The second leg of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament grand prix, featuring Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Brett Rogers vs. Josh Barnett, has officially been moved from its original planned date of April 9.
Instead, those fights will take place on June 18, when the promotion heads to the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, according to CEO Scott Coker, who spoke to ESPN.
When asked what necessitated the change, Coker simply stated they, "ran out of time and couldn't find a venue that would suit the needs of all involved."
Muhammad Lawal had already broke the news that he would be appearing at the event but the same report states that Gina Carano may be making her return on the card as well.
With the news that the grand prix would be moving to the June 18 date, that left the April 9 show open for the two title fights that had previously been rumored.
Those fights are now confirmed, as Nick Diaz will defend his welterweight title against Paul Daley and Gilbert Melendez will put his lightweight belt up for grabs against Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Not a bad consolation prize for the folks in California.
Dallas looks to be the real winner here however, as the long awaited rematch between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum will finally come to fruition.
The first bout saw "Vai Cavalo" crank his way to a submission victory over "Demolition Man" with a second round Kimura.
Now, the resurgent and seemingly unstoppable "Reem" will get his long-awaited chance to avenge that defeat when he meets the Brazilian, who's still riding high on his upset win over Fedor Emelianenko from last June.
Can Overeem "uber-knee" is way to revenge? Or will it be deja-vu in "Big D?"
Also set for the night will be Josh Barnett, who will make his Strikeforce debut against everyone's favorite tire technician, Brett Rogers. Barnett, who has been hamstrung by licensing issues in California since testing postive for a banned substance more than two years ago, will be coming into the bout having gone nearly an entire year without a fight.
Can "The Grim" take advantage of "The Baby Faced Assassin's" extended vacation from the cage?
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