One day after Strikeforce announced that female MMA superstar Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos would be taking on Hitomi Akano at their April 11th “Shamrock vs. Diaz” event, the San Jose-based organization has announced the addition of three undercard bouts to help round out the lineup.
Zak Bucia will be taking on James Terry, Eric Lawson will face Richard Montoya, and Buck Meredith will challenge Luke Rockhold.
These three bouts join an already star-studded cast, which will be headlined by main event fighters Nick Diaz and Frank Shamrock. The two will be squaring off at a catch-weight of 179 pounds.
Here is how Strikeforce’s 2009 debut event shakes out:
Preliminary Bouts:
Jeremy Tavares vs. TBD
Raul Castillo vs. TBD
Luke Rockhold vs. Buck Meredith
Eric Lawson vs. Richard Montoya
Marcus Royster vs. Yohan Banks
James Terry vs. Zak Bucia
Main Bouts:
Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos vs. Hitomi Akano
Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach
Jake Shields vs. Joe Riggs
Gilbert Melendez vs. Josh Thomson (Strikeforece Lightweight Champion)
Frank Shamrock vs. Nick Diaz (Catch Weight of 179 Pounds)