It appears to be déjà vu all over again for mixed martial arts fans.
Following the cancellation of UFC 151, Zuffa’s other mma promotion, Strikeforce, has announced the cancellation of it’s upcoming Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy scheduled for the end of this month, following an injury to lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez.
Promotion officials announced the injury Gilbert ‘El Nino’ Melendez (21-2) late Sunday evening, forcing the champ out of a main event title fight with No. 1 contender Pat ‘Bam Bam’ Healy (28-16).
The Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy event was scheduled to take place on September 29, 2012 at the Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California with the main card airing on SHOWTIME and the prelim card airing on SHOWTIME Extreme.
Despite featuring eight other bouts on the card, it shows the limited star power that Strikeforce possesses and the lack of depth on the promotions roster.
Check out the full release below
Las Vegas, Nevada – STRIKEFORCE® announced this evening that its event planned for Saturday, Sept. 29 at Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, Calif. has been cancelled. STRIKEFORCE lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, who was set to defend his title against Pat Healy, sustained an injury in training that forced his withdrawal from the card.
Without the Melendez-Healy title bout, SHOWTIME®, which determines which fights are televised on the premium network, decided that it would not air Saturday’s scheduled event.
“When SHOWTIME informed us that it would not be airing the event, we made the difficult decision to cancel Saturday’s card in Sacramento,” STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker said. “Without a television partner, we simply could not move forward with this event. We wish Gilbert a speedy recovery and will work diligently and quickly to reschedule the fighters affected by this news on upcoming cards.”
Refunds for tickets purchased are available at point of sale.
About STRIKEFORCE® –
Owned and operated by Forza, LLC, a subsidiary of Zuffa, LLC, which also owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand, STRIKEFORCE® is a world-class mixed martial arts promotion based in Las Vegas, Nev. that currently holds live events annually across the United States. First established as a mixed martial arts entity in 2006, STRIKEFORCE now broadcasts its events live on SHOWTIME® and has produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network. With a growing roster featuring the world’s elite competitors, STRIKEFORCE has cemented its place as a leader in providing quality mixed martial arts action.