Rising Strikeforce heavyweight Shane Del Rosario (11-0) had been scheduled to face Daniel Cormier (7-0) at next months Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum, but a car accident has forced him to withdraw from the fight.
According to MMAjunkie.com, who learned of Del Rosario’s withdrawal on Friday from sources close to the event, the fighter was in a car accident earlier this week, and it’s believed he sustained unspecified injuries that have forced him out of the fight.
Also, according to MMAjunkie through another source, that since Del Rosario vs. Cormier was to have taken place on Showtime, Strikeforce will now replace the match with a lightweight fight between K.J. Noons (10-3) and Jorge Masvidal (21-6).
Del Rosario has won eleven straight bouts, having fought three times under the Strikeforce banner. Eight of his eleven victories have come by (T)KO. His bout with Cormier was to have been a reserve bout for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. No word was provided as to the future status of either fighter, as an alternate for the tournament.
Noons suffered a broken jaw and left hand last October, in his welterweight title fight with Nick Diaz, losing the rematch by unanimous decision. It was his first loss after six straight wins, and the first in the Strikeforce promotion.
Masvidal won a unanimous decision over Billy Evangelista in March at the Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson event. The win put him at 1-1 in his last two fights, and 2-1 in his last three. The loss was to former No. 1 contender Paul Daley at a Shark Fights 13 show last September, and the other victory was over Naoyuki Kotani by split decision at an ASTRA event in Japan.