Scott Smith vs Benji Radach Strikeforce fight in the works for April 11

Former Elite XC fighters and new Strikeforce acquisitions Scott Smith (14-5) and Benji Radach (19-4) are penciled in to face off in a middleweight bout at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, Calif., on April 11.

While both of these fighters were caught up in the Pro Elite fighter contract fiasco that kept many talented mixed martial artists on the shelf for the last four months or so, Smith still managed to get himself a fight against fellow UFC veteran Terry Martin on the last Strikeforce card of 2008 back in November.

"Hands of Steel" lived up to his nickname on that night by knocking out the hard hitting Martin less than 30 seconds into the first round. Before that impressive showing, Smith had competed three times in 2008 under the Elite XC banner.

In February, he defeated Australian product Kyle Noke at "Street Certified" by knockout in the second round.

That win earned him a shot at division title holder "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler on the promotion's first nationally televised CBS event in May. It stole the show in Newark, N.J., as the two 185-pound sluggers went back and forth for nearly three rounds before an inadvertent poke to the eye from Lawler caused a premature stop to the title fight.

The promotion ordered an immediate rematch, and the two went at it again two months later at "Unfinished Business" in Stockton, California. This time, however, Smith was handed the fifth loss of his career by second round technical knockout.

He'll face another accomplished competitor in Benji Radach at 185 pounds on April 11.

"Razor" was last seen making his Elite XC debut an impressive one with a second round technical knockout win over former division champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua in October.

Before joining the Pro Elite roster in 2008, Radach competed six times under the International Fight League (IFL) banner. After winning his first five fights for the promotion, he earned himself a spot in the World Grand Prix Finals in December of 2007 against Matt Horwich. He came up on the short end of the stick in that contest, which is the lone blemish on his record over his last seven fights.

Radach also has some Octagon experience to his credit, too. In 2002, he competed three times in the UFC, putting together an even record (1-1-1) against Steve Berger (No Contest), Nick Serra (win) and Sean Sherk (loss).

Strikeforce did a nice job with this match-up and apparently is going to get right to it with putting its new Pro Elite acquisitions to work. This organization is clearly looking to make big waves in 2009, and with this being the kick off event for the new year, it seems safe to assume there are plenty more quality fight announcements coming for April 11.

Stay locked to MMAmania.com for more info on this developing fight card.