Strikeforce Champions Gets Lorenz Larkin vs. Jacare Souza, Several Other Bouts and New Name
Strikeforce isn’t giving up without a fight… well, they’re at least not giving up on what is expected to be their final event without a fight.
After losing two of the three title bouts planned for Strikeforce: Champions on Jan. 12 in Oklahoma City, Okla., promotion officials on Thursday confirmed several bouts for the card, including a new opponent for one-time title contender Lorenz Larkin. They also revamped the name of the event, re-christening it Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine to more appropriately reflect the fight card.
Larkin (13-0) was originally expected to challenge Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, but will now instead face former titleholder Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (16-3).
Souza has won his last two bouts, while Larkin is undefeated in the cage.
Tim Kennedy (14-4) – who was a guest on Monday’s edition of MMAWeekly Radio – will also step back into the cage at Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine. Coming off of a loss to Rockhold, he’ll face Trevor Smith, who has a 2-1 record under the Strikeforce banner and is 10-2 overall.
Another addition to the Jan. 12 fight card is Roger Gracie (5-1) vs. Anthony Smith (17-8).
Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for all the latest Strikeforce news and fight card updates.
