Gilbert Melendez
Lightweight title fight headlines final Strikeforce event of 2012
Tickets for Strikeforce’s final event of 2011 – and perhaps the final event in the promotion’s history – go on sale this weekend.
Tickets for “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal” go on sale beginning Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. UFC Fight Club members will have early access to tickets beginning on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET, while UFC and Strikeforce newsletter subscribers will have a chance to purchase tickets on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
“Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal” takes place Dec. 17 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. It is headlined by a Strikeforce lightweight title fight between champion Gilbert Melendez and challenger Jorge Masvidal. Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will make her return to the promotion on the same card, facing Hiroko Yamanaka.
The event could mark the final card in Strikeforce history. Strikeforce has no events currently planned for 2012 and their television deal with Showtime runs out in the first quarter of the new year. Regardless of the promotion’s status, the fight with Masvidal is likely the final one for Melendez in Strikeforce; UFC President Dana White has repeatedly stated that he wants to get Melendez into the UFC as soon as possible.