Tickets for, what will apparently be, the last Strikeforce event in history will go on sale later this week for the upcoming January event.
Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Healy is expected to take place on January 12, 2013 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The main card will air on Showtime with the prelim card airing live on Showtime Extreme.
The event will feature three title matches as lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez takes on challenger Pat Healy, middleweight title holder Luke Rockhold defends his belt against undefeated fighter Lorenz Larkin, and newly crowned welterweight champ Nate Marquardt meets promotion veteran Tarec Saffiedine.
Also competing will be Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament champion Daniel Cormier, who takes on promotion newcomer Dion Staring.
“We’ve built an absolutely stacked card for Oklahoma City and the SHOWTIME viewers,” STRIKEFORCE CEO Scott Coker said. “We have three awesome title fights featuring some of the best fighters to ever grace the STRIKEFORCE cage. Plus, we have Daniel Cormier, one of the fastest-rising heavyweight stars today, returning to his roots in Oklahoma to fight Dion Staring. January 12 is going to be a really special night.”
“The biggest stars in STRIKEFORCE are putting their titles on the line in competitive fights,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports®, “and that is precisely what fans of STRIKEFORCE on SHOWTIME have come to expect. We are excited to be part of the event.”
The current rumored event card appears as follows:
Main Card (Showtime)
Lightweight title bout: (c) Gilbert Melendez vs. Pat Healy
Middleweight title bout: (c) Luke Rockhold vs. Lorenz Larkin
Welterweight title bout: (c) Nate Marquardt vs. Tarec Saffiedine
Heavyweight bout: Daniel Cormier vs. Dion Staring
Preliminary Card (Showtime Extreme)
Lightweight bout: KJ Noons vs. Ryan Couture