The live stream of the STRIKEFORCE:  Miami preliminary bout will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on the official EA SPORTS(tm) MMA website (www.easportsmma.com <http://www.easportsmma.com/> ), the online platform for EA SPORTS forthcoming MMA video game title in which STRIKEFORCE will be featured as a premiere league.  The stream will precede the live SHOWTIME® telecast of the event’s main fight card, which begins at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Riggs, a 27 year old native of Phoenix, Arizona, will attempt to extend a four fight win streak that began with his second round (2:05) TKO of Luke Stewart in a STRIKEFORCE:  Destruction bout at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on November 21, 2008.

In his last effort under the STRIKEFORCE banner, Riggs dominated hard-hitting “The New York Badass” Phil Baroni for three consecutive rounds of action before walking away with a unanimous judges’ decision victory at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center on June 6, 2009.

Hieron, a former nationally ranked NCAA wrestler for Hofstra University, has been victorious in each of his last six starts.  The Long Island, New  York native made his STRIKEFORCE debut in his last effort, earning a unanimous decision win over Jesse “J.T. Money” Taylor at HP Pavilion on August 15, 2009.

A former troubled teen, Hieron has since become an inspiration, winning a world title with the now defunct International Fight League (IFL) and relocating to Las Vegas in order to train with the fight squad headed by MMA legend Randy “The Natural” Couture.

Slated for release later this year, EA SPORTS MMA will feature the most authentic, intense and broad mixed martial arts experience to date – complete with a vast array of top fighters and fighting styles from around the world.  EA SPORTS MMA will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in 2010.

The game will feature a host of STRIKEFORCE fighters, the six-sided STRIKEFORCE cage, the commentary team of Frank Shamrock and Mauro Ranallo, and ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr.  Legendary mixed martial arts referee “Big John” McCarthy will preside over the in-ring action and bring his in-depth knowledge of the sport to help deliver a truly authentic MMA experience. [confirm we have signed agreements and marketing rights to mention these people]

EA SPORTS(tm) is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences.  EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, while EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer for the Wii is the most critically acclaimed product available for interactive fitness.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums, fantasy leagues and game communities, please visit www.easports.com <http://www.easports.com/>  to connect, share and compete.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE:  Miami are on sale at the BankAtlantic Center ticket office and Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 as well as online at www.Ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com/>   and www.Strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> .

In the live, SHOWTIME televised main event, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Nick Diaz (20-7) of Stockton, California will square off with fellow MMA superstar and DREAM champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis (13-3) of Siaulial, Lithuania for the STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight Championship.

STRIKEFORCE Women’s World Lightweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg (8-1) of Curitiba, Brazil will put her title on the line against top ranked Marloes Coenen (17-3) of Deventer, Holland.

Football legend Herschel Walker (0-0) will make his highly-anticipated MMA debut against 26-year-old Greg Nagy (1-1) of Phoenix, Arizona.

Knockout artists “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-5) and Melvin “No Mercy” Manhoef (24-6-1) will face off with each other in a middleweight (185 pounds) contest.

Undefeated heavyweight and former WWE champion Bobby Lashley (4-0) will make his STRIKEFORCE debut against Wes Sims (22-12-1).

Doors at BankAtlantic Center will open for the event at 6:30 p.m.  The first non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 7:30 p.m.

STRIKEFORCE in March 2009 signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the premium cable television network.  The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, November 7 and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s number one heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA Mobile(tm) and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com <http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ea.com&esheet=5957313&lan=en_US&anchor=www.ea.com&index=3> . More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com <http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Finfo.ea.com&esheet=5957313&lan=en_US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Finfo.ea.com&index=4> .

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.  John Madden, NFL, NBA, FIFA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission.  Xbox and the Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.  PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.  All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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.

Tickets for UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2, which is presented by EA Sports’ “Left 4 Dead 2,” are priced at $1,000, $750, $500, $300, $200 and $100, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at UFC.com, www.mandalaybay.com, or www.ticketmaster.com.

UFC 106 will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

Winner of the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter®, Brooklyn, New York-born Amir Sadollah (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) broke into the UFC with an impressive armbar submission victory against fellow cast mate CB Dollaway in the show’s finale. Now the Richmond, Virginia raised fighter faces his most experienced opponent to date in mixed martial arts veteran Phil Baroni (fighting out of Long Island, N.Y.). The former UFC middleweight makes his return as a welterweight and has won three of his last four fights. The 33-year-old is known for his heavy hands and has two knockout wins in the UFC.

A fighter that is making his way up the light heavyweight division, Luiz Cane (fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) is on a three-fight win streak with a unanimous decision victory against Steve Cantwell at UFC 97 and two TKO victories in 2008. With a background in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the 28-year-old can win a fight anywhere and he looks to improve on his 11-1 record when he touches gloves with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The brother of former interim UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, “Little Nog” has won his last five fights, with three knockouts and one submission. Now the 33-year-old with the 17-3 record makes his UFC debut in November.

At only 27 years old, decorated judo black belt Karo Parisyan (fighting out of North Hollywood, Calif.) already boasts a 26-5, 2 NC professional mixed martial arts record. A true test for anyone in the welterweight division, Parisyan has beat some of the top welterweights and will look for his 9th UFC win when he squares off against Louisa, Kentucky native Dustin Hazelett (fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio). With submission victories in four of his last five fights, the 23-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has put away Tamdan McCrory, Josh Burkman, Jonathan Goulet and Stevie Lynch and faces easily his toughest test to date.

A former professional boxer turned submission machine, Marcus Davis (fighting out of Bangor, Maine) has four submissions in his eight UFC victories. But opponents shouldn’t disregard his hands because “The Irish Hand Grenade” has ended two of his fights in the UFC via knockout. The well-rounded welterweight will need all of his skills when he faces the dangerous Ben Saunders (fighting out of Orlando, Fla.). A winner in three of his four UFC bouts, the 26-year-old Ft. Lauderdale native is remembered for his devastating TKO victory against Brandon Wolff in 2008. Now Saunders will look to take down his most game-tested opponent yet.

A fighter with more reach than most middleweights, the 6-foot-6 Kendall Grove (fighting out of Maui, Hawaii) has used his size to outpunch and outlast some of the division’s toughest fighters. Grove has always looked for the finish since coming into the UFC and has two submission wins and a TKO over Jason Day at UFC 96 to prove it. But Grove will try and play spoiler as he goes to work against rising star and Sand Point, Indiana-born fighter Jake Rosholt (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.). At 6-1 in his young MMA career, the three-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler from Oklahoma State picked up his first UFC win when he submitted Chris Leben at UFC 102 in August.

Remembered for knocking out Josh Koscheck in his UFC debut, Paulo Thiago (fighting out of Brasilia, Brazil) has plenty of potential and an 11-1 professional record to go with it. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and a special operations police officer in Brazil, the 28-year-old Thiago looks to shake up the welterweight division when he mixes it up with UFC newcomer Jacob Volkmann (fighting out of Fergus Falls, Minn.). A three-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and Big Ten champion, Volkmann also boasts two Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Minnesota to go along with his doctor of chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University. At 9-0, the mix of brains and brawn has proved successful for the 29-year-old.

An MMA veteran with an amazing 27-2 record, Brock Larson (fighting out of Brainerd, Minn.) has won two of his last three fights since making the move from World Extreme Cagefighting®. The 32-year-old has made quick work of his two opponents in his wins, handing back-to-back first-round submissions to Jesse Sanders and Mike Pyle. Now the Minnesota native takes on Sallisaw, Oklahoma’s Brian Foster (fighting out of Granite City, Ill.). The 25-year-old Foster has won three of his last four fights, holds a 14-3 pro record and has never gone the distance in any of his wins.

One of the most exciting and experienced lightweights in the world, Caol Uno (fighting out of Kanagawa, Japan) has 13 career victories by submission and two by TKO. A fighter that is always looking to finish, the 34-year-old has mixed it up with names such as BJ Penn, Din Thomas, Ives Edwards and Hermes Franca in the UFC. Now Uno turns his attention to UFC newcomer Fabricio Camoes (fighting out of San Diego, Calif.). The Brazilian born fighter holds a 10-4 pro record; and with a background in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the 30-year-old looks to put on a great show with the explosive Uno.

Since George Sotiropoulos (fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) has come into the UFC he has known nothing but winning. A perfect 3-0 in the organization, the Geelong, Victoria, Australia native holds a TKO victory to go along with his two submission wins in the UFC, the last coming via kimura over George Roop. Now the UFC lightweight looks to improve on his 10-2 pro record when he faces Madison, Ohio’s Jason Dent (fighting out of Mentor, Ohio). With a background in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the 29-year-old Dent looks to put a dent in Sotiropoulos’ perfect UFC record.

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, GERMANY.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
UFC is the largest live pay-per-view event content provider in the world and the fastest growing main stream sports organization in history. Owned and operated by Zuffa™, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max™, Shaw Pay-Per-View, and Viewers Choice. International distributors include WOWOW in Japan, Rede TV and Globosat’s Combate Channel and SporTV in Brazil, ESPN in United Kingdom, Televisa in Mexico and throughout Central America, with worldwide distribution via the Internet on UFC.com and Yahoo! Sports. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. UFC programming is distributed in 132 countries, territories and jurisdictions, reaching 430 million homes worldwide, in 20 different languages.

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa® , The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.

AMIR SADOLLAH vs. PHIL BARONI
LUIZ CANE vs. ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA
KARO PARISYAN vs. DUSTIN HAZELETT
MARCUS DAVIS vs. BEN SAUNDERS
KENDALL GROVE vs. JAKE ROSHOLT
PAULO THIAGO vs. JACOB VOLKMANN
BROCK LARSON vs. BRIAN FOSTER
CAOL UNO vs. FABRICIO CAMOES
GEORGE SOTIROPOULOS vs. JASON DENT

Source: http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=25002