Strikeforce made a pair of match ups for “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum” official today, as Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett and KJ Noons will meet in a rematch from their “Elite XC: Destiny” bout from over three years ago, while Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has finally been given an opponent to challenge her featherweight title in Jan Finney.
Noons, who returned from a nearly two-year layoff with a unanimous decision victory over Andre Amada at DREAM 13 on March 22, was the first-ever Elite XC lightweight champion, defeating Nick Diaz for the vacant title and defending it against Yves Edwards before the collapse of the promotion. Noons holds a record of 8-2 and is currently riding a four-fight winning streak.
The last man to defeat Noons, PRIDE veteran Bennett has been a classic case of hit-and miss, having been unable to string together a significant amount of consecutive wins over his career. While inconsistent, his exciting fighting style and personality have turned Bennett into one of the more interesting characters in the sport, despite his mediocre record of 22-16.
In the second announced match up, Jan Finney will attempt to accomplish what Marloes Coenen did not come remotely close to doing by stealing away the featherweight title from around the waist of Santos. After beginning her career with only four wins to accompany seven losses, Finney is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, which the promotion has decided is enough to grant her an opportunity at “Cyborg.”
Unlike Finney, Santos has never had a problem finding her place in mixed martial arts, holding a professional record of 9-1. She defeated Gina Carano for the vacant women’s featherweight title in August of 2009 and has since defended it once, defeating Coenen via technical knockout at “Strikeforce: Miami”.
“Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum” is set for the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on June 26. The event features a heavyweight bout between top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko and submission ace Fabricio Werdum. Aside from the two match ups that were announced today, the heavyweight fight was the lone official bout on the card.