Thursday

Strikeforce returns with stacked card, includes Gilbert Melendez and Daniel Cormier

Strikeforce is back!

Well, they are with at least one show. When they canceled their second straight show in October, they promised a "stacked card." The idea was to make up for the two missed cards in September and November. Well, they have delivered.

MMA Junkie is reporting the fights are set for January 12 in Oklahoma City, where the ill-fated Nov. 3 event was supposed to happen. The line-up is:

-- Gilbert Melendez defending the lightweight belt against Pat Healy
-- Heavyweight grand prix winner Daniel Cormier taking on Dion Staring
-- Middleweight champ Luke Rockhold fighting Lorenz Larkin
-- Nate Marquardt's first defense of his welterweight belt against Tarec Saffiediene

Not bad, right? Every men's belt that has someone holding it will be defended. The big question is will this be Strikeforce's going away party, as they have struggled late in 2012. The promotion, owned by the same parent company as the UFC, would easily be folded into the UFC. However, they still have a contract with Showtime to provide fights. The promotion could still hang on.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/strikeforce-returns-stacked-card-includes-gilbert-melendez-daniel-000244616--mma.html

Karen Darabedyan Viacheslav Datsik Marcus Davis  Tony DeSouza