Date: Friday- August 13, 2010
Time: 11 pm ET/PT (Aired on Showtime)
Location: Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona – U.S.A.
From strikeforce.com:
Phoenix native and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star Joe “Diesel” Riggs will headline a stacked STRIKEFORCE Challengers event from Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona., when he takes on knockout artist Louis Taylor at a catch weight of 182 pounds in the main event.
A former super heavyweight who once competed at over 300 pounds, the 27-year-old Riggs is now a dangerous threat in multiple STRIKEFORCE divisions. He holds the rare distinction of having competed at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight during the course of an eight-year career.
Taylor, of Chicago, has rattled off two consecutive knockout wins since the STRIKEFORCE and M-1 GLOBAL: Fedor vs. Rogers event in Chicago, Ill. on Nov. 7, 2009. The 5-foot-11 Taylor has scored knockouts in four of his six victories and has only gone to the judges’ scorecards once in his pro career.
The Phoenix event, STRIKEFORCE’s first in the state of Arizona, will also feature a four-woman single elimination welterweight (135 pound) tournament. Four women will enter the cage, only one will leave with a shot at the title! Comprised of four top female contenders, Miesha “Takedown” Tate, Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm, Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and Maiju Kujala the tournament will be completed over the course of the evening’s fight card. The draw to determine the semi-final matchups for the two-round tournament will take place at the Official Weigh-In on Thursday, Aug. 12. The winner of the tournament will face Women’s Welterweight Champion Sarah Kaufman.
Dodge Theatre doors will open at 5:15 p.m. MT for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event in Arizona, Phoenix. The first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m. The SHOWTIME telecast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast.)
Main Fight Card: (aired on Showtime)
- Joe Riggs vs. Louis Taylor
- Daniel Cormier vs. TBA
- Ryan Couture vs. Lucas Stark
- Hitomi Akano vs. TBA (135-pound tournament bout)
- Carina Damm vs. TBA (135-pound tournament bout)
- Maiju Kujala vs. TBA (135-pound tournament bout)
- Miesha Tate vs. TBA (135-pound tournament bout)
***NOTE***
Pairings for tournament bouts to be determined at weigh-ins
