Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is among the four fighters just added to offer depth to the upcoming Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman card set for August 18.
“Jacare” will square up with the man he was originally supposed to fight back in March, Derek Brunson, the promotion has confirmed.
Brunson was a late scratch for that bout after being denied an Ohio fighter’s license due to vision issues. He has since had surgery to correct the problem.
Souza (15-3, 1 no contest) went on to defeat Brunson’s replacement Bristol Marunde via third-round submission, in that March event. The win was his first since losing the title to Luke Rockhold in September 2011. Brunson, meanwhile, will be hoping to rebound after suffering his first career loss. In mid-June, with Strikeforce’s blessing, he accepted a short-notice fight with UFC veteran Kendall Grove at a ShoFight event in Missouri, and was handed a split-decision loss, dropping his record to 9-1.
Strikeforce has also officially added a matchup of welterweights Tarec Saffiedine and Roger Bowling. Saffiedine (12-3) is a winner of two straight, as is the 11-2 Bowling.
The event, set for San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center, will mark women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey’s first attempt at defending her belt, coming against former champ Sarah Kaufman.