The main card for Strikeforce’s next event is starting to shape up as news of two bouts surfaced on Monday.
Light heavyweight/heavyweight fighter Mike Kyle (19-8-1, 1NC) says he’s set to meet former champ Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2), while MMAjunkie.com is confirming a lightweight bout between Conor ‘Hurricane’ Heun (9-4) and Ryan Couture (3-1) for the March event.
Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey is expected to take place on March 3, 2012 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio and will feature a women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Miesha Tate versus undefeated challenger Ronda Rousey.
Kyle announced the bout via Twitter (@Mak4afight) on Monday afternoon, marking the third time both fighters have been scheduled to meet. They had been scheduled to fight at the Diaz vs. Daley event, but Kyle withdrew due to a broken hand, and then were scheduled again for this falls Barnett vs. Kharitonov event which saw Mousasi withdraw this time for unknown reasons.
Kyle had his last fight in September at the Barnett vs. Kharitonov show, earning a unanimous decision over Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a light heavyweight bout. Before that, Kyle fought at heavyweight, losing via second round KO to Antonio Silva, which ended a six fight undefeated streak.
Mousasi had been expected to face Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal in a rematch for the vacant 205-lbs title, but Lawal is under license review for a positive steroid test. Mousasi is 4-0-1 in his last five, having earned a unaimous decision over Ovince St. Preux last month at the Melendez vs. Masvidal show.
Heun stopped a two fight losing skid, by earning a decision win over Magno Almeida to earn his first Strikeforce win last June at the Overeem vs. Werdum event in Texas. His previous losses saw him lose to KJ Noons by split decision, and to Jorge Gurgel by decision back in 2009.
Couture will make his first straight appearance in a Strikeforce cage, having fought his whole pro-career for the promotion. So far he is 3-1, and is coming off a majority decision victory over Maka Watson at last September’s Strikeforce Challengers 19 event.