Former Strikeforce 155-pound champion Josh Thomson is back in action later this year, as the veteran lightweight has reportedly been tapped to welcome former Sengoku standout Maximo Blanco to the world of stateside mixed martial arts on Sept. 10, 2011.
MMA Weekly brought word of the pending match-up earlier today.
Thomson (18-4) was able to string together consecutive wins over Pat Healy (Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Werdum") and Gesias Cavalcante (Strikeforce: "Diaz vs. Noons 2") before Japanese "Crusher" Tatsuya Kawajiri battered him en route to a unanimous decision loss at K-1: "Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2010" last December.
It was just his second loss since 2006 and he's itching to get back into the promotion's lightweight title hunt. But can he overcome the Venezuelan wrestler? Or will he get "Punk'd" in September?
Blanco (8-2-1) has spent his entire career on the Japanese circuit.
"Maxi" has finished seven of his eight contests by way of technical knockout and is currently riding a six-fight win streak including a unanimous decision victory over Won Sik Park at Sengoku "Soul of Fight" late last year.
The Grappling Dummy has a closer look at Blanco in the video below:
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more information on the unannounced Strikeforce event for Sept. 10 as it becomes available.