Due to injuries suffered in a car accident to Shane del Rosario a few weeks ago, undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier (7-0) was left without an opponent for the upcoming Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum event in Dallas next month.
On Sunday, Cormier broke the news that Strikeforce had found him an opponent, that he would be facing longtime mma veteran Jeff “The Snowman” Monson (42-11) at the upcoming June event. Cormier posted the news via his Twitter account (@dc_mma), while also posting a link to the Showtime Sports page for the event showing Cormier vs. Monson as an official bout on the card.
Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum is scheduled to take place on June 18 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Both men will likely be meeting in a Reserve bout for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament and will probably fight on the unaired preliminary card.
Cormier is undefeated since his prop debut in the fall of 2009. The former freestyle wrestling champ fought five times in 2010, capturing the XMMA and King of the Cage heavyweight titles that year. Cormier was last in the cage in January on the Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine card, earning a unanimous decision over Devin Cole at the event. It was the first time an opponent had lasted more than two rounds with the heavyweight.
Monson, a former UFC heavyweight contender at one time, has won eight fights in a row, and has fought nine times in the past year. Before he meets Cormier in Dallas, “The Snowman” is scheduled to compete in France on a local card there on May 28, leaving him with only three weeks to prepare for his Strikeforce debut. Monson has fought against such names as Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, Roy Nelson, and Sergei Kharitonov.