Tyron Woodley (left) and Tarec Saffiedine | Esther Lin/Strikeforce
Headliners Tyron Woodley (170.2) and Tarec Saffiedine (170.2) both made the cutoff for the welterweight main event of the Showtime-televised card. A standout wrestler from University of Missouri, Woodley has gone 7-0 since transitioning to MMA in February 2007. The Team Quest-trained “Sponge” Saffiedine, meanwhile, will look to soak up some of Woodley’s hype and extend his own win streak to four.
Co-main eventers Daniel Cormier (249) and Devin Cole (239.2) each came in under the 265-pound limit for their heavyweight showdown. One of the sport’s most talked-about heavyweight prospects, the former U.S. Olympic wrestler Cormier is 6-0 in MMA, having stopped each of his opponents. Cole, a 27-fight veteran, is Cormier’s most experienced foe to date and has won seven of his last 10 bouts.
Elsewhere, undercard, surging light heavyweight Ovince St.
Preux (204.8) will seek to follow up on a perfect 6-0 year in
2010 when he meets “Iron Ring” tournament winner Ron Humphrey
(205.4). Kickboxing convert Julia Budd
(144.2) -- best known as the only woman to defeat Gina Carano
under muay Thai rules -- will go up against hard-nosed Brazilian
Amanda
Nunes (143.2), the winner of five straight. Rounding out the
evening’s televised undercard, John
Richard (206) will take on Rhadi
Ferguson (205), a former U.S. Olympic judoka and cousin of
Kimbo
Slice.
E. Lin/Strikeforce
Devin Cole (left) and Daniel Cormier
Main card:
Tyron
Woodley (170.2) vs. Tarec
Saffiedine (170.2)
Ovince St.
Preux (204.8) vs. Ron Humphrey
(205.4)
Daniel
Cormier (249) vs. Devin Cole
(239.2)
Julia
Budd (144.2) vs. Amanda
Nunes (143.2)
Rhadi
Ferguson (205) vs. John
Richard (206)
Undercard:
Thomas
Campbell (135.8) vs. Jeremy
Wallace (TBA)
John
Salter (185.6) vs. Casey
Huffman (186)
Dustin
Ortiz (125) vs. Matt Horning
(TBA)
Dustin
West (183.6) vs. Daniel
Schmitt (184.8)
Charles
McTorry (185) vs. Krishaun
Gilmore (185.6)
Chris
Barnhizer (175) vs. Karl Willis
(170.2)
Jeremy
Boczulak (173.8) vs. Jason
Blackford (169.2)
Luke
Sanders (145.4) vs. Josh Jarvis
(144.2)
Gerric
Hayes (169.2) vs. Stoney Hale
(171)