Undefeated up-and-coming heavyweight prospect and former Olympic wrestling star Daniel Cormier (6-0) of San Jose, Calif., faces what could be his toughest test to date when he meets veteran Devin Cole (18-8-1) of Medford, Ore., in a feature televised contest.

In other televised fights formally announced by STRIKEFORCE for its initial presentation of the decade: undefeated Yancy “Frisson’’ Medeiros (9-0) of Waianae, Hawaii, faces John Salter (5-2) of Nashville in a middleweight (185 pounds) scrap, promising Julia “The Jewel’’ Budd (1-0) of British Columbia, Canada, faces Amanda “Lioness Of The Ring’’ Nunes (5-1), of Salvador, Brazil, in a women’s middleweight (145 pounds) match and Nate Moore (6-2) of San Jose meets Nate “Soulforce’’ Coy (8-3) of Portland, Ore., in a welterweight (170 pounds) fight.

A special ticket pre-sale purchase opportunity for the event will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://STRIKEFORCE.com/insider.html), beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, Dec. 8, and ending at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec. 9. STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 10, and will be available at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium ticket office,  all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000 including Kroger and FYE, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

The first non-televised, undercard fight on Jan. 7 will begin at 7:30 CT. Doors will open at 7.

The unbeaten 5-foot-9, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Mo., is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for the University of Missouri. After notching three straight victories on the Challengers series, Woodley made his debut at a STRIKEFORCE championship series event, scoring a thunderous first round (1:48) KO over fellow prospect Andre Galvao on the Diaz vs. Noons card in San Jose last Oct. 9.

Woodley fought five times in 2009, winning all five of his starts by way of submission.  He was only forced beyond the first round on one occasion last year, submitting Zach Light with an armbar in the second round (3:38) of a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25.

Woodley, who turned pro in February 2009, is a member of American Top Team. He won his initial start for STRIKEFORCE with a first-round submission (Brabo Choke) over Sal Woods in a non-televised, undercard bout on June 6, 2009, in St. Louis.

Like Woodley, Saffiedine, a 24-year-old, 5-foot-9 native of Brussels, Belgium, has been on a surge, winning all three of his bouts in 2010, and 9 of his last 10 fights.  Saffiedine’s only defeat during this stretch came via narrow, split decision against Dong Sik Yoon at DREAM 12 in Osaka, Japan on Oct. 25, 2009.

Saffiedine’s strong striking foundation stems from his teenage years when he took up Karate at age 16.  He now holds a black belt in Shihaishinkai, a form of Karate that combines striking, Judo throws and wrestling, and an amateur kickboxing record of 12-1-1.  After immigrating to The United States, he added Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to his repertoire.

To date, Saffiedine holds a record of 2-0 in STRIKEFORCE Challengers competition.  In his debut for the promotion last Feb. 26 in San Jose, he earned a unanimous decision over James Terry.  On May 21, Saffiedine scored a second-round (1:21) KO on Moore with a punch in Portland, Ore.

Cormier, a two-time JUCO national wrestling champion, six-time U.S. national champ, two-time Olympian and 2008 U.S. Olympic team captain, has been virtually unstoppable since turning pro on Sept. 25, 2009, winning all his fights inside the distance, all within two rounds.

The 5-foot-11, 31-year-old Cormier may be short in stature for a heavyweight, but he’s long on talent. His last five fights – all in 2010 — ended in the first round, the last three by submission. In his most recent outing, the exciting Cormier devoured Soa Palelei on Nov. 5. The farthest Cormier has been taken was in his pro debut when he triumphed by 3:39, second-round TKO (punches) over Gary Frazier at a STRIKEFORCE Challengers event on Sept. 25, 2009.

Cormier, who whipped Jason Riley in 1:02 in his last fight for STRIKEFORCE last Aug. 21, is a member of American Kickboxing Academy. One of his teammates and chief training partners at AKA is UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, whom Cormier helped get ready before Velasquez obliterated Brock Lesnar in November.

Cole is 6-1-1 in his last seven fights. Unquestionably, the most experienced fighter to face Cormier, Cole has fought several well-known, world-class fighters in a career that began in July 2003, including former STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight Champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante, STRIKEFORCE star Mike “Mak” Kyle, Jeff Monson, Travis Wiuff, Krzysztof Soszynski, and Ben Rothwell.

An All-American wrestler at Oregon State, the 6-foot-4 Cole has been victorious inside the distance in 13 of his 18 victories, and has gone nearly two years without being submitted. An IFL veteran who’ll be making his STRIKEFORCE debut, Cole had a five-fight winning streak end in his last outing on Sept. 11 when he dropped a decision to Aaron Rosa.

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/StrikeForce

Undefeated, rising star Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley (6-0) will face off with fellow welterweight (170 pounds) Nathan Coy (8-2) while 135 pound female prospects Kerry Vera (2-0) and Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena (2-0) will collide with one another on the card.

A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the first STRIKEFORCE event in the state of Oregon will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://strikeforce.com/insider.html) from 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, April 14, until 10 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 15.  STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT on Friday, April 16 and can be purchased at the Rose Quarter Box Office, all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, or by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), as well as online at ComcastTIX.com and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ).

Lindland, who captured the silver medal in Greco Roman wrestling while representing The United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics, is also a former All-American wrestler for University of Nebraska and the 1993 NCAA Big Eight conference champion.  The 39-year-old will look to re-enter the win column after two consecutive defeats, the last of which he suffered by way of first round submission (arm triangle choke) to superstar Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at STRIKEFORCE: Evolution on December 19, 2009. During his stellar 13 year MMA career, the 6 foot Lindland, who hails from Oregon City, Oregon, has triumphed over a number of all-time greats including former UFC champions Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton. Two years ago, Lindland entered the world of politics, winning the Oregon Republican Party’s nomination for the House of Representatives before being defeated in the general election.

One of MMA’s fastest rising stars, the undefeated, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Missouri is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for University of Missouri.  His superior wrestling skills have been the foundation of his success in the cage, leading him to submission victories over each of his opponents, including his last victim, Rudy Bears, whom Woodley tapped out with an arm triangle choke in the first round (2:52) of their main event matchup at the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Kansas City, Kansas’ Memorial Hall on November 20, 2009.

Woodley’s opponent, Coy, is also an expert in submissions and a former wrestling star for Oregon State University.  Coy will put a three fight winning streak on the line that began with a first round (3:39) TKO of Jesse “J.T.” Money Taylor on July 25, 2009. In his last start, Coy forced Travis Bush to tap out from strikes just 16 seconds into their meeting at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde, Oregon on March 12.

The 28-year-old Vera, the wife of MMA star Brandon Vera and resident of San Diego, California, made a splash debut with STRIKEFORCE on November 20, 2009 when she battered Kim Couture with superior striking skills and brought about a TKO in the first round (3:35) of their matchup  with an onslaught of punches.  Vera gained the attention of the fight world by winning the Oxygen television network women’s Muay Thai fight reality series Fighter Girls in 2007. Inspired by Bruce Lee movies and The Karate Kid at the age of six, Vera, a tomboy, took up Tae Kwon Do and, later, boxing and kickboxing before turning to world’s fastest growing spot – MMA.

The 20 year old Pena, a product of Sik Jitsu in Spokane, Washington, possesses a fast-paced, aggressive fighting style which, oddly enough, mimics that of her boyfriend, undefeated lightweight scrapper Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm. In her last start, Pena engaged in an all out slugfest with Stephanie Webber, before submitting Webber with an armbar in the second round (2:54) of action. Pena, whose pretty smile is a stark contrast to her darker side, has ambitions that extend beyond the cage.  To date, she has been using her earnings from competition to further her education at Spokane Community College.

Rose Garden Arena doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at 5:15 p.m.  The first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m. The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

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.

Undefeated, rising star Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley (6-0) will face off with fellow welterweight (170 pounds) Nathan Coy (8-2) while 135 pound female prospects Kerry Vera (2-0) and Julianna “The Venezuelan Vixen” Pena (2-0) will collide with one another on the card.

A special pre-sale ticket purchase opportunity for the first STRIKEFORCE event in the state of Oregon will take place for “STRIKEFORCE Insider” e-newsletter subscribers (http://strikeforce.com/insider.html) from 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, April 14, until 10 p.m. PT on Thursday, April 15.  STRIKEFORCE Insiders will receive a special e-newsletter with the pre-sale code.

Tickets for the event go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. PT on Friday, April 16 and can be purchased at the Rose Quarter Box Office, all participating Safeway/ TicketsWest outlets, or by calling 877.789.ROSE (7673), as well as online at ComcastTIX.com and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com <http://www.strikeforce.com/> ).

Lindland, who captured the silver medal in Greco Roman wrestling while representing The United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics, is also a former All-American wrestler for University of Nebraska and the 1993 NCAA Big Eight conference champion.  The 39-year-old will look to re-enter the win column after two consecutive defeats, the last of which he suffered by way of first round submission (arm triangle choke) to superstar Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at STRIKEFORCE: Evolution on December 19, 2009. During his stellar 13 year MMA career, the 6 foot Lindland, who hails from Oregon City, Oregon, has triumphed over a number of all-time greats including former UFC champions Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton. Two years ago, Lindland entered the world of politics, winning the Oregon Republican Party’s nomination for the House of Representatives before being defeated in the general election.

One of MMA’s fastest rising stars, the undefeated, 28-year-old Woodley of St. Louis, Missouri is a two-time All-American NCAA wrestler for University of Missouri.  His superior wrestling skills have been the foundation of his success in the cage, leading him to submission victories over each of his opponents, including his last victim, Rudy Bears, whom Woodley tapped out with an arm triangle choke in the first round (2:52) of their main event matchup at the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at Kansas City, Kansas’ Memorial Hall on November 20, 2009.

Woodley’s opponent, Coy, is also an expert in submissions and a former wrestling star for Oregon State University.  Coy will put a three fight winning streak on the line that began with a first round (3:39) TKO of Jesse “J.T.” Money Taylor on July 25, 2009. In his last start, Coy forced Travis Bush to tap out from strikes just 16 seconds into their meeting at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde, Oregon on March 12.

The 28-year-old Vera, the wife of MMA star Brandon Vera and resident of San Diego, California, made a splash debut with STRIKEFORCE on November 20, 2009 when she battered Kim Couture with superior striking skills and brought about a TKO in the first round (3:35) of their matchup  with an onslaught of punches. Vera gained the attention of the fight world by winning the Oxygen television network women’s Muay Thai fight reality series Fighter Girls in 2007. Inspired by Bruce Lee movies and The Karate Kid at the age of six, Vera, a tomboy, took up Tae Kwon Do and, later, boxing and kickboxing before turning to world’s fastest growing spot – MMA.

The 20 year old Pena, a product of Sik Jitsu in Spokane, Washington, possesses a fast-paced, aggressive fighting style which, oddly enough, mimics that of her boyfriend, undefeated lightweight scrapper Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm. In her last start, Pena engaged in an all out slugfest with Stephanie Webber, before submitting Webber with an armbar in the second round (2:54) of action. Pena, whose pretty smile is a stark contrast to her darker side, has ambitions that extend beyond the cage.  To date, she has been using her earnings from competition to further her education at Spokane Community College.

Rose Garden Arena doors will open for the STRIKEFORCE Challengers event at 5:15 p.m.  The first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m. and the first main card bout will begin at 8 p.m. The event will be televised live on SHOWTIME® at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

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.

Kerry Vera’s (2-0) Muay Thai skills led her to a brutal first round (3:35) TKO on Kim “Sugar Free” Couture (1-2) in the featured women’s 135 pound match-up. Early in the first round, Bears, of Kansas City, Missouri was able to fight off the 27-year-old Woodley, a two-time All American wrestler for University of Missouri.  But while the two were in the clinch Woodley scooped up and slammed Bears to the canvas.

Woodley quickly passed guard, and as Bears attempted to turn over, Woodley attempted an armbar.  Bears escaped and brought the fight back to stand up position. Shortly thereafter, Woodley secured a double leg takedown and passed Bears’ guard to gain side control before slapping on an arm triangle choke that forced Bears to tap out at the 2:52 mark of the opening round.

In the first round of the female bout, Couture ate several punches.  While in the clinch against the fence her opponent unloaded two straight knee strikes to her Couture’s mid-section. After Couture backed up, Vera swung away with her hands and connected with a flurry of lefts and rights, battering Couture until the referee jumped in and stopped the fight.  Vera was declared the winner by way of TKO at the 3:35 mark of the first round.

Local star Bobby Voelker (21-7) turned the tides on Huntington Beach, California’s Erik “Bad” Apple (10-2), who came out of the gates swinging in the first round of their welterweight (170 pounds) match-up. The remarkably resilient Voelker weathered an early storm, scrambling to his feet after Apple dropped him with an overhand right.  After absorbing a one-two punch combination, Voelker fired back with his own hands that backed up Apple.

Voelker tripped Apple to the ground and attempted to finish Apple with a flurry of punches from inside Apple’s half guard before the closing bell sounded. In the second stanza, a left hook from Voelker stunned his opponent.  Apple attempted to counter, but was caught with another left to the chin. Voelker took Apple down again.  After Apple stood up, Voelker dropped him with a hard right hand.  Voelker pounced on his downed opponent, unloading a series of right and left hands. As Voelker continued to punish him and Apple turtled up, the referee stepped in and stopped the action at the 1:23 mark of the second round.

In his first appearance since suffering an upset defeat at the hands of Mike “Mak” Kyle, Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante (8-2) spent much of the first round of his matchup with Aaron Rosa (12-3) trying to control Rosa against the fence. Cavalcante changed his tempo in the second round, taking Rosa down.  The referee stood the fighters up, however, and issued Cavalcante a warning for striking his opponent with elbows to the head from inside Rosa’s guard. (Striking a down opponent to the head with elbows is illegal).

After the action resumed, Cavalcante lunged at Rosa and tagged him with a knee strike to the head that put Rosa on his back.  Cavalcante quickly pounced on Rosa and hammered him with punches until the referee stopped the contest at the 3:25 mark of the second round.

“King” Kevin Casey (3-1) of Los Angeles, California made quick work of Iowa’s Chad Vance (7-4), taking Vance down in the early going of the first round.  Vance gave up his back and Casey used the opportunity to unleash several punches before sinking in a rear naked choke from which Vance tapped out at the 1:41 mark of the first round.

Spencer Pratt, star of MTV’s smash hit reality series “The Hills,” was on hand to support Casey, his friend and business partner, from cageside.

Complete STRIKEFORCE Challengers Results:

Main Card:

Kevin Casey def.  Chad Vance – Submission (rear naked choke) – 1st Round (1:41)

Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante def. Aaron Rosa – TKO (strikes) – 2nd Round (3:25)

Bobby Voelker def. Erik Apple – TKO (strikes) – 2nd Round (1:23)

Kerry Vera def. Kim Couture – TKO (strikes) – 1st Round (3:35)

Tyron Woodley def. Rudy Bears – Submission (arm triangle choke) – 1st Round (2:52)

Preliminary Card:

Lucas Lopes def. Dominic Brown – TKO (strikes) – 2nd Round (:45)

Mike Chandler def. Rich Bouphanouvong – TKO – 3rd Round (2:07)

Darryl Cobb def. Gary Tapasua – Split Decision (3 Rounds) (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Nick Nolte def. Andrew Waters – Submission (Triangle Choke) – 1st Round (3:45)

Brian Davidson def. Russel Patrick – TKO (strikes) – 1st Round (:29)

Lee Gibson def. Joe Wilk – TKO (strikes) – 1st Round (4:39)

The Super Six World Boxing Classic returns for the third fight in Group Stage 1 as Mikkel Kessler looks to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Middleweight title November 21,  live at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

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.

About Showtime Networks Inc.

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2(tm), SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL(tm) ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Photo: Esther Lin/STRIKEFORCE

Source: Mike Afromowitz, STRIKEFORCE