The repercussions of the rather embarrassing brawl following Jake Shields unanimous decision victory over Dan Henderson at “Strikeforce: Nashville” are becoming apparent. A source close to Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz informed MMAjunkie.com that the notorious 170-pounder lost his slot on the June 26 fight card set for San Jose, California due to his actions at the very end of the April 17 event.
Diaz won the vacant welterweight title of the promotion back on January 30 with his technical knockout victory over DREAM champion Marius Zaromskis at “Strikeforce: Miami”. According to the source, Diaz was looking to defend his belt for the first time at the June 26 event, but his request was denied by the promotion as a result of the post-fight festivities that were broadcast live on CBS. Regardless of his rejected request, Diaz is still set for action later this month, as he is set to face Hayato Sakurai in a non-title bout at DREAM 14 in Saitama, Japan.
MMAjunkie.com contacted Scott Coker regarding the matter, but Coker insisted that none of the fighters involved in the post-fight antics at the “Shields vs. Henderson” event were targeted for the June date, going against the word of the source. However, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, whose fight with Robbie Lawler seemed all but finalized for “Strikeforce: Los Angeles”, was taken out of consideration for the bout due to his antics and the promotion’s decision to wait on a ruling by the Tennessee Athletic Commission.
Coker may insist that Diaz was not going to be a participant on the June 26 card, but it is beginning to seem that the members involved in the April 17 post-fight brawl are suddenly being thrown on the shelf. Strikeforce seems content to wait and see what the Tennessee Athletic Commission decides on the case, and Heavy.com will be sure to follow up the story as more news breaks, or as more fighters involved in the brawl are also delayed from possible match ups.
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