Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix participants pictured at a press conference (Photo by Esther Lin/Strikeforce)Strikeforce’s highly anticipated heavyweight grand prix started off with a bang on Feb. 12 in front of 11,200 fans in East Rutherford, N.J., but the remaining two first round bouts originally targeted for April 9 will have to wait, according to Sherdog.com.
Although the promotion previously announced that Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers would happen on April 9, Strikeforce has yet to confirm a location for the event. Barnett is coming off of a suspension for a positive drug test prior to a bout against Fedor Emelianenko, which helped lead to the cancellation of the now-defunct Affliction event.
The winner of Overeem vs. Werdum would face Antonio Silva — who scored a TKO win over Emelianenko — and the Barnett vs. Rogers bout would determine the opponent for Sergei Kharitonov, who knocked out former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski.
With Barnett yet to resolve his licensing issues with the California State Athletic Commission — and other states typically honoring suspensions upheld by other commissions — there had been speculation that Strikeforce would look to hold the remaining first round grand prix bouts in Japan.
Sherdog is reporting that Strikeforce still plans to hold a card on the April 9 date, possibly in California, but the event will not include the Overeem-Werdum and Barnett-Rogers fights. Instead, a lightweight bout between lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and Japanese veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri is in the works, as well as a bout featuring welterweight titleholder Nick Diaz, the report says.
Barnett told Sherdog the following:
“I don’t really have anything to say about it. I have not heard anything from the promotion yet.â€
ProMMAnow.com has contacted Strikeforce for comment and will update this story as more information becomes available.
Filed Under: Strikeforce
Tags: Alistair Overeem, Andrei Arlovski, Antonio Silva, Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum, featured, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, strikeforce heavyweight grand prix
