Pat Healy
Strikeforce lightweight Pat ‘Bam Bam’ Healy (28-16) will get his chance to compete at the final Strikeforce event when he take’s on undefeated newcomer Kurt Holobaugh (7-0) in just ten-days.
News of the matchup was announced by MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday afternoon, after the website confirmed Healy’s opponent as well as the verbal agreements for the fight.
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine is scheduled to take place on January 12, 2013 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The main card is set to air on Showtime with portion of the prelim card expected to air on Showtime Extreme. The bout between Healy and Holobaugh is expected to appear on the Showtime Extreme broadcasted card.
The event marks the final show for the Strikeforce promotion as it is set to close it’s doors after this event. Holobaugh joins the promotion very late and has just over a week to prepare for Healy.
Holobaugh hasn’t fought since this past June, when he won a second round submission win over opponent Ronnie Rogers at a FFI show in Mississippi. He did tryout for The Ultimate Fighter season 15, going as far as being flown into Las Vegas for the final cuts but failed to make the final 32-man cast. So far in his pro-career he’s stopped six opponents by submission and gone to decision once.
Healy had been scheduled to fight for the Strikeforce lightweight title, twice, but champ Gilbert Melendez was forced out of a September date and this January’s event, due to a shoulder injury. Healy has won five-in-a-row, picking up three decisions and two submission wins. His last fight took place in July with a decision win over Mizuto Hirota at the Rockhold vs. Kennedy show in Oregon.