center fighter has competed for such promotions as the IFL and M-1, finishing three opponents by (T)KO, five by submission, and earning four decision victories in his career.