Despite a lot of setbacks, Strikeforce will be holding a big card Saturday night in San Jose, Calif. The lineup is highlighted by the biggest female MMA matchup in history as Gina Carano, the face of women's MMA, takes on the most destructive force in women's MMA, Cris "Cyborg" Santos, for the women's championship at 145 pounds.
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This fight has been on people's minds ever since the two were first brought to the mainstream by EliteXC in October 2008. It is very fortunate that this main event has remained intact because little else of the original card remains.
There was supposed to be a fight between heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum, but Overeem pulled out because of a hand injury. Werdum has been pushed to the preliminary card.
Josh Thomson once again has been forced out of a defense of his lightweight title because of an injury, so now challenger Gilbert Melendez takes on Mitsuhiro Ishida for Melendez's interim title.
To top it all off Nick Diaz was supposed to fight Joe Riggs for the inaugural welterweight title, but Riggs had to pull out because of an adverse reaction to a drug he had taken. Jay Hieron stepped in for Riggs, but then Diaz was not given a license to fight after missing a prefight drug test. So now Jesse Taylor of The Ultimate Fighter infamy has stepped in for Diaz, but this bout is no longer for a title.
Obviously a string of bad luck has ravaged this card, but fortunately there are still some great bouts on tap. So let's break down the important fights:
Gina Carano vs. Cris "Cyborg" Santos
Carano is 7-0 with four wins by stoppage, and she's making her Strikeforce debut. She is a Muay Thai fighter. Santos is 7-1, 1-0 in Strikeforce, with five wins by TKO. She is a Muay Thai striker with jiujitsu skills.
This has been a mega-fight in the making for months. Carano has the looks and the fame, but Santos can knock anybody out.
Carano is probably the more technical striker while Santos has the power edge, but that's not to say Carano doesn't have power. Santos has the better ground game and also is the more aggressive fighter, though Carano loves to stand and trade.
Santos will look to overpower Carano with clinches and takedowns, wearing her down before going in for the kill on the feet. Carano must match Santos' aggression or she won't last five rounds.
Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi
Sobral is 35-8, 1-0 in Strikeforce, with 20 wins by stoppage. He is a jiujitsu fighter with strong wrestling and some Muay Thai skills. Mousasi is 28-2-1 with 22 wins by stoppage and is making his Strikeforce debut. He is a kickboxer with grappling ability.
This fight for the light heavyweight championship worked out well for everyone. This fight was supposed to take place on the scrapped Affliction Trilogy card, but got moved over once that organization stopped promoting MMA cards. Now Mousasi makes his debut at 205, for a title, against a well-respected veteran.
This should be a classic grappler vs. striker matchup. If Mousasi can keep the fight standing, he can win. But if he gets taken down he's going to have a tough time with Sobral's size and skill advantage.
Sobral has fought the best in the world at different weight classes for years and he should feel no pressure here. However, there's a lot of pressure on Mousasi fighting for a title, in front of an American audience for the first time, at a new weight class.
