Strikeforce brings two Title fights to Portland on July 14th
On the heels of a great night of fights earlier this month in San Jose, Strikeforce returns to action July 14th in Portland, Oregon. Joining them at the Rose Garden Arena will be two title fights and two intriguing bouts on the main card as well as a local favorite headlining the preliminary card.
When the former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz headed over to the UFC in late 2011, the title was vacated and the division hasn’t seen a title fight since Diaz defeated Paul Daley back in January of 2011. Finally after a year and a half of collecting dust the belt will have a new place to call home on July 14th as undefeated Tyron Woodley faces Nate Marquardt in the night’s co-main event.
Woodley had been labeled the number one contender after Diaz left but was not given a title fight until now. At 10-0 with eight of those wins coming under the Strikeforce banner, Woodley is one of the promotions home-grown talents. His opponent will be making his promotional debut but Marquardt is a very worthy opponent who will pose the biggest challenge to date for Woodley.
Headlining the card will be a middleweight title fight as Luke Rockhold makes his second title defense against Tim Kennedy. Rockhold (9-1) has won eight straight under the Strikeforce banner, most recently defeating Keith Jardine by TKO in January. Kennedy (14-3) has been scheduled to face Rockhold before but injuries got in the way. The U.S. Army Green Beret was won two in a row and will be making his second attempt at the Strikeforce middleweight belt.
The rest of the main card will consist of two more middleweight bouts that should provide an exciting lead in to the duel title fights. Former UFC fighter Keith Jardine will make his second appearance at 185 lbs. when he takes on Roger Gracie, who will be making his middleweight debut. Also debuting at middleweight that night will be Lorenz Larkin, who’ll be facing the always dangerous Robbie Lawler.
Pat Healy
On the night’s preliminary card lightweight Pat Healy will anchor the Showtime Extreme portion when he takes on Mizuto Hirota. Healy will have the home town fans behind him as a win could mean a title fight for the veteran.
The July 14th Strikeforce card is still taking shape but it’s filling up fast.
Main Card:
185 lbs. Title Fight: CHAMP LUKE ROCKHOLD vs. TIM KENNEDY
170 lbs. Title Fight: TYRON WOODLEY vs.NATE MARQUARDT
185 lbs.: KEITH JARDINE vs. ROGER GRACIE
185 lbs.: ROBBIE LAWLER vs. LORENZ LARKIN
Preliminary Card:
155 lbs.: PAT HEALY vs. MIZUTO HIROTA
170 lbs.: JORDAN MEIN vs. TYLER STINSON
170 lbs.: JASON HIGH vs. NATE MOORE
Strikeforce will air live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on West Coast) with the preliminary card being on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 8 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on West Coast).
Tickets for the July 14th Strikeforce card in Portland, Oregon will go on sale to the General public Friday, June 8th.
Category: Events, MMA, Strikeforce
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