Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will be fighting Hitomi Akano as part of Strikeforce’s April 11 fight card. Many were hoping for the female dream match between Santos and Gina “Conviction” Carano, but fans will just have to patiently wait.
The vicious Santos is currently 6-1, winning 5 fights in a row after her losing her first and only match back in May of 2005. Her most recent victory was a unanimous decision win over Yoko Takahashi in October of 2008 at the EliteXC ‘Heat’ event. The 23-year old made Strikeforce her new home after signing with them earlier this year. She plans to continue adding on to her 5-fight win streak and possibly being the first female MMA fighter to someday acquire the Strikeforce title.
Akano is a Japanese MMA fighter with a current record of 14-5. After losing back to back fights in 2007, she decided to mix things up a bit at her gym. Akano bounced back from the losses and has won 3 consecutive fights, all of them by way of submission.
Strikeforce’s April 11 fight card headlines a catch-weight bout at 179 pounds. Also on the card, Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will look to defend his title against former champ Gilbert Melendez. For more info on the upcoming Strikeforce: ‘Shamrock vs. Diaz’ event, click here.
