Gilbert Melendez (Esther Lin/Strikeforce)
Barnett vs. Cormier headlines show in San Jose
The lineup for Strikeforce’s next show has been finalized with eight bouts.
The Strikeforce World Grand Prix Heavyweight Final takes place May 19 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., the promotion’s former home base before being purchased by Zuffa. The card, which gets a full broadcast on Showtime, will feature eight bouts. The four-fight main card will air on Showtime on May 19 at 10 p.m. Eastern. The four-fight preliminary card will air live on Showtime Extreme starting at 8 p.m.
The main event, as expected, is the heavyweight tournament final between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier. The two have been waiting to meet since winning their semifinal tournament bouts in September. The co-main event is a lightweight title fight between champion Gilbert Melendez and former champ Josh Thomson. It will be the rubber match in the trilogy between the two. Both of those fights will be five-round bouts.
Also on the main card on Showtime, former light heavyweight champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante gets a rematch against Mike Kyle, whom he lost to nearly three years ago. And Chris Spang meets Nah-Shon Burrell in a welterweight bout.
On the Showtime Extreme prelims, Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante meets Isaac Vallie-Flagg in a lightweight bout; Virgil Zwicker fights Carlos Inocente at light heavyweight; Gian Villante and Derrick Mehman meet in a 205-pound bout; and Quinn Mulhern takes on Yuvi Villefort in a welterweight fight.
Tickets for the event currently are on sale through Ticketmaster and at the HP Pavilion box office with prices ranging from $45 to $175.
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Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Final Lineup Finalized for May 19 Card