On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego will host Strikeforce: Melendez vs Masvidal. This card features some of the top fighters in the league, including Lightweight Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal, Women’s Featherweight Champ Cris “Cyborg” Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka, Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux, and K.J. Noons vs. Billy Evangelista. Both Melendez and Cyborg will put their titles on the line as they take on tough competitors.
The main event for the Strikeforce card has plenty of potential to be the fight of the night. Melendez holds a 19-2 record, with key victories over Mitsuhiro Ishida, Josh Thomson, Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Having held the belt since 2009, he is a strong fighter with solid striking and plenty of quality training partners. His opponent, Masvidal, boasts 22-6 record himself, with 10 knockouts and victories over Noons and Evangelista.
Another exciting fight on the card will be the women’s featherweight title match. Santos will step back into the Strikeforce cage after an absence of nearly 18 months. The two-time Female Fighter of the Year will take on Yamanaka, perhaps her toughest opponent to date. Both women hold impressive records with only two losses between them.
Another highlight of the night will be former welterweight contender Noons facing off in his second lightweight fight against Evangelista. Fans can look for this fight to be a stand-up war, as Noons tries to use his boxing to outwit the Muay Thai skills of Evangelista. A win for either fighter will mean another step toward fighting for the Strikeforce Lightweight title.
Park yourself in front of a television at 10 p.m. EST Dec. 17 for a tremendous MMA card. All fights will air on Showtime.