Scott Coker confirms April 9th for remaining quarterfinal bouts as well as the return of Gilbert Melendez, Japanese venue possible

Strikeforce CEO, Scott Coker has today confirmed that April 9^th will not only see the second set of quarterfinal bouts for their heavyweight grand prix take place involving Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett and Brett Rogers, but will also witness the return to action for lightweight champion, Gilbert Melendez as well.
The news was confirmed to ESPN.com earlier today by Coker, adding that the promotion could very well be heading to Japan for this one. That of course sparked further speculation to who would face Melendez, with Japanese star, Tatsuya Kawajiri banded about in the past couple of weeks.
It is currently unclear whether the promotion will attempt to join forces with DREAM for the event, drafting in some local talent to make it an easier sell in the Far East or whether they’d be bold enough to put on a show unaided. Stay tuned to MMABay for more on this situation as it comes in.