The son of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) legend, Randy Couture, is expected be sidelined for three to four weeks.

The 28-year-old Couture, a member of Las Vegas, Nev., based Xtreme Couture, won his STRIKEFORCE and MMA pro debut with a 1:15, first-round submission (triangle choke) over Lucas Stark last Aug. 13 on STRIKEFORCE Challengers.

“I was really looking forward to fighting so this is a big disappointment, but I’ll be back” said Couture.  “As soon as I’m cleared, you can bet I’ll be back in the gym preparing for my next STRIKEFORCE fight.”

In the Nov. 19 main event on SHOWTIME®,  lightweight star and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (20-4) will face Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (9-3) of Cincinnati. In another   televised fight, former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux (7-4), of Knoxville, Tenn., will seeking his fifth consecutive conquest inside the distance when he faces Antwain “The Juggernaut’’ Britt’’ (11-4) of Virginia Beach, Va., in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) scrap.

The MMA fight card is presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and will mark STRIKEFORCE’s initial foray into the state of Mississippi.

Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Coliseum box office and Be-Bop Record Shops, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com and www.STRIKEFORCE.com.

Doors at Jackson Convention Complex will open at 6:45 p.m. CT.  The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7:30 p.m. The first fight on SHOWTIME will begin at 10 p.m.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

Source: Mike Afromowitz/SrikeForce

In the night’s featured fight, lightweight (155 pounds) star and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro (20-4) will take on Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (9-3) of Cincinnati.

Unbeaten 155-pounder Ryan Couture (1-0) will face an opponent to be determined on the televised undercard. The son of legend Randy Couture won his STRIKEFORCE and MMA debut with a 1:15, first-round submission (triangle choke) over Lucas Stark last Aug. 13 on STRIKEFORCE Challengers.

The Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight card is presented by Rockstar Energy Drink and will mark STRIKEFORCE’s initial foray into the state of Mississippi.

Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Coliseum box office and Be-Bop Record Shops, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at Ticketmaster.com and www.STRIKEFORCE.com.

St. Preux, who fights out of Knoxville MMA, has won all four of his fights this year in the first round in total elapsed time of 7:10.  He called it a night after demolishing tough UFC veteran, Jason “Dooms’’ Day, with a single punch in just eight seconds in his most recent outing last July 24.

Day came out hard, charging St. Preux at the opening bell and throwing a hard left hook. St. Preux avoided the shot and landed a crushing, thunderous uppercut that floored Day. He immediately followed up with more punches, forcing the referee to step in and halt matters.

The victory was the second in a row for St. Preux since he won his STRIKEFORCE debut with a 0:47, first-round TKO (punches) over Chris Hawk last April 17 in Nashville. Shortly thereafter, St. Preux signed a multi-fight deal with STRIKEFORCE.

St. Preux is a 6-foot-3, 27-year-old who played for the Vols from 2001-2004. After graduating with a degree in Sociology in ’04, he became heavily involved in MMA, utilizing his impressive wrestling skills and natural athletic abilities. He made history on Feb. 20, 2009, by not only competing in Tennessee’s first sanctioned MMA event, but also by recording the first knockout.

“Everything is going good now but, the more I win, the harder I know I have to work,’’ St. Preux said.  “I fought some tough guys early in my career because it didn’t matter to me who I fought. Looking back, I probably should have won all those fights. But I’m not mad because I learned so much from each of them.’’

The 6-foot-1, 32-year-old Britt is making his third consecutive start for STRIKEFORCE, second on SHOWTIME and first since losing to current STRIKEFORCE Light Heavyweight World Champion Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante last May 15.

After controlling Feijao for most of the standup in the first round, even buckling the Brazilian at one point, Britt got caught with an overhand right. He staggered backwards and Cavalcante followed him into the corner before unleashing a left hook and uppercut that forced the referee to stop the action at 3:45.

A member of Hybrid Academy of Martial Arts, Britt had entered the Cavalcante clash having won four of five, including an impressive, dominant first-round TKO over Scott Lighty on Dec. 19, 2009.

“This is a must-win fight for both of us,’’ said Britt, who has gone more than one full round only three times in a career that began in March 2007. “But I really want this bad. I thought I had Feijao, and would love a rematch with him especially since he now is the STRIKEFORCE champion.’’

Ribeiro is a decorated submission expert who won the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship four times, once as a purple belt in 1996 and three times as a black belt in consecutive years (1999-2001). His 20 victories include 14 stoppages (12 by submission) and he has defeated, among others, such notable fighters as Joachim Hansen, Eiji Mitsuoka and Mitsuhiro “The Endless Fighter” Ishida.

Wilcox, a former NCAA wrestling star and bodybuilder, has won his last four starts. In his most recent outing on March 26, he registered a unanimous decision over Shamar Bailey at STRIKEFORCE Challengers in Fresno, Calif.

The younger Couture is a member of the Las Vegas, Nev., based Xtreme Couture fight team. Before impressively winning his pro debut, the 28-year-old compiled an amateur record of 5-1-1 with all five wins coming by submission.

Doors at Jackson Convention Complex will open at 6:45 p.m. CT.  The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7:30 p.m. The first televised main card fight will begin at 10 p.m.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

Source: MikeAfomowitz/StrikeForce

Photo: Esther Lin/StrikeForce

In the co-feature, undefeated STRIKEFORCE Women’s Welterweight World Champion Sarah Kaufman (12-0) will make the second defense of her 135-pound title against No. 1 contender and Dutch superstar Marloes Coenen (17-4).

Another featured fight will pit an emerging star from the STRIKEFORCE Challengers series, up-and-coming Luke Rockhold (7-1), against the vastly more experienced, 2000 Olympic Games wrestling silver medalist, Matt “The Law” Lindland (22-7), in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest.

Tickets go on sale to the general public this Saturday, Aug. 28, at 10 a.m. PT online at Ticketmaster.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/insider.html> , at HP Pavilion ticket office, or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

A special presale opportunity for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers begins today, Wednesday, Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. PT.   Sign up to become a “STRIKEFORCE Insider” at http://www.strikeforce.com/insider.html.

Diaz has not lost a fight since he first faced Noons, losing via disputed first-round TKO on Nov. 7, 2007.  Diaz has been devastating in recent outings notching seven in a row.  The talented, outspoken, no-nonsense brawler also boasts a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.

The always-dangerous Noons is an aggressive and prolific striker who has won his last six fights, including the thrilling slugfest against Diaz that ended when the cageside physician halted  the proceedings due to excessive cuts around Diaz’ eyes.

Since that fight, there has been no love lost between the pair of brash fighters.  Seven months after their first fight, on June 14, 2008, the fighters and their camp members nearly came to blows in the cage after the fighters registered victories in separate bouts.

“Nick has no class, he’s a bum, a piece of (expletive) and he and his team disrespected my family and I with their gestures and trash talk and tried to upstage my fight,” said Noons after the near-fracas.

Offered Diaz: “I’m sorry about what happened in the cage afterward, but I didn’t start it. His guys were talking (expletive) to us.”

Diaz is coming off a first-round submission (armbar) over fellow superstar Hayato “Mach” Sakurai last May 29 at DREAM 14 in Japan. The six-foot, 27-year-old Diaz won the STRIKEFORCE title with a convincing first-round TKO (punches) over Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis on Jan. 30, 2010.

The 5-foot-11, 27-year-old Noons, who was born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, registered a spectacular, crowd-pleasing second-round knockout over Jorge Gurgel during last Saturday’s STRIKEFORCE: Houston, live on SHOWTIME.

Kaufman, a former ballet dancer, retained her belt for the first time with an explosive third-round body slam KO over Roxanne Modafferi at STRIKEFORCE Challengers in Everett, Wash., on July 23.

The personable, hard-hitting, 5-foot-5, 24-year-old Kaufman, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, has scored knockouts in nine of her 12 victories.

Coenen, 29, will appear before an audience for the first time since suffering a hard-fought third-round TKO loss to Cris Cyborg for the STRIKEFORCE Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Championship at STRIKEFORCE: Miami last Jan. 30.

The game and courageous, 5-foot-9 Coenen gave Cyborg one of her toughest fights. A member of Holland’s Team Golden Glory, Coenen has been a mixed martial artist since the age of 14. She will be moving down in weight to challenge for the title.

Rockhold of Santa Cruz, Calif. will bring a six-fight winning streak into what figures to be the toughest assignment of his career. Many feel the 25-year-old is one of STRIKEFORCE’s next great middleweight stars. He has been victorious by submission in all but one of his wins. A member of Team AKA in San Jose, Rockhold won his last start with a first-round TKO (knees to body) over Paul Bradley on Feb. 26, in San Jose.

Lindland of Oregon City, Ore, brought home the silver in Greco-Roman wrestling. He’s fought the best in a 13-year MMAs career, including the famed Fedor Emelianenko. An All-American at the University of Nebraska before turning pro in 1997, Lindland holds victories over Pat Miletich <http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Pat-Miletich-188> , Jeremy Horn, former UFC welterweight champion Carlos Newton <http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Carlos-Newton-7>  and remains one of only two men to submit Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Travis Lutter <http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Travis-Lutter-4586> .

In his most recent fight, the six-foot-tall Lindland scored a third-round TKO over “King” Kevin Casey on May 21 during a STRIKEFORCE Challengers in Portland, Ore.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.  In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.

Source: Mike Afromowitz/StrikeForce

The 23-year-old amateur mixed martial arts fighter has viewed his potential professional career with a ‘devil-may-care’ attitude well beyond his years. But who could blame him? James Funaro has been into single contact sports for a decade now and is also a part owner of a gym, a place where he can hone his skills while training others. Like most teenagers, he took up karate and wrestling and has used those early experiences to be on the cusp of something special.

With a 9-4 record, Funaro has shown the promise to convince himself that he is ready to take that next step. “I need something more beyond amateur MMA,” he said. The Long Islander has mixed it up in cages and rings in New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia, as well as in his own backyard.

Because New York is still not a sanctioned state for MMA, Funaro and others like him have had to go underground to participate in the sport that they love. One promotion that has catered to their skills has been the Underground Combat League, in which Funaro has a 2-1 record.

“The UCL? It’s pretty bad-ass,” Funaro said recently while taking a much-deserved break from his clients at BoxFit in Patchogue, New York (www.boxfitusa.com). “It helps people out to have a place to fight and uses valetudo, which is the roots of the sport. The level of talent ranges from a random dude off the street to guys who are now in the UFC.”

One of the UCL alum is none other than Frank “The Answer” Edgar, 28, who has a 6-1 UFC record (11-1 overall) and will be challenging BJ Penn for the lightweight championship in April at UFC 112 in the United Arab Emirates. Not bad company to emulate if you’re a guy like Funaro.

With a black belt in kempo and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, Funaro has an arsenal at his disposal and can be effective fighting standing up or down on the mat but admitted, “I prefer to be on the ground in my guard.”

Up or down, Funaro has decided that his last amateur fight will come at the February 21 UCL card in a highly-anticipated match that has garnered a plethora of attention on the Internet. His opponent will be Christian Darrow, the target of much of that attention from the negative side.

Although the two have had their differences in the past (including a physical altercation in the parking lot of Funaro’s gym), both combatants are not viewing the battle as a grudge match, but rather just two guys that want to fight and have the proper venue for it now.

“We really don’t have a problem with each other,” Funaro commented. “It’s going to be fun. I definitely want to fight him just because of the whole back story.”

Whatever the outcome, Funaro will be looking at a payday the next time he enters a cage after the Darrow fight. But as he made perfectly clear, money is no object.

Noons’ STRIKEFORCE debut will be his first MMA start since June 14, 2008 when he reeled off his third consecutive win in the cage by demolishing Yves Edwards with a series of punches and elbows just 48 seconds into their meeting at Honolulu, Hawaii’s Neil S. Blaisdell Arena.

Following the victory over Edwards, Noons began a hiatus from MMA in order to pursue his professional boxing career.  He has since been victorious in four of five appearances in the squared circle, bringing his overall boxing record to 12-2 (6 KO’s).

“I’m super excited to be a part of STRIKEFORCE and I’m looking forward to putting on great fights,” said Noons, who will celebrate his 27th birthday on Monday, December 7.  “I’ve always wanted to come back, but I wanted to box for a little while in order to polish my boxing skills.  Now, I’m ready to jump back into the picture in MMA.”

To date, Noons most memorable stand in MMA was his meeting with dangerous striker and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Nick Diaz.  In the first round of action, Noons opened a cut below Diaz’s right eyebrow with a hard knee strike to the head after Diaz shot in for a takedown and, soon after, dropped Diaz with a straight counter right hand.

After round one came to an end, the ringside doctor ordered a stoppage to the fight due to two cuts Diaz had sustained on his forehead.  Noons was declared the winner of the fight by TKO.

Noons, who fights out of San Diego, California, also boasts a 13-1 (10 KO’s) record in kickboxing competition.

“I feel a lot more confident with my game – my striking and everything else,” said Noons.  “I feel like I’m a more complete fighter now and I’m ready to fight whoever STRIKEFORCE puts in front of me.”

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast

Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

Source: Mike Afromowitz/StrikeForce

Zaromskis is coming off an utter destruction of Myeon Ho Bae, winning by 0:19, first-round KO on Oct 25. The victory earned Zaromskis the 2009 DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix crown. Remarkably, it was the third consecutive time Zaromskis won a fight with a head kick in the opening round. On July 20, 2009, he defeated both Jason High (2:22) and heavily favored Hayoto Sakurai (4:03) with head kicks to win DREAM’s 170-pound tournament.

Zaromskis turned pro on Feb. 4, 2000. He fought several times for UK-based Cage Rage before joining DREAM in early 2009. Two of his three losses came against former Cage Rage British champion in Che Mills <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Mills> .

STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network, SHOWTIME.   Next Saturday, November 7, STRIKEFORCE will make its live debut on CBS with its “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it is co-promoting with M-1 Global.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.

Source: Mike Afromowitz, StrikeForce

Former Fresno State University wrestling star and Fresno native Casey “The Underdog” Olson (11-3) will return to action in the cage in a lightweight (155 pounds) matchup against an opponent that has yet to be determined.

A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity will take place for “Strikeforce Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (www.strikeforce.com/signup.asp <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.strikeforce.com/signup.asp> ) beginning at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, September 16 and ending at midnight on Sunday, September 20.  The special pre-sale passcode will be sent out to all subscribers on Monday, September 14.

In addition, all fans who purchase tickets during the pre-sale period and the first week of the public on-sale (9/16 – 9/27) will receive a 17″ x 23″ limited edition STRIKEFORCE collector’s poster that holds a $20 value.

Tickets for the Strikeforce Challengers event officially go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT on Monday, September 21 at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets as well as at all Ticketmaster locations (800-745-3000), Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ticketmaster.com/> ) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.strikeforce.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.strikeforce.com/> ).

The live SHOWTIME telecast, which will include as many as five bouts, will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Evangelista, a seasoned 28 year old Muay Thai striking machine who fights out of Fresno, will make his first appearance in the cage since he faced off with road warrior “Iron” Mike Aina in the main event of the inaugural STRIKEFORCE:  Challengers event at SaveMart Center on May 15, 2009.

The anticipated meeting between the two lightweights came to an anti-climactic end after Evangelista struck his opponent with a knee to the head while Aina was on one knee (striking a downed opponent to the head is illegal.)  The bout was originally declared a disqualification in favor of Aina but, after an appeal was made by the Evangelista camp, the ruling was changed to a “no decision.”

Since making his STRIKEFORCE debut during the first-ever MMA event at the world famous Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California where he earned a split judges’ decision over Clint Coronel on September 29, 2007, Evangelista has enjoyed continued success with the promotion over the course of three additional bouts.

On October 3, 2008, Evangelista made his greatest stand to date against Luke “Lil’ Hulk” Caudillo at STRIKEFORCE:  Payback held at Broomfield, Colorado’s Broomfield Event Center. After being dropped twice with punches in the first round, a determined Evangelista dug deep and battled back in the following two rounds to earn a unanimous decision.

While Evangelista’s last effort may have ended prematurely, Gurgel’s last start, a matchup with rising star Conor “Hurricane” Heun on the STRIKEFORCE:  Challengers card at Kent, Washington’s ShoWare Center on June 19, 2009, was a classic barnburner.  After three rounds of non-stop, toe-to-toe exchanges, Gurgel emerged the winner by way of unanimous decision.

His victory over Heun marked the 32-year-old Gurgel’s debut under the STRIKEFORCE banner.  A member of Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter” season two cast whose relentless fighting style helped him earn two “Fight Of The Night” honors with UFC, Gurgel parted ways with the promotion late last year.

Gurgel, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Marcus Aurelio and a six-time Brazilian state champion in the grappling sport, has claimed 9 of his 13 victories by way of submission.  Still, he has shown his penchant for striking, bringing fans to their feet repeatedly with his explosive Muay Thai combinations.

A native of Fortaleza, Brazil, Gurgel entered The United States as an exchange student during high school and later became a citizen here.  He withdrew from his college studies just one semester shy of graduation to pursue a career as an MMA fighter and trainer.  Recently, he opened a gym in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Olson, whose Fresno State University wrestling achievements include qualifying for the NCAA Division I national tournament and capturing the Northern California Regional Championship, is looking to rebound from a first round submission (guillotine choke) he suffered in his last start at the hands of Eddie Yagin on May 8, 2009.

His start on the card will be the second of Olson’s career in STRIKEFORCE.  During the promotion’s first event at SaveMart Center on October 7, 2006, Olson submitted Bobby Sanchez in the first round (1:58) of their matchup.

SaveMart Center doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE:  Challengers event at 5:15 p.m. PT. The first live, non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

Strikeforce Challengers is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com <https://mail.svse.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.strikeforce.com/> ) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose’s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.”  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.